Doctors orders
Ajocal18
Posts: 167 Member
I had my first appointment with my new primary care provider yesterday, He was very friendly and seemed knowledgeable but I am a bit concerned with some advice he gave me. He advised me to go on a gluten and dairy free diet which due to my HS ( a skin condition) that is incurable but definitely manageable. From what I've read online there are some people who have had success with this but there is no real proof its correct. I am willing to try this however my main concern is he would like to follow up with me in 3-4 weeks and mentioned having me do the HCG detox at that time. Is this normal for a doctor to recommend ? I have lost 54lbs and am only 20lbs from a healthy BMI. I guess I'm not sure if I should look into other doctors , it seems like for my HS, weight , and anxiety he is recommending diet changes and detoxes , no actual medication - is this a red flag?
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Has he carried out actual allergy testing? Gluten intolerance is usually diagnosed after a blood test followed by a camera into the intestine to check on the status of the intestinal wall, which is damaged in particularly distinctive ways by gluten in cases of intolerance0
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The diet change a little bit of a red flag. Only cause he is having you cut out things that you arent allergic to, unless you didn't mention it.
The detox? Definetly a red flag. No doctor should be tellign you to detox unless you have severe liver problems.0 -
No- he has ordered a blood test but advised me to go gluten and dairy free in the meantime. I am sensitive to dairy and he stated typically they go together.0
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Detoxing is useless. Unless your liver or kidneys stop functioning, your body already detoxes itself. And the only 'cleanses' you would ever need to do is in preparation for a colon procedure.
Definitely ask for a referral to an allergist, or look one up for yourself. Get tested for a gluten allergy, as well as any others you suspect. And it's perfectly ok to go to a different doctor and get a second opinion. You have the right to do so, don't feel bad about it.
As for the anxiety, not recommending meds right off the bat is actually a good thing. There are some people that are helped by exercise or other things, and if you're one of them, that would be ideal. So trying other things first is a good idea. But if you try other things and they don't help you, then have a discussion about meds. Any doctor that would just hand over a pill because someone said they're having issues with anxiety isn't one I would want to go back to. And any doctor that refuses to help you find medication if all other options have failed isn't one I'd want to go to either. Sometimes, that med is necessary, but it's worth trying other things first!0 -
I would take the dietary recommendations as a good sign, if it weren't for the detox advice. I purposely sought at a doctor that would recommend diet or lifestyle changes before medication. I'm not familiar with HS so it's hard to tell if the detox is a good idea or not. It could be a good thing and the doctor is just using a popular/common term they think the patient will understand. That's not uncommon.
I'm curious why you are asking these questions here instead of asking the doctor when the recommendations were made? If you don't feel comfortable discussing issues with this doctor then it may not be the doctor for you.0 -
I'd absolutely try a gluten and dairy free diet for HS but the HCG detox is a red flag. http://www.bbb.org/blog/2015/01/the-skinny-on-weight-loss-scams/
Did he mention exercise for anxiety?0 -
The word detox is unusual by a Dr but I understand what he meant. Because it is possibly tied to a food related autoimmune issue, purging all of the potential problem from your system is the way without testing to see if it will correct or help with your issue. My friend, who is legitimately gluten intolerant, started by doing the Whole30 challenge, not 100% easy, but the website gives you a lot of recipes that are GF. Even if you don't follow the whole concept of clearing out the dairy and legumes (you can pry cheese from my cold dead hand), it's a useful tool.
He may not have tested as it's, as you said, not conclusive that the two are tied together, but I did find a study that said patients showed improvement (it is of course only 1 study and with brewers yeast) -
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23891479
Ultimately, it's not going to hurt you in any way to give it a shot, and you may be one of those people who can say online that you tried it and it does work. Give it a try for a month, go back and see what he says, and make your decision from there whether or not you're going to stay with him. If you find this concept unnerves you and you believe it's a load of garbage, then by all means, go to another doctor. You should feel comfortable with your doctor, and be able to trust what they have told you.
