Functional Medicine Doctor or Naturopath Needed
Looking for a Functional Medicine doctor or a Naturopath to help me with what i think may be thyroid or peri-menopause issues. I have tried Kaiser, only to be completely dismissed by multiple doctors. I'm seeking a practitioner who will listen and really try to figure out what's going on, someone open to looking at things holistically. A recurring theme I'm reading in online reviews of functional practitioners is that they are VERY expensive ($3-5,000) and require a lot of lab work and supplements - and in many cases the patients didn't feel they were helped after spending all this time and money. I'd like to avoid this (currently unemployed due to COVID), and wondering if there are actually any Functional doctors or Naturopaths who ARE both skilled with female mid-life issues AND affordable? if you have personal experience with one, and are a mid-40's+ woman dealing with similar issues, I'd love to hear from you!
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Depending on your insurance, you may be able to access the Sutter Institute of Health and Healing. I have a PPO and my standard co-pay for a physician visit applies. My own experience with the clinicians in this practice fits what you're looking for, and I have very similar issues- lifelong autoimmune (thyroid) issues, and I am 45. The practice has MDs, most of whom are functional medicine doctors, as well as NPs, RNs, accupuncture, massage, nutritionists, etc. I have found the approach to be holistic and I do feel like the physicians listen and try to help me solve issues I am facing.
There are some hormone level tests that I did have to pay for out of pocket and these were 1-2X tests at about $100 each time (for a total of $200 OOP).
Dr. Cynthia Li is offering consultation appointments for I think a suggested $375 an hour with a sliding scale. I had an online consultation and it really helped. She wrote a book called Brave New Medicine about her struggles with a thyroid condition (among other things). You might want to read it - I found it VERY helpful. Berkeley Public Library has it for sure. Good luck! I struggled with perimenopause too.
I am 56 (in menopause) and have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and have not had nor have any negative symptoms of either. I was completely surprised when my regular doctor (not Kaiser) suggested a sonogram and blood test as he thought my thyroid appeared enlarged. I recommend you ask for these thyroid tests from Kaiser for sure.
The reason I believe I have no negative symptoms compared to my peer group is because I am very careful about basic, holistic health maintenance for myself -- getting sufficient sleep, varied exercise 45 minutes each morning, 10,000 steps most days, eating mostly healthy food, limiting stress, maintaining a healthy weight, etc. I hear my friends complaining about their menopause symptoms and suggest they get up 30 minutes earlier than usual a few times per week to go for a walk and go easy on the wine and cheese, and they don't do it, hoping for a miracle pill or practitioner and I don't think such thing exists.
Hi- I went to an amazing acupuncturist, Leslie Oldershaw, who is very familiar with women's health issues and thyroid. While she is an acupuncturist, she is very well versed in functional medicine as well. She is not cheap but is often willing to work with your insurance https://eastbayfertilityacupuncture.com/. I highly recommend her!
I have used Dr. Vera Singleton in the past and highly recommend her. She helped me adjust my hormones after a hypothyroid diagnosis. https://drverasingleton.com/