Second Opinions

The ER is not for second opinions. Particularly after a patient has seen multiple specialists, coming to the ER because you’re unhappy with the answers or frustrated with your ongoing condition is unlikely to yield the results you seek. I have a limited set of tests, which are designed to detect specific conditions. Strokes, for example, are easy to identify with imaging, but seizures are not. Heart attacks are easy to diagnose; other causes of chest pain are not. It’s highly unlikely that the specialists you have previously consulted are withholding tests or deliberately avoiding certain procedures. In our litigious society, doctors tend to over-test and refer to specialists more often than they did in the past. When you come to the ER, I don’t have any secret tools. There’s no secret sauce or hidden test. Longevity discussions may involve highly detailed tests at the cellular level, testing for specific toxins, or whole-body MRIs… these are all things that exist. However, none of them are available in the ER. For example, I can check your thyroid function, but I cannot perform an in-depth study to determine if your cells are effectively utilizing thyroid hormones. I cannot test your mitochondrial function. I cannot test for the myriad viruses that cause influenza-like illness (ILI).