Never be afraid to question your doctor either, if they can't explain why they want you to do something and lay out the reasoning for you to understand (since it's YOUR health), then I'd definitely have little faith in them.0 -
Your Primary Care Doctor should absolutely be referring you to a Dermatologist that specializes in treatment of HS, as they would be the one who would know best. I'm a huge advocate for dietary changes to ease the severity of disease, but the HCG thing? Major flag right there.0
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He did order a blood test , and I believe the gluten and dairy was to see if my HS improves. As far as the anxiety a therapist recommended I see a doctor and be put on medication. He is aware I exercise 5 times a week so not sure if he thinks the diet will help that too. He wanted me to keep a diary of my anxiety to see if it is related to my menstrual cycle as well. Also a general diary of my mood and energy to see if the diet helps. All of this I felt comfortable with but he mentioned the detox a few times very briefly. The last time saying save $100 and he has an accent so he called it an H something something detox and told me to read in it. I guess it could be something other than an Hgc detox but that is the only thing I've found online. I'm just nervous because I have heard several times that detoxes are not necessary and don't know if I should trust a doctor who would recommend one.0
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He did order a blood test , and I believe the gluten and dairy was to see if my HS improves. As far as the anxiety a therapist recommended I see a doctor and be put on medication. He is aware I exercise 5 times a week so not sure if he thinks the diet will help that too. He wanted me to keep a diary of my anxiety to see if it is related to my menstrual cycle as well. Also a general diary of my mood and energy to see if the diet helps. All of this I felt comfortable with but he mentioned the detox a few times very briefly. The last time saying save $100 and he has an accent so he called it an H something something detox and told me to read in it. I guess it could be something other than an Hgc detox but that is the only thing I've found online. I'm just nervous because I have heard several times that detoxes are not necessary and don't know if I should trust a doctor who would recommend one.
Keeping a diary to see if your diet or other factors contribute to your anxiety is a good idea. It can help pinpoint patterns, and if you're only anxious during certain times or certain situations, that's information that's helpful to have. You say your therapist specifically recommended you to your doctor for meds, have you told your doctor everything you've tried with them? Or did they not try anything, just the recommendation?
Either way, to ease your mind, go get a second opinion. Lay it out for the new doctor, this is what is happening, this is what you've done, and take any records you have or have made with you. They may agree with your current doctor, that's fine. But if you're nervous about what your current doctor said, there's no need to keep second guessing and making yourself anxious over it. If all it does is ease your mind, it's still money well spent.0 -
I had my first appointment with my new primary care provider yesterday, He was very friendly and seemed knowledgeable but I am a bit concerned with some advice he gave me. He advised me to go on a gluten and dairy free diet which due to my HS ( a skin condition) that is incurable but definitely manageable. From what I've read online there are some people who have had success with this but there is no real proof its correct. I am willing to try this however my main concern is he would like to follow up with me in 3-4 weeks and mentioned having me do the HCG detox at that time. Is this normal for a doctor to recommend ? I have lost 54lbs and am only 20lbs from a healthy BMI. I guess I'm not sure if I should look into other doctors , it seems like for my HS, weight , and anxiety he is recommending diet changes and detoxes , no actual medication - is this a red flag?
Huge red flag. Do not use the HCG. It is just a VLCD.0 -
He did order a blood test , and I believe the gluten and dairy was to see if my HS improves. As far as the anxiety a therapist recommended I see a doctor and be put on medication. He is aware I exercise 5 times a week so not sure if he thinks the diet will help that too. He wanted me to keep a diary of my anxiety to see if it is related to my menstrual cycle as well. Also a general diary of my mood and energy to see if the diet helps. All of this I felt comfortable with but he mentioned the detox a few times very briefly. The last time saying save $100 and he has an accent so he called it an H something something detox and told me to read in it. I guess it could be something other than an Hgc detox but that is the only thing I've found online. I'm just nervous because I have heard several times that detoxes are not necessary and don't know if I should trust a doctor who would recommend one.
