Finding Progressive and GRATE Providers in YOUR Area; How to Do It; Example of the One I Did for Western Colorado

Since people in conversation typically ask 'what do you do?' when you meet, I'm frequently explaining what Lumigrate 'is about'.   My answer basically is: Valid, streamlined and FUN consumer/patient empowerment through education about progressive concepts such as 'integrative' and 'functional' medicine concepts, and focusing the "light of health and well-being" on information about chronic pain and illness, including the very common "fibromyalgia and fatigue spectrum disorders". 

Per one of Lumigrate's fibromyalgia and fatigue experts, Marc Spurlock, MD, in our 2010 Fibromyalgia and Fatigue International Awareness Day collaborative "Three Doctors Interview", this has recently grown to include 20% of the US population currently who are 'on the spectrum' with these types of disorders. There are projections this is going to continue drastically increasing to include a majority of the population until changes are made by individuals, families, and society overall addressing their health, bodies, and environments differently, both individually and collectively.

The person frequently says next 'my (family member, friend) has that (fibromyalgia)' and then often the question of 'who knows how to treat it effectively?' is asked no matter where I am physically.  SO, I assembled a list (Mardy's List of Providers for Western Colorado) here at Lumigrate and started 'in my own back yard', inspired by someone who asked me this summer to help get a friend that was a relative newcomer here and really failing in her health.  

Since most of the people following Lumigrate do NOT live in Western Colorado, I'm going to make general suggestions here for 'how to do this yourself no matter where you live'.  For starters, refer to Lumigrate's "YOU" model (below/graphic and on the home page of Lumigrate.com).  ANY of those types of providers can be an excellent place to start finding the top progressives in your community.  But in general a compounding pharmacist will know these providers, particularly those who prescribe bioidentical hormones, which in and of itself is generally considered 'progressive'.  

When I moved to Grand Junction, my pharmacy became my #1 resource and when a compounding pharmacy opened here, I called them and let them know where my head was at and asked for suggestions of providers who were more similar than the ones I found initially.  And then my 'complex' health issues turned around.  I've now gone on to find state-wide or nationally-known providers to consult with personally, and whenever possible get them to contribute information on Lumigrate.

The solutions for, at the very least, 'managing' fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and 'reversing it'/improving it's effects are well known in some circles of medical providers, and yet baffling to the 'mainstream' or majority.  That's where Lumigrate comes in; by having information here for people to PRINT or EMAIL to their providers, much change can get into the hands of many patients who 'infect' the doctors/providers with it who then can learn and alter what they're doing with ALL their patients, with much change being the end result for many people.   

Thanks to doctors like Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, whose book 'From Fatigued to Fantastic!' is in it's third edition now, (I bought edition #2 many years ago and now have a current/new version) AND many others as well, thanks to the power of the Internet, everyone can very easily today find solutions about fibromyalgia. Now the problem is sorting through the junk sites and information and finding the good/gems.  

So a suggestion if you are looking for where to start is to pick up a copy of his book (ask the public library to order it in if you'd rather) as there is a chapter on 'finding a physician'.  His website (www.endfatigue.com) provides lots of clues, and the sophisticated symptom checker will print out for you what it thinks is going on with your symptoms and what to do about it, as well as a letter made out to your physician (you give it your doctor's name as input) and  helps guide the treating physician with what to prescribe and why.

Since many of the treatments known to help include nutrition and the supplementation thereof, with topics such as chronic yeast overgrowth being commonplace, consider calling a reputable naturopath or acupuncturist (or more than one) if you have them in your community. They will know the physicians in your area who are uniquely capable with treating this complex condition.   With the increasing numbers of people without health insurance but who value their health, naturopaths are an excellent and economical resource as a "front line provider", but I really suggest people have someone on their team who has hospital priviledges and on-call staff 24/7 due to the frequent infections that arise.  And I'd be remiss if I didn't remind here to make a list of your specialists and medical 'team' and share/store it where it can be used if there is a medical emergency/urgency.  Being able to contact the specialists to ask questions is only going to streamline your medical care and increase the likelihood of an effective, efficient outcome.  

Progressive thinkers tend to network with progressive thinkers; allopaths tend to network with allopaths/Western/Modern Medicine thinkers.  So all you have to do is find a thread to the philosophy you believe in and start pulling! 

Even if you don't want to use hormone therapy, those providers are 'progressive thinkers' so likely ALSO know what to do for fibromyalgia.  Don't know if you have a compounding pharmacy?  Your regular pharmacist will know that, and they're important members of your 'team' for health care. 

Call the providers offices and ask to talk with their public relations person -- and ask questions:  When making this list I called a lot of offices and one of my questions was 'who do you refer to for psychology?' and when I was told 'we don't very much', I made a note of that. For Lumigrate, we support mind/body/spirit medicine and if a provider's addressing 'pain' and doesn't refer out 'much' to psychology, that's not a good sign! Just what it takes to find a physician is enough to justify needing a behavioral therapist from all the STRESS that goes with what goes into being well instead of ill.  Or closer to it!

Here's the link to the list of providers I've created for my part of Colorado, I believe the model of it might offer much help.  Many of the providers have excellent websites by the way, which can only served to education and sometimes they'll have links to Finders for finding that type of provider.

There also is some advantage to plugging in with a team, or 'falling into a groove with a group that has a groove worn with each other', and in this community that appears to generally include the following which I will give the link for the one I did for my area -- for people anywhere to just get ideas from, and MANY of them do phone consultations for those who aren't able to be right in front of us in person: www.lumigrate.com/forum/usa-colorado-grand-junctionfruitapalisade-providers-re-fmscfs [1]

I hope you find this Forum informative and helpful ~~ Mardy