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.
(Extremely long, overdrawn sigh) See, she had some absolutely fantastic advice fused with very questionable answers and unwanted sales-pitching. You know I support meditation, so there’s that. And, having a religion, faith, or belief system of even the simplest kind has been proven to give people more of a purpose. And, while I encourage thoughtful attempts to figure out what, who, etc. you believe in or don’t believe in, asking people these types of questions can make them uncomfortable (especially with someone you just met). So, while her intentions “may” have been good, SWEET MOTHERS, DID SHE COME OFF AS CREEPY AND NOSY!
Spiritual Alignment sessions. Spiritual Alignment “sessions.” …….”Spiritual Alignment” sessions. See, no matter how many times I say it, I don’t quite get it. Spiritual Alignment sessions.
But, you know. More veggies, nuts, red meat (grass-fed meat really does matter), but those are things you would hear at any doctor anywhere. You could diagnose yourself to eat more of those things. Then, she asks for a $115 test, a probiotic, and MORE blood work. She had her great advice, no doubt. But, little more than the Internet (the government) could tell you.
Hope you find a “better” doctor. I hope your meditation is going well. It “IS” going well, RIIIGGHHTTT? Well, even if you slipped up, or decided it’s not for you, I’ll be here using ROCK HARD FACTS TO SHOW HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU!!! Luckily, that won’t have to happen because you’ve been so diligent with your meditating.
From,
The Right to Be (Straw Hat Luffy)
P.S. Your face when you were telling her that you would check with your mom about a probiotic looked priceless! Especially, since I would have had the same look on my face and said almost the same thing.
Right? That’s what I thought! It’s not like her advice was bad, but it was all stuff that I could find on, say, the Weight Watchers website. It felt like she was trying to push some superior enlightened lifestyle onto me, which made me very uncomfortable. I wanted to believe, but… STOP SELLING ME THINGS!!
She even called me a couple days later to tell me that she *really* thought I should get that $115 “food sensitivity” test. Which would then require another follow-up appointment. STOP THAT, YOU! STOP IT!
the more often you visit your doctor, and the more often they perform tests on you, the more money they receive. tis’ all
Arghhhh it was all such a scam…
She sure tried to sell. xD Oh well. As long as you get your answer to what you want to know about your health but…she was a little too enthusiastic on that regard it seems.
By the way. I can say from experience that acupuncture really works. I tried everything else for my muscle pains that I had for too long and now they have improved so much I’m so amazed that I’m not sure what happened. xD Acupuncture should help on muscle infection too.
It’s funny what just little needles can do for you.
Wow, so acupuncture really worked for you! I suppose it HAS been in practice for hundreds of years. It’s great that it helped your muscle pain! I’d be pretty freaked out by all the needles, though.
Well yeah. It really does work, and really well at that. And you have no idea how happy I was because nothing else didn’t help. xD
And you just have to keep calm and relax and it will all go well. It doesn’t even hurt. Unless the needle is too close to a vain it can hurt a little but then you just have to say that it doesn’t feel good and they will loosen it a little or just take it away all together, but I haven’t really felt anything expect a couple of times. It relaxes really well too. 🙂
Try looking for a doctor who is an OD and MD (though OD might assume MD). An OD is willing to consider alternative medicines as a part of treatment, though he doesn’t sell them there or anything. They are just more well-rounded. Mine is great.
Scott
Not a bad idea. I’ll look for that next time I go see a doctor! (Since I won’t be returning to this one for sure 😛 )
Check out my post tomorrow – you have been nominated for an award!
Scott
Thank you so much! I just put up the response post– it’s an honor to be nominated! 🙂
You are welcome and it is very much deserved.
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