Green Flags and Red Flags

It can be very difficult to choose health care providers. I hope these lists of “green flags” and “red flags” empower you to make wise decisions when choosing a physician, etc.

Red flags- what to avoid

• They are selling/pushing something that has overinflated claims. Run for the hills. Don’t buy their snake oil. In general, I do not trust the doctors that have a strong social media/internet presence and sell their own line of products. They pop up when you google your illness and then they pop up in your Facebook ads. It screams “not legitimate”.

• They have vague or no qualifications. There is a certain…let’s call him a supernatural health whisperer…that is a perfect example of this. You have to dig to find his qualifications and when you do…you find out he doesn’t have any. Let me put it this way, would you trust a “lawyer” that never went to law school, passed the bar exam, etc.? And how much more careful should we be with our health than with litigation? Unfortunately, he strikes a nerve with the chronically ill and continues to profit.

• They took a random online certification course in nutrition and are claiming to be nutritional experts. Nope. Also, most doctors are not nutritional experts. The best nutritional experts are: registered dietitians, certified nutrition specialists, and people with advanced degrees in nutrition.
• They claim they can cure you and make other over the top claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

• They have a conspiracy theorist attitude. This usually makes people go contrary to reason and is not a good quality in someone you want to have on your care team.

• The treatment is based upon vague, anecdotal evidence.
• The treatment doesn’t sit well with you. Trust your gut!
• They are operating outside of their scope of practice. I shouldn’t even need to say this, but chiropractors should not be administering stem cell treatments. This will come at no surprise, but that stem cell treatment comes with a cool price tag of $30,000. So many red flags…
• You leave the appointment feeling insecure and confused.

• They are condescending jerks.
• Last but not least, they ask you to stick things up your bum (see coffee enema post).

Green flags- what to look for

I have also had the privilege of being treated by a few excellent doctors/PA and an excellent nutritionist. Here are some positive attributes, or green flags, to look for in a doctor/practitioner/etc. They:

• Genuinely care about you.
• Take the time to listen.
• Take the time to explain things.
• Are not condescending.
• Have proper qualifications and experience.
• Are humble.
• Are willing to learn new things.
• Have a good reputation and the respect of their peers.
• Keeps it real about what to expect.
• You leave your appointment feeling empowered and secure.

If you realize that your doctor is in “red flag” territory, do not delay in finding a new doctor. You can do better. If you feel “stuck” meaning your doctor is bad news, but you don’t know where else to go; I encourage you to check out: MEAction Network’s Physician Directory for ME or Dysautonomia International’s Physician Directory for forms of Dysautonomia like POTS. You may also contact me directly. I am happy to help you navigate the system having gone through it myself. Perhaps with our foggy brains united, we could get you in the right direction.

What red flags or green flags do you look for when finding a doctor?

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Statements on this site are not meant to be taken as medical advice. These statements reflect my personal experiences having mild-ish post-viral POTS and ME. Due to the wide spectrum of these diseases, comorbidities, and everyone being different, your experiences may be very different than mine.

Note: If you post a comment, this site does NOT have a feature to notify you of responses to your comment. I have not found a good solution for that yet. However, I usually respond to every comment in a timely manner, so be sure to check back.