Looking for health care provider that understands holistic approach to care
 

Just recently moved to TV and looking for a health care provider.

I've had good luck in the past with DO's, physicians assistants and nurse practitioners.

I'm willing to drive up to an hour for appointments.

Any recommendations?

TIA

Total waste of time and in some cases detrimental to your health. Find a real physician

Thanks for the advice. My whole family has done well with this type of care. My parents, aunts, uncles have lived well into their 90's for the most part.

That's wonderful and I wish the same for you. Of course, please realize that has everything to do with genetics and nothing to do with those snake oil salesmen.

Not sure what a "snake oil salesman" is.

Physician's assistants, DO's and nurse practitioners are well studied, respected professionals. Is there something that makes you distrust their education?

Yes, someone's longevity does have a lot to do with their genetics. It also has a lot to do with life style, nutrition and how you take care of yourself. That's what holistic type care is geared towards. Taking care and responsibility for your own health.

PAs and NPs are fine, I’ve employed a bunch of them. DOs tend to have failed to gain admittance to a real medical school, but some are good. It’s the “holistic approach” that’s crap

There's the alt-med center: HealthCare Partners Family Medicine

The doctor there is an MD, not a DO, but they specialize in holistic and alternative medicine. They're on 441 across the street from the Villages/UF Spanish Plaines/Name_of_the_Month Hospital.

There's a DO office with Dr. Karl Mueller and Dr. Connie Mercer at the Orlando Health Medical Group, also on 441, across from the Plaza Grande strip-mall. They're in the same area as Tire Choice, just south of the golf cart bridge into the Historic Section.

You're incorrect about DOs. Harvard Medical School offers a Doctor of Osteopathy degree in their pre-med program. So does Yale University Medical School. Yale Hospital has DOs on staff.

You might not like the idea that the body's functions are all inter-related, and you might not have been taught that. But that doesn't make it untrue. I get that it makes no sense to treat headaches with a manicure, or fix a broken bone by exploring your relationship with your mom. But when it comes to general health, looking at the big picture can sometimes tell you more than checking specific lab results.

100%. And, as if, excess stress and negative mental issues can't have a dispositive impact on your physical body. Certainly, they can.

That said, I do not consider alt-med to be valid medical care. Osteopathy is not alt-med. But all this chelation, super-supplementing, IV transfusions, gong therapy (yes, it's a thing), earthing, grounding, and homeopathy - nope.

Osteopathy I consider an adjunct to Western medicine - what some people call allopathic medicine. Acupuncture/acupressure, aromatherapy, compound pharmacology, and even chiropractic for specific situations - are all adjunct, not alternative. They don't replace allopathic practice. They're used in addition to allopathic practice. They are complementary.

Thank you, OrangeBlossomBaby!

That's your best post on the subject (the first was "questionable")---Osteopathy School at Harvard IS FAR FROM Harvard Med. First I heard of "gong therapy", I'll put in the trash can with "crystal healing" and "image therapy".

But as you know, there are people who believe in that garbage. And the really funny part is they'll pay those charlatans hundreds and thousands of dollars, but b!t(h and moan over their $10 copay at a real doctor's office, which BTW is mandated by their insurance carrier, not the physician.

I am not sure there is universal agreement on what "holistic" medicine is. I for one have had great success with practitioners who approach "healthcare" from a more holistic approach. There are many healthcare providers who tend to practice "sick care" and unfortunately are much controlled by big pharma...i.e. "what hurts or bothers you? Here...take this pill". I prefer a practitioner who looks at all domains of life to partner with me to create healthy habits and lifestyle. You are likely to find that with younger practitioners as well rather than those from a more "old school" approach.

Geez. She asked for references not a freakin lecture.

Exactly!!

I think you are looking for a functional medicine doctor. A doctor that has taken extra schooling in the holistic approach. I find the best for women are OBGYN ‘s. They have a sound understanding of women’s health and menopause. I see a function doctor in DE. Sometimes you can go once to establish being a patient and then do virtual appointments.

