From Specialist to Specialist: Why You Still Don’t Have Answers—And What to Do Next

Introduction

Welcome back to the Immune Edit and Dr. Doug Jones and glad you’re with us today. So one question that I get a lot is. Look, I’ve seen 5, 6, 7 specialists.

I still don’t have any answers. Where do I even start? And they’ll show up in my office and be like, you know, look, doc, you’re, you’re my last resort with that. I, I don’t really know if that’s a compliment or not. I’m like, they’re last resort. Um, but at the same time, we want to be able to serve that person and, and take all of the clues that have.

Come up along the way through the different specialists, put those things together and try and get some answers for, for the patient. But a lot of times I think why people aren’t getting answers is the system of healthcare that, that we live in. Uh, it’s a really broken system and, you know, it’s, it’s like the golden rule.

Uh, that line off Aladdin. He who has the gold, makes the rule and the people that have the gold insurance companies, government, that kind of thing, they make the rules. And unfortunately, there’s so many layers between the doctor and the patient. So many layers of nonsense and oversight and bureaucracy that it’s, it’s challenging, you know, it poses a lot of challenge to the clinician to just do their job.

And a lot of times, like medicine is the easiest part of what we do. Uh, on the flip side, you know, when you’re dealing with prior authorization, nonsense, and, uh, insurance companies that are making medical decisions, but trying to make medical decisions that really aren’t in the best interest of the patient, but they’re in the best interest of their bottom line, and that’s a problem.

But because of that, we have. This system, this broken system where there’s so much fragmentation of care that often it’s difficult for a doc to be able to have the time or the resource to be able to put things together, uh, because it is just really difficult. And so, um, one of the things that you can do if you haven’t had those answers is perhaps start with me and why me?

Why Start Here

Uh, mainly some of my background. Lens to perhaps a good starting point. I am board certified in immunology and allergy, and the immune system plays a role in most disease states, especially as it pertains to inflammation. I mean, that is like the root of most evil in, in a lot of patients. And so because of its complexity, a lot of people don’t understand it and how it interacts with other systems.

Um. The immune system is one of the three major communication systems within our body. Uh, the other two would be the hormone system or the endocrine system and our nervous system. That that’s really how our body communicates. And so one of the things that I’ve done is taking a deep dive into. Other specialties into integration of care and integrative medicine so that I can try and understand how that immune system interacts with the nervous system, interacts with the, the hormone system, and put those things together for you.

No Nonsense Testing and Supplements

The other reason you would like to start with me is because I am not in this, to just make money off you by ordering nonsense tests and nonsense supplements. And ultimately when you get with, you know, certain, uh, wellness influencers, whatever that may mean, or function medicine or whatever, a lot of times what’ll happen is they’re ordering an an ordinate amount of unvalidated tests.

That apparently your doctor doesn’t know about. I know about ‘em. We, we know about ‘em. It’s just there’s not a lot of evidence to support, uh, a lot of what’s being ordered, but that is a revenue source to them. And then that ultimately will lead to, you know, this onslaught of supplements that you’re gonna buy from those people.

That’s not my case. Um, I will order some tests, but I’ll explain to you what those tests are, are, are going to be about. Um, we may recommend certain supplements, but there’s specific reasons as to why we’re going to recommend those and we’ll provide the evidence to support their use. And so that may be helpful.

Educate and Empower (Teach to Fish)

Um, another thing is, if you’ve ever heard that phrase, uh, teach a person to fish or take a person fishing and you feed ’em for a day, teach ‘em how to fish, you feed ‘em for life. I think there’s a, a greater message there though, because if you teach a person how to teach someone else how to fish, now you’re really making an impact.

And part of what I want to do with our patients is educate and empower, not just. Give them a medication or give them a treatment. But I want to not only educate them on why that’s being used and how it’s being used, but also help them understand how they can go out and help others to, to understand that as well.

Because I think the transparency and the education are really empowering to people. Um, the other thing. That I have gone through are, I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve been a patient, I’ve been in the system. I’ve been in a situation where I was not feeling well at all multiple times in my life, and tests were quote unquote normal, and I had to see several people to get the answers.

And I know the struggle. I know the struggle that it is to be a patient. The struggle of perhaps having some lack of communication or the communication that you’d like to see from your doctor. And I understand those things and we really try to, uh, correct that so that, um, when, when I’m treating somebody, I’m reflecting on the experiences that I’ve had.

