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[00:00:57] Jenny Swisher: Welcome friends to this episode of the Sync Your Life podcast. Today we’re diving into the topic of how to know when your doctor is the right doctor for you. My goodness, this soapbox rant is probably long overdue, but here we are. No better time than the present. I find myself saying the phrase, wrong doctor, way too often.

[00:01:15] Jenny Swisher: This is and can be the hardest piece of the hormone health journey. At this point, I’ve had hundreds of women take my Sync Digital course. And until we opened the option to do virtual health consults this past fall with Dr. Paige Gutile and myself, this was the number one complaint that I would hear.

[00:01:30] Jenny Swisher: Women would tell me things like, Well, my OBGYN just wants to put me on birth control. Or, my primary care doctor said my labs are normal. This is why I believe empowering women to be their own best advocates in the doctor’s office is paramount in this wellness journey that we’re all embarking on. This leads me to my very first point of the podcast, which is my caveat for everything else I’m about to say.

[00:01:52] Jenny Swisher: And it is this. You are your own best doctor. Yep. You. No medical degree. Just you. You know your body best. In fact, the phrase, you are your own best doctor, was the pivotal phrase in my own journey years ago. My dear friend Jen said those words to me when I was facing daily painkillers for migraine, when I was desperate for answers and I was getting nowhere besides becoming more and more of a pharmaceutical guinea pig.

[00:02:19] Jenny Swisher: I think it’s a societal thing to place the authority of our bodies on doctors. We assume that they must know more, given their schooling. After all, the phrase, doctor’s orders, indicates that the doctor determines whether something is or isn’t off with our bodies. Trust me friends, some of my closest friends are doctors.

[00:02:37] Jenny Swisher: I’ve interviewed over 40 of them here on the podcast. I have complete respect for them. But the best doctors out there are the ones who agree with me here, who wholeheartedly say, Yes, you know your body best. The more you know your body and the more you advocate for it when it feels off, the more the doctor can help you.

[00:02:57] Jenny Swisher: One of my favorite testimonials from my course takers is when women tell me that because of the course they became empowered to be their own best advocate and they now know whether the doctors are right fit for them or not. When they step into their power and become their body’s own authority, the game changes.

[00:03:11] Jenny Swisher: You see friends, it’s not as simple as saying, Hey doc, can you test my hormones? And hearing the phrase, everything is normal is commonplace. When in reality, your labs could be far from optimal. Getting to the root cause of why you feel off takes you knowing what to ask, what testing to request, interpreting your own testing, at least to some degree and asking questions of the doctor.

[00:03:34] Jenny Swisher: Knowing when their advice is good or bad advice. And so, our soapbox begins. Because my friends, normal is not optimal. I’ll link up last week’s episode where I share a clip of a recent webinar that I hosted on this very topic, so you can go deeper on your own time. But I’m here to tell you, normal is not optimal.

[00:03:52] Jenny Swisher: The difference between a functional medicine or root cause approach, and the approach of many modern medicine doctors, is the lens through which they see your health. The analogy that I like to use is a house on fire. Most modern medicine doctors will say your house is on fire and they’ll throw pharmaceuticals on the fire to try to put it out.

[00:04:11] Jenny Swisher: Functional medicine doctors will say, okay, so based on these labs and your symptoms, it seems you have some matches in the basement next to some newspaper. And we want to make sure that those two don’t spark and cause a fire. It is a house on fire versus matches in the basement approach to your health.

[00:04:27] Jenny Swisher: And remember friends, without our health, we have nothing. So I know what you’re thinking. Functional medicine isn’t covered by insurance. So no thanks. Or my labs aren’t covered. Well, guess what, friends? In our modern day, there are ample ways to get testing done that isn’t overly expensive, and in many cases, a functional approach to your health saves you money.

[00:04:47] Jenny Swisher: Because it’s a proactive approach to your health. Take me, for example. My husband and I spent 10, 000 per year for nearly five years straight on modern medicine doctor visit costs. Medications, all that kind of stuff. By getting to the root cause, I now see my doctor twice per year, we do labs quarterly, and I take only one pharmaceutical medication, which is my migraine medication, for a total of under 2, 500 per year.