Keeping a diary to see if your diet or other factors contribute to your anxiety is a good idea. It can help pinpoint patterns, and if you're only anxious during certain times or certain situations, that's information that's helpful to have. You say your therapist specifically recommended you to your doctor for meds, have you told your doctor everything you've tried with them? Or did they not try anything, just the recommendation?
Either way, to ease your mind, go get a second opinion. Lay it out for the new doctor, this is what is happening, this is what you've done, and take any records you have or have made with you. They may agree with your current doctor, that's fine. But if you're nervous about what your current doctor said, there's no need to keep second guessing and making yourself anxious over it. If all it does is ease your mind, it's still money well spent.
You're right - I think I will follow along with the diet until my next appointment since there is no harm. I can always clarify I am looking into the correct detox and if so go from there. My hope is that maybe there is another 3 letter detox that starts with an H that's more accredited and less d"detoxy"0 -
So I don't have HS, but I do know that giving up foods that you have a sensitivity to can help skin conditions. I tested as highly sensitive to dairy. I'm not like anaphylaxis allergic, but I get headaches from it, have digestive issues and my skin breaks out badly within 24 hours. And it's deep cystic acne. My skin is perfectly clear after eliminating dairy 100%.
My doctor described it as my body can't process dairy at all, so it basically tries to escape from my body through my skin, causing the breakouts.
I know our conditions are different, and I would definitely do further testing but I just wanted to give you my story so you knew it is possible for dietary changes to help skin issues.0 -
He did order a blood test , and I believe the gluten and dairy was to see if my HS improves. As far as the anxiety a therapist recommended I see a doctor and be put on medication. He is aware I exercise 5 times a week so not sure if he thinks the diet will help that too. He wanted me to keep a diary of my anxiety to see if it is related to my menstrual cycle as well. Also a general diary of my mood and energy to see if the diet helps. All of this I felt comfortable with but he mentioned the detox a few times very briefly. The last time saying save $100 and he has an accent so he called it an H something something detox and told me to read in it. I guess it could be something other than an Hgc detox but that is the only thing I've found online. I'm just nervous because I have heard several times that detoxes are not necessary and don't know if I should trust a doctor who would recommend one.
You doctor told you to read up on something and you didn't understand what he was saying and you didn't ask to be sure? Then you come to a free internet forum to ask untrained strangers for advice? There is something very wrong with this picture.0 -
So I don't have HS, but I do know that giving up foods that you have a sensitivity to can help skin conditions. I tested as highly sensitive to dairy. I'm not like anaphylaxis allergic, but I get headaches from it, have digestive issues and my skin breaks out badly within 24 hours. And it's deep cystic acne. My skin is perfectly clear after eliminating dairy 100%.
My doctor described it as my body can't process dairy at all, so it basically tries to escape from my body through my skin, causing the breakouts.
I know our conditions are different, and I would definitely do further testing but I just wanted to give you my story so you knew it is possible for dietary changes to help skin issues.
Thanks, I'm definitely trying it. I'm kind of excited to see if it works but I love dairy so much.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »He did order a blood test , and I believe the gluten and dairy was to see if my HS improves. As far as the anxiety a therapist recommended I see a doctor and be put on medication. He is aware I exercise 5 times a week so not sure if he thinks the diet will help that too. He wanted me to keep a diary of my anxiety to see if it is related to my menstrual cycle as well. Also a general diary of my mood and energy to see if the diet helps. All of this I felt comfortable with but he mentioned the detox a few times very briefly. The last time saying save $100 and he has an accent so he called it an H something something detox and told me to read in it. I guess it could be something other than an Hgc detox but that is the only thing I've found online. I'm just nervous because I have heard several times that detoxes are not necessary and don't know if I should trust a doctor who would recommend one.
You doctor told you to read up on something and you didn't understand what he was saying and you didn't ask to be sure? Then you come to a free internet forum to ask untrained strangers for advice? There is something very wrong with this picture.