And want to do a better job. Uh, I’ve also will think about people as though they’re a family member of mine. And so I’ll often say to patients, you know, if you’re my family member, these are the things that I’d be talking about. These are the things that I’d be recommending because. Most of the time people aren’t gonna try and take advantage of their family members.

And so I really do like to think about patients not only from my own perspective as a patient, but also as though they’re my family member, and really try to get to the bottom of things as quickly as we can. Um, part of being a patient myself though, that I had to understand was. At times you need to stand up and be your own advocate.

Be Your Own Advocate

You know, there was a time where I was told things were normal, but I was not feeling well at all, and, and health was deteriorating, and I knew something else had to happen. And so I kept, kept going, kept asking. And thankfully through that, that pursuit and, and my own advocacy was able to get somebody who really listened to what I was going through.

And weirdly, you know, two weeks after my conversation with him, I thought he’d, the stock had actually forgotten about my situation. He reaches out and said, Hey, I’ve talked this over with a couple of colleagues. This is what we think you need to do. And he was spot on. Um. So I was really grateful that that doc listened, that he took that into account, that he, that he was humble enough to realize, Hey, maybe I don’t have all the answers, but I’m gonna talk to some colleagues collaboratively, collectively, they put their heads together and came back to me with some ideas, and it probably saved my life, and I’m really, really grateful for those, those doctors that took that extra time to do that.

But it also took me advocating where when I was told things were normal, not stopping and saying, uh, no, my body’s telling me something else. I’m having these symptoms and I can’t ignore this anymore, which I wasn’t even ignoring it. I was trying to get answers, but nothing came immediately. We had to pursue several avenues before getting those results.

How I Work With You

So. That’s another reason I think if you don’t have the answers that you want starting with me, maybe a good idea. I’ll listen, I’ll hear you. We’ll validate you. Um, we’ll work through some things. We’ll try and think outside the box. We’ll try and look at you as a person and as a whole and integrate what we’re doing together.

Bringing Care to You

Um, so. I think, um, I can also offer solutions where we bring care to you. Uh, I have telehealth licenses in several states, most of the states actually in the us so that if you’re in a certain situation, you can’t travel, you can’t do certain things, um, I’m doing my best to actually bring care to you instead of you, the patient, always having to go to the doc.

We’re trying to bring that care to you because we care. And we want to really try to get people from, from this state of where they’re spinning their wheels to where they’re now getting some traction and some movement forward, and things that may be blurred at one point, slowly gets more clear and more into focus.

That’s really where we’re at. Um, but in terms of like. Getting back to that original question of why have you not been able to have answers? Because it’s, it’s difficult sometimes. Sometimes things aren’t straightforward. There’s a lot of misinformation. There’s a really broken system, a fragmented system, and so it’s, it’s hard to kind of wrap your head around it and make sense of things.

The Edit to Make

But I would say the, the edit that we wanna make in our life is. First, trust your gut. Second, don’t just be sold on headlines. Look beyond the headline. Are you being sold something or does some? Is somebody really trying to listen and validate you and work with you as a person? Um, and make sure that there’s actual science and evidence that’s being backed with what they’re recommending.

And not pseudoscience and not conjecture or extrapolation or if that’s there, hopefully there’s some transparency with that. Uh, granted, there are times where I may treat some really complicated disorders and we have to try some things, but what I try to do is be really transparent with the patient and say, this is the evidence, or this is where the evidence lacks.

These are things that we may try. This is why X, Y, and Z. Just so there’s transparency and you’re not being oversold something or something that may be complex. Trying to have it cured with the proprietary blend of supplement, uh, cure alls. Um, so just be cautious. Cautious with that. Hopefully you can latch onto some of those voices of reason in your life and, and ultimately know that you have somewhere to go.

That’s a trusted source and hopefully that’s where you can start. If you haven’t had your answers. If through this podcast, uh, this show in particular. You can get a lot of free advice and a, and a lot, not, not advice, this isn’t medical advice, but you can get a lot of free information and education and hopefully you use that as a resource and, and as a tool for you.

So, uh, maybe start with me, gimme a chance and I hope to see you next time. Take care here.

Disclaimer and Closing

Thank you so much again for tuning in. We’ll see you next time on the Immune Edit. This show is separate from my clinical practice at Global Allergy Immune Network. This show represents my opinions and my guests opinions. Neither myself nor the show endorses the views or statements of my guests. This show is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional.

This show is provided with the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. If you’re looking for help in your journey, please seek out a qualified medical practitioner. It’s important to have someone in your corner who is a trained and licensed healthcare practitioner who can help you make changes, especially when it comes to your health.

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