I was due to get a checkup from the doctor last month. Having gone to college in a city 7 hours away from my hometown, however, meant that my usual family doctor was also 7 hours away.
Nah, I’m just joshin’ you. As much as I would have loved to visit home, I decided that it would be better to find a doctor around Boston. Because, you know, 7-hour drive and all.
Of course, this also meant that I had no idea which doctors in the area were reputable. There are so many– how could I choose? I ended up just logging into the my health insurance’s webpage and choosing a practice at random.
I scheduled an appointment at Visions Healthcare, a relatively new practice with buildings in Wellesley and Dedham. The website was shiny and polished, after all, and they based their methods on “cutting edge biochemical evaluations.”
Therefore, last March, I found myself waiting in the office of a doctor I had never met. I was the first patient of the day, and the doctor had to settle herself down first– so I had a few minutes to look at all the diplomas on her wall.
Right next to my doctor’s conventional MD diploma was a smaller certificate for an MD in acupuncture. I didn’t even know those existed, so I was taken a bit aback.
My doctor came in and introduced herself and the practice.
Hmm. I’m a cynic at heart, so I was already a little doubtful. Still, since I had just started Weight Watchers, I figured I would listen to what she had to say. My mom had wanted me to visit a dietitian, but if this lady could give me some pointers, maybe I could save myself some co-pay.
So when she started asking me about my health, I responded in turn. Diet? It wasn’t great before, but getting better. Exercise? Yes, I go to the gym whenever I can. Emotional health?
Did my doctor just recommend meditation to me?
Yes. Yes she did. In fact, she did it twice.
She did offer some reasonable advice. I should cut down on sugar. Eat more leafy vegetables. Eat more nuts, and also a little more red meat. (Though she insisted on grass-fed meat only.) She decided that, to know more, I should get a number of tests.
I was planning on getting some blood work done regardless, so I rolled with it. I was curious, and maybe she knew what she was doing. Most of the tests were covered by my insurance anyway, except
For some reason, this place didn’t send you your results in the mail. Instead, you had to schedule a follow-up appointment with your doctor a month later to discuss your blood work. Thus, a month later, I found myself back in my doctor’s office.
My doctor sat down and looked at my results.
My other results seemed to check out, though. Low cholesterol. No diabetes. A little low on zinc and iron, but nothing a few vegetables and steaks couldn’t fix.
And that was my visit to Visions Healthcare.
Call me a skeptic, but I think that’s going to be my last visit to my hipster doctor. She gave some solid advice, to be sure– but next time I want a service that’s half good intentions, half advertising, I’ll just go to WebMD.