DO in Wildwood
 

Dr. Jerrold Ecklind, DO - Geriatric Medicine Physician in Wildwood, FL | Healthgrades

Dr Ecklind is a DO. He’s been our doc for 5 years. We prefer a DO as well. No need to travel too far🙂

Can you be more specific about what the difference is? Is it superficial or do they offer different types of treatment and advice?

See the attached website for Dr. John Podlaski. He frequently gives free lectures in and around The Villages on various health topics. The link to his speaking schedule is at the very top of his site (in the green stripe).

John Podlaski - Dr. John A. Podlaski

We’re really impressed with Dr. Brooke Thermidore. She’s at The Villages Health - Deaton location. 1 (352) 205-4032

I am in total agreement with you and don’t listen to someone cutting you down! I doubt they have any medical degree? A medical doctor and holistic are both now recognized and deciding which is right for you is up to you! I’ve had too many experiences with doctors pushing pills. My big example are statins! Several doctors have constantly told me I must go on them and argue! A holistic doctor told me NO way. (This advice is for me and is not for everyone). Total cholesterol was 246. Even the nutrition advice the doctors gave was “old school” and no longer accurate such as good fats and egg yolks. I got on psyllium husk, red yeast rice etc and changed my diet slightly. and after several months, I’m down to 190 total cholesterol! Then, it took a friend of a family member who is a heart surgeon to admit to me that I was within total range, and with total healthy triglycerides! Many doctors push what they are told to push! And, by listening to dropping foods that cause inflammation, NO more lower back aches!!! Keep striving for good health!!

I had a DO in California, just got into one here but appt is not until Dec so I cannot say if she’s good or not. I too want someone who is more holistic and doesn’t want to keep shoving bad drugs down my throat! I’ve been asking for over 2 years for a different diabetic med but told they are all too expensive! Shouldn’t that be MY decision, not hers! She’s not a financial advisor!? She’s more like a “doctir@ reading from a script of what to ask, recommend meds that are harmful and get the patient out the door!

The Villages Health Care publishes a list of available MDs and DOs. Do you own research and check out each’s background, education, & experience. You then can make an appointment and have a full discussion. You’ll be happier with your decision than TOTV opinion.

Yep, that's EXACTLY right. First, we go to school for 11+ years. Then, and this is the hard part, we have to sift through thousands of drugs to find the "bad ones" to shove down patient's throats. But now it's easier, since there is a "script" to find the "harmful" drugs that get the patient out the door---there may even be an online version.

Meanwhile. all the "smart" patients opt for chelation, mega doses of vitamins, crystal healing, image therapy and color healing. I wonder if any those geniuses ever cured Klebsiella pneumonitis by "meditating". Personally, my veins would be sucking up all the piperacillin/tazobactam I could find. Anyone care to compare results?

You are misinformed. Most MDs tend to treat symptoms. Osteopathic Doctors concentrate concentrate on root cause.

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) and Doctors of Medicine (MDs) have many similarities, but they also have some key differences:
Training
Both DOs and MDs complete four years of medical school, a year of internship, and up to seven years of residency. However, DOs also receive an additional 500–1,000 hours of training in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), which is a hands-on method for diagnosing and treating patients. OMT focuses on musculoskeletal conditions, and DOs use their hands to feel tissues and diagnose problems.
Philosophy
DOs take a holistic approach to patient care, considering the patient's entire life, including their emotions, environment, mind, and spirit. They develop individualized care plans that support the body's natural tendency toward self-healing, which may include lifestyle modifications, medications, and OMT. MDs, on the other hand, take a more allopathic, or illness-based, approach. They often use diagnostic testing, such as X-rays or ultrasounds, to determine the cause of an issue, and then create treatment plans that may involve surgery, medication, or physical therapy.
Specialties
DOs are more likely to go into primary care medicine and work in rural and underserved areas. In 2020–2021, nearly 57% of DOs practiced in primary care specialties, including family physicians, internists, and pediatricians