Introduction
I don't remember when I set out to be a physician. It had to be before college because I was a pre-med major. I spent 25 years as an emergency physician. For years I was the director of the department. I convinced myself it was worth it because I made the schedule. That was the worst part of emergency medicine. The ED never closed. Someone had to be there around the clock. I spent my share of nights, weekends, and holidays keeping the pit running.
Around 2000 the hospital convinced me to joint venture with them and start an urgent care. I did that and grew a fairly large organization with a great team. I stepped away in 2019, and here I am.
When everything changed
In the 1980s a disease called AIDS showed up. There was no treatment or cure. If you got it, you died.
That was when I started exploring what I'll call "alternative care." I was studying agents thought to boost the immune system. I believed a healthy immune system might be the best defense. Since it was bloodborne, you also had to be careful and lucky not to stick yourself with a contaminated needle.
I started attending meetings with others interested in the same topics. The Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) was created. It was many of the same people I'd been seeing at other alternative healthcare meetings. I spent the money and time to get IFM certified.
Everyone needs a primary care physician
I don't remember much before I was four or five years old, but one thing I do remember is this: the entire time I was growing up until I graduated high school, I saw the same doctor. Sometimes his nurse if he was busy. She had a special knack for making penicillin injections hurt like hell. Penicillin was what they gave you when they didn't have a clue what was going on, or they knew it was a benign respiratory infection and wanted to give you something to remember the visit. What could penicillin hurt?
My family and I knew that doctor for many years. Everyone in the family saw the same doctor.
The most memorable occurrence was when I was about 12. My brother, my sister, and I (I was the oldest) all had our tonsils removed on the same day at the same hospital. It was unique enough that there was a photograph of the three of us with our mouths gaping wide open, or at least as wide as we could force them after having all that stainless in the back of our throats. That picture made the city newspaper. Boy, was I embarrassed.
Those days are long gone. Most of the time when people see healthcare providers now, it's a brief first encounter. There's often no follow-up visit.
What we're doing here
One of our goals at Sage Matters is to empower you to take control of your healthcare. To be proactive and engaged in the decision-making. No one is as motivated as you are.
You should be the conductor of the orchestra.
"The blood doesn't lie"
You need to get blood work regularly and monitor it. Keep it in charts where you can compare your progress over time. AI can help you track it and even give you good questions to ask.
We'll coach you through changes and improvements to make. With the lab work, you should see improvements in these "biomarkers." And you'll feel better and look better. Your friends will notice and ask what you're doing.
We'll function like coaches.
You'll still need a primary care doctor in case you need access to the big machine. You never know when you might need a surgery, a hospital test, or something similar. Good luck finding a doctor like the one my family trusted while I was growing up.
The medical system is broken
Coming from someone who spent their adult years in the medical profession, I'll be the first to admit it. The medical system is broken.
I've taken it upon myself to teach you how to be in control of your health, get healthier, and live longer. Medical care is outrageously expensive. That's obvious, but it's not something I can fix. Enough has been written about it.
Here's a recent change in medical care
Most states now allow you to go into a lab and order tests without a physician's order. On a separate page I'll make recommendations for what you should get now. Some should be repeated on a regular interval, which will change depending on what we're working on.
The good news is your genes are your genes at birth. One DNA evaluation is it. That's what you were born with, and it doesn't change. Depending on your age, you may benefit from a screening total body MRI, which is one screening test for cancers. I'll also recommend a test to evaluate your mitochondria.
Lots of tests and, unfortunately, significant expense.
In this series of articles that follow, I'll give you advice on how to navigate the medical system whenever you venture into that world.