When you go to a doctor's appointment looking for help, do you struggle with:
Not being listened to?
Not getting what you wanted from the appointment?
Not being able to get your questions answered?
Getting your doctor to order lab work or imaging?
In this course you'll learn how to:
Communicate your concerns in a way your doctor can take in, understand, and respond to.
Be better prepared for your appointments, so your doctor has more time to look for underlying causes of your symptoms
Feel more confident in your appointments, which signals to your doctor that you're not just looking for a quick fix.
What we cover in this course:
- Pass the ball or share a map (6:19)
- Constraints on your healthcare provider (4:19)
- A story of how bringing in a written summary can change the dynamics of the appointment (3:47)
- Organizing all your symptoms helps prepare you to share with your provider (2:42)
- Getting specific about the most important symptoms that you want addressed (14:13)
- Additional tools that can help you more acuratly share with your provider (6:29)
- Introduction (4:45)
- A story on the importance of tracking patterns to provide context to your provider (1:54)
- Tracking behaviors that might be influencing your symptoms (3:04)
- Understand when & how to use trusted online sources to learn about your symptoms (6:00)
- An example of starting with fatigue as the most basic problem (2:47)
- Keeping track of what you've tried for chronic complaints (5:13)
- Writing down what your provider needs to hear is important (5:04)
- Introduction & handout (3:21)
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) (0:27)
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (0:24)
- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) (0:55)
- Ferritin (an iron marker) (1:42)
- Hemoglobin A1C (1:44)
- C Reactive Protein (CRP) (1:25)
- Homocysteine (a Vitamin B marker) (0:20)
- Vitamin D-25-OH (1:18)
- Autoantibody testing (0:58)
- Continuous Glucose Monitors (1:04)
- Pharmacogenomic testing (1:38)
- Final thoughts on getting lab work done (1:32)
Now, you may still be wondering…
“Can I REALLY have a productive conversation with my doctor?”
It’s completely normal if you’ve got concerns. Some of the biggest ones are usually:
- What if I don't really know what's wrong with me?
- What if my doctor has already said there's nothing wrong with me?
- What if I've already tried and I wasn't taken seriously?
- What if I am too tired to try again?
- What if I have already been labeled a "problem patient"?"
- What if I don't understand medical jargon?
- What if I'm intimidated by authority figures?
- What if I hate my current doctor?
If you’re worried about any of those things, you’re in good company! Most people have similar fears and worries when they don't feel at their best and still need to advocate for themselves.
It doesn't matter if you don't know what's causing your symptoms – organizing your information in a way that your doctor can understand, and presenting yourself as a patient who is engaged in your healthcare, can make a world of difference.
In fact, Dr. Allott has successfully coached hundreds of people to get better healthcare for two decades.
Good Diagnostics = Better Treatment
A fatigued 40-year-old woman presented a summary of her symptoms to her doctor. This allowed her doctor to get all the information and choose the proper diagnostic tests and treatment. Now she’s feeling more like herself and she can now clean her house again.
Better Understanding = Preventative Action
A 35-year-old woman who wasn’t feeling at her best requested specific labs from her doctor. She discovered that she was pre-diabetic and was then able to take specific actions to prevent diabetes.
Feeling Better = More Enjoyment in Life
A 29-year-old woman with fatigue and bouts of depression requested specific labs. She learned that, although she's not anemic, she had very low iron stores. This explained her fatigue and depression. Her symptoms improved after addressing the root cause. Now she's able to return to hiking every weekend.
Meet Dr. Kristen Allott & Natasha Duarte
Dr. Kristen Allott is a naturopathic physician, international speaker, and author. As a pioneering advocate for the use of whole foods nutrition for improving energy, mental clarity, decision-making, and treatment of mental health and addiction disorders, Dr. Allott is passionate about helping patients realize tangible results. Over two decades, she has refined her expertise in promoting increased cognitive functioning by treating the physiological and hormonal causes of mental health and addictions. In 2021, Dr. Allott co-published with her lifelong friend Natasha Duarte, the workbook, Fuel Your Brain, Not Your Anxiety: Stop the Cycle of Worry, Fatigue, and Sugar Cravings with Simple Protein-Rich Foods with New Harbinger Publishing.
Natasha Duarte has always been curious about different cultures. She has traveled extensively and has consistently found that our differences are far out shadowed by what we have in common. Much of her work has involved developing and supporting community, helping people be at their best, and celebrating uniqueness. Through this work, Natasha developed a communication style and tools that help people achieve their goals. Along her journey, Natasha has faced some health issues that were not easily identifiable or treatable. She put her natural curiosity and “get it done” approach to work within the medical system to find solutions. When her long-time friend, Kristen, invited her to co-create tools to support Kristen’s medical practice, she said yes. This led to co-authoring their workbook, Fuel Your Brain, Not Your Anxiety, released by New Harbinger Publishing in early 2021. Looking for another project to share, this course was an easy next step. It supports their shared goal of helping as many people as possible be at their best so that they can, in turn, positively impact their families and communities.