He mumbled the letters it was Hgc or hbp or something. The point is he specifically said it was a detox cleanse which Is supposed to be bs no matter what the name is since your body cleanses itself. I was asking for opinions If people thought there was some use to it since a doctor had recommended it. Thank you for the most in unhelpful comment in the history of MFP though.
If you do not have a thought that is helpful and can be expanded upon what is the point of commenting?0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »I'd absolutely try a gluten and dairy free diet for HS but the HCG detox is a red flag. http://www.bbb.org/blog/2015/01/the-skinny-on-weight-loss-scams/
Did he mention exercise for anxiety?
This.
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Remember that butter is dairy.
The number of times I see people ask for dairy free recipes on this site and receive ones with butter astounded me.0 -
My recommendation: don't ask MFP message boards!!! Try to find a better more professional space to ask this question.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »He did order a blood test , and I believe the gluten and dairy was to see if my HS improves. As far as the anxiety a therapist recommended I see a doctor and be put on medication. He is aware I exercise 5 times a week so not sure if he thinks the diet will help that too. He wanted me to keep a diary of my anxiety to see if it is related to my menstrual cycle as well. Also a general diary of my mood and energy to see if the diet helps. All of this I felt comfortable with but he mentioned the detox a few times very briefly. The last time saying save $100 and he has an accent so he called it an H something something detox and told me to read in it. I guess it could be something other than an Hgc detox but that is the only thing I've found online. I'm just nervous because I have heard several times that detoxes are not necessary and don't know if I should trust a doctor who would recommend one.
You doctor told you to read up on something and you didn't understand what he was saying and you didn't ask to be sure? Then you come to a free internet forum to ask untrained strangers for advice? There is something very wrong with this picture.
He mumbled the letters it was Hgc or hbp or something. The point is he specifically said it was a detox cleanse which Is supposed to be bs no matter what the name is since your body cleanses itself. I was asking for opinions If people thought there was some use to it since a doctor had recommended it. Thank you for the most in unhelpful comment in the history of MFP though.
If you do not have a thought that is helpful and can be expanded upon what is the point of commenting?
How the heck do you think anyone can give you advice on the pros/cons of something when you don't even know what it is? My helpful thought is to talk to your doctor.0 -
@Ajocal18 You can add me if you want. I cook and eat 100% dairy free. Feel free to message me if you need any recommendations for non-dairy products.
Ps. Earth Balance Butter is dairy free (you can find it in the health food section) and tastes just as good as normal butter. I get the red tub that says Soy Free on the front.0 -
There's nothing wrong with trying an elimination diet if you are trying to find out what foods may trigger immune responses / root out food sensitivities. That HCG stuff is a red flag, though. Not sure if it's typical for a primary care doctor to have special knowledge in that area. Sounds kinda hinky to me.0
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I would rather try a dietary change than take meds. There are lots of useful treatments that don't necessarily have clear cut proof, especially anything other than drugs (because drug companies fund the research). You don't have to get a gluten tolerance test because doc did not say this was your dx--soundd like a treatment suggestion to try. It won't hurt you.
I must ask why you would consider the advice of random internet strangers with no medical training over that of your doctor?
You can always try another doc if you're concerned. Also consider asking or self/referring to a dermatologist re your skin condition if you're not happy with the advice from PCP.0 -
I would try it.
I personally like Dr.'s who recommend dietary changes rather then prescribe a drug right off the bat.0 -
I would rather try a dietary change than take meds. There are lots of useful treatments that don't necessarily have clear cut proof, especially anything other than drugs (because drug companies fund the research). You don't have to get a gluten tolerance test because doc did not say this was your dx--soundd like a treatment suggestion to try. It won't hurt you.
I must ask why you would consider the advice of random internet strangers with no medical training over that of your doctor?
You can always try another doc if you're concerned. Also consider asking or self/referring to a dermatologist re your skin condition if you're not happy with the advice from PCP.
Just regarding him suggesting the detox. That's what seemed weird. Was wondering if maybe he is compensated for pushing those things....0 -
Yes-he likely makes money off it. Also HCG is typically NOT covered by insurance.0
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