[00:00] Leyla: She is known as the Sherlock Holmes of Health. Let's welcome Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers, who's here to share how to find the right health care provider for you. Such an important topic. I'm glad that you're here. I got to start it off by saying, you know, how picky can we be when there is such a shortage of doctors and healthcare providers out there because some people, they've got a six month waiting list before a doctor is willing to see a new patient.

[00:26] Dr. Rodgers: Exactly. And I think the point you're also getting out is that things aren't the way they used to be right? There's not just one family doctor in town that everyone knows and trust. So today, we have doctors, specialists, naturopaths. We have health coaches, holistic practitioners, spiritually-focused healers, chiropractors, nutritionists, dieticians and honestly, there are just straight up con artists out there.

[00:50] Leyla: Oh, interesting.

[00:51] Dr. Rodgers: So, not even when it comes to our health and well being, there's more than just the spectrum of our traditional practitioners now.

[00:58]: Leyla: Can you explain that a little bit more when you say con artists, what do you mean?

[01:01] Dr. Rodgers: So, a lot of times now we're starting to see in the health and well-being world, especially in the holistic and alternative practitioner side of things, that we have a lot of people starting businesses online, calling themselves some sort of health coach or practitioner with not a lot of expertise or experience to back that up. So men and women are investing a lot of money in these people and getting stuck not getting the results that they want for their health and well-being. And I see a lot of women coming into my practice, who have been burned so many times not just by mainstream practitioners, but by a lot of different types of practitioner.

[01:44] Leyla: What is the first step for someone to take their power back?

[01:47] Dr. Rodgers: I love this question. And one of the first things that I think is so important, and this actually isn't a question I was even planning on asking today. But I realized that isn't it's an important baseline to understand from any practitioner that you're considering working with. And it's do all of the solutions that you can offer me align with helping me simply manage my issues and symptoms? Or do you offer any type of approach or solution that can also help me find a pathway to heal. Because if you're somebody who doesn't want to just merely manage your symptoms, then it's an important piece of information to know from any practitioner. It's important to be clear on what someone can and can't offer you.

[02:29] Leyla: It's just, it's so difficult these days, as we've already stated, the fact that you can't really go shop around have an appointment with one doctor, I don't really jive with them, go to the next one, or that you're gonna be spending years doing that.

[02:43] Dr. Rodgers: Exactly.

[02:44] Leyla: And so, should people learn from word of mouth, I mean, what what is a really good way for someone to be able to sort of test the waters, as it were.

[02:56] Dr. Rodgers: I love that. And one of the most important things I think that any one person can do is to really take charge, and learn how to ask the right questions and be your own best advocate. Because you know, right now, with the wide range of different types of practitioners, there are for any one person to choose from, you have no way of determining whether a new healthcare practitioner is right for you. And so many people, when they don't feel good about the advice or the approach they're being offered, they get stuck on that doctor-to-doctor hamster wheel because when this one doesn't work out, they'll just go try another, keep getting the same results, and be left feeling stuck and helpless. So people really need to know how to choose a health care practitioner that is the right fit for them. But how do you do that when you don't know anything about them?

[03:49] Leyla: Well, exactly. And to find that, that good, healthy middle ground because either someone over diagnosis or under diagnosis. So you need to know what your own boundaries are. Because what you were saying before we even got started is say a mother goes to see the doctor she's forgetful or whatever the case may be. And a doctor just dismisses it, calls it brain fog versus someone who maybe just needs a changeup in their diet but are prescribed all these pharmaceuticals to bring their blood pressure down. So you know, it's one of those really tricky things. But I think you start today, right? To know your body for one thing, and then know what options are out there.

[04:33] Dr. Rodgers: And to know that you have the right to look and feel your best and we really want our healthcare system to reflect that. So the power and all of the answers, they're not held hostage by our doctors and practitioners. We know our bodies better than anyone else, but we're often made to feel like we don't know or that somebody else outside of us knows better than. But when we have a list of questions that we can ask with confidence, then it helps us to start to navigate that path with confidence and realize that we can actually achieve the goals that we set for our health. It doesn't have to just be on someone else's terms.

[05:15] Leyla: Communication and education, very important components. Thank you so much, Dr. Rogers. We'll see you next time. 

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