[00:05:11] Jenny Swisher: I will link up for you a virtual summit event that I hosted where I interviewed eight functional medicine doctors on the topic of root cause approach, that way you can take a listen on your own time. But let’s talk today about what I call the red flags of working with the wrong doctor. Number one, if you hear the phrase, your labs are normal, time to find a new doctor or a second opinion.

[00:05:32] Jenny Swisher: I mean, I don’t want to beat a dead horse here, but yeah, I do not like to hear this phrase. In fact, when women tell me they were told this, my spidey senses go up and I’m dying to review their labs myself. Because more often than not, a functional lens reveals differently. And in a lot of cases, the right markers aren’t even tested.

[00:05:50] Jenny Swisher: Number two, your doctor suggests birth control simply based on your symptoms, and they have no proactive approach to your hormone health. This could be a podcast in itself. If I had a dollar for every woman who has told me, my doctor just suggests birth control, I would be swimming in money. While birth control certainly has its place in the world, we also know in the majority of cases, women on birth control are using it for reasons other than birth control.

[00:06:15] Jenny Swisher: This, in my opinion, is not okay. This is a masking of symptoms and not a root cause approach to health. Did you know that at least once a week a woman admits to me that she didn’t know that birth control was suppressing her ovulation? The more you know, friends, the more you know. Number three, your doctor sends you down the hall for a quick lab test on your hormones, paying zero attention to the time of your menstrual cycle in which that testing is being done.

[00:06:42] Jenny Swisher: Yeah, nope. This matters so much. When it comes to sex hormones, we need to be looking at things during different times of your cycle. Number four. Your doctor thinks blood work is enough. Especially in perimenopause. Also, a great big nope from me. Women, especially in perimenopause, need urine and saliva testing.

[00:07:01] Jenny Swisher: Urine for sex hormones and saliva for cortisol. I believe women need this at least biannually, if Relying on one blood draw is a highly inaccurate view of your endocrine system. Did you know that your body pulses progesterone and estrogen at various times of the day? That means that a blood draw at 8 a.

[00:07:18] Jenny Swisher: m. could yield different results from a blood draw at 11 a. m. Do not rely on blood work alone. Number 5. Your doctor visit is less than 30 minutes long, and your doctor is only worried about documenting the appointment versus listening to you. Oh my goodness, this drives me insane, when they’re just typing away on their keyboard, but really not even making face to face contact or listening to what you have to say.

[00:07:40] Jenny Swisher: Listen, ladies, you need someone who will listen, and who will ask you questions about your life, your sleep, your stress, your nutrition. Modern physicians are given one semester of nutrition training. Functional doctors start with nutrition first. Again, it’s a different approach. Number six, your doctor isn’t open to bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

[00:08:01] Jenny Swisher: In the last 8 months of working with Dr. Page, I’ve heard her say this often. She’ll say, Most women have to convince their doctors that they need bioHRT. In my case, you have to convince me not to. It’s true, friends. There is too much evidence behind bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for women in perimenopause and beyond for overall health benefit.

[00:08:20] Jenny Swisher: Brain health, bone health, muscle health. Going without it is much scarier than using it. I know it’s a life changer for me and so many, and doctors who base their opinion off of outdated information and not current research is a big red flag. And please know, I am working on a podcast episode solely dedicated to this, this women’s health initiative study from the 80s and how misinformed it is.

[00:08:43] Jenny Swisher: And that’ll be launching here in the near future. But in the meantime, just know that a lot of doctors are not up to date on the current research. Number seven, if your doctor gaslights you. If they don’t validate the way that you feel, or they tell you, well, it’s just perimenopause. Ugh, this drives me insane.

[00:08:59] Jenny Swisher: This is way too common, friends. Way too common. Just because you’re having symptoms and you are aging, as a woman, doesn’t give excuses for why you feel the way you do. And you can feel better with the right doctor in your corner. Number eight. If your doctor tells you, you should just work out harder and eat less.

[00:09:18] Jenny Swisher: They emphasize a low carb or low calorie diet. Maybe they suggest HIIT training or exercising more. To me, this is a huge red flag, as it opposes all of the relevant research done on women. Remember, until the last decade, most health research was done on men, only because women make research complex due to our hormones.

[00:09:37] Jenny Swisher: The research that we now have identifies differently. That we must reverse diet culture, that we must eat enough, that yes, we should stay active and mobile and strength train, but underfueling as women is a huge issue because of diet culture. And that in and of itself needs to die.

[00:09:52] Jenny Swisher: If your doctor tells you this, run. Number nine, your doctor denies a full thyroid panel and bases your thyroid health off of TSH alone. This is way too common also, and I’ve seen many women go undiagnosed because their TSH was quote unquote normal, but their thyroid was a hot mess when you dug a little bit deeper with the right markers.

[00:10:14] Jenny Swisher: Number 10. If your doctor is quick to write a prescription, but doesn’t have any suggestions about natural supplementation or even brands of those supplements because the supplement industry, my friends, is a hot mess, yeah, it’s time for a new doctor. So, as you can see, simply entrusting your doctor to know you best and to have your best interest for your future health is why many women are stuck.

[00:10:36] Jenny Swisher: When women ask me, how do I find a functional medicine doctor? It’s a hard answer for me because I know many women will be derailed by the idea that it’s not covered by insurance. And even if it is, it could be a huge waste of time because there isn’t a set credential to look for.

[00:10:51] Jenny Swisher: Saying that you’re a functional medicine doctor really doesn’t even matter. It’s more so about a doctor’s beliefs, values, and what they’ve trained in. This is why the SYNC course can make all the difference for you. Because it will not only empower you to know these things on a deeper level and help you advocate for the right information, but it will also help you find the right doctor before you lose your time and money.

[00:11:12] Jenny Swisher: I teach my course takers the proper clues to look for. How to interview their doctor options and offices. And I give you downloadable questions for your doctor, quiz results to take with you based on your symptoms, proper testing guide that you can print and take, and even supplementation to request based on your unique bio individuality.

[00:11:30] Jenny Swisher: I believe that gaslighting in women’s health is a huge issue. And as one of my mentors, Dr. Sarah Gottfried says, women need to become more vulnerable about the experiences and conversations that they’re having in doctor’s offices. Can I get an amen? So my question for you is this. Are you working with the right doctor?

[00:11:48] Jenny Swisher: Do you know what testing to ask for? What’s optimal versus normal? Do you know your energy feels off and you don’t know where to begin? It starts with education. You need to know and understand your body. From there, it’s about finding a partner in proactive health through a functional medicine approach. And then it’s about implementing lifestyle changes that encompass all the angles. Your sleep, your supplementation, your nutrition, your exercise, and yes, even your traumas. So that you can heal and regain your maximum energy.

[00:12:18] Jenny Swisher: More to come very soon as it pertains to the virtual health consults hosted by Dr. Page and myself, so stay tuned for that. Perhaps the best thing to do is to come into the course, learn yourself for yourself, Meet with us and do everything mentioned here in one fell swoop, taking the guesswork out of the equation.

[00:12:35] Jenny Swisher: But no matter what, I hope you know this. You are your own best doctor. You know your body best. But when you can find that partner in a doctor who listens, who understands, who finds a way, and whose goal isn’t to just keep you coming back to them, well, that is magic. And that’s when you start to see the other side to this whole health thing.

[00:12:53] Jenny Swisher: Health is about energy. It’s about longevity. It’s about being the best for those we love. Stop counting on your doctor. If you’re being faced with any of these 10 issues outlined here today Count on yourself Trust that you have an intuition of your own body stronger than anything and that you deserve to live with maximum energy Thank you so much my friends for tuning in until next time