Finding your APOE4 doctor?

[bexnews]

So I am curious what folks suggest in terms of finding an APOE4 doctor - assuming folks feel the need? Or are there really any? Maybe better to find an APOE4 "coach"? I know it partly depends on what approach you put your best-educated-guess-faith in.

Some background: I have absorbed materials here and elsewhere for some time. Prior to my APOE34 discovery I was following a primal/paleo diet and tried to focus on eating more veggies. I had gotten the discovery from the Boston Heart labs at a private pay endocrinologist I was seeing. I like her but I think she is not expert on APOE4 beyond what the Boston Heart advice was which was very conventional which I am skeptical about. I am in my late 30s and I think overall my bloodwork is not bad, some elevated cholesterol, but I do have a family history with dementia and cardiovascular issues so it is something I would like to be preventative about. Would be good to review my full labs and genetic testing with someone.

A bit of online research caused me to bump into the work of Dr Gundry which I have been consuming for some months now. It's a little hard to parse him because 1. his opinions are evolving 2. his prior book publisher caused him to modify parts of his message 3. he is speaking to a broad patient base that includes people treating things that have nothing to do with APOE4 4. he is a busy guy and will make a comment somewhere and then its hard to get any followup. I thought to make Dr G my APOE4 doctor but it now seems he is accepting no new patients and his costs have gone to $700/hr. Ouch. There is no waitlist its keep trying in a few months. This is before his new book comes out! There are some other guys i respect like Kresser and Masterjohn who offer services remotely (I live in New England) but, I am not sure they have really focused much on APOE4 like Gundry has in terms of prevention thru supplements and food.

So I think options are:
1. forego any medical/expertise on APOE4, stick to great resources like this website
2. find a conventional doctor fwiw - I assume who would argue for things like statins/aspirin/healthy grains
3. wait for Gundry - or are there any other doctors with similar expertise?
4. see a non-doctor APOE4 expert - assuming there are some

What have others done on topic of utilizing an expert? Other than doing nothing or using a conventional doctor I assume most of the time would involve out of pocket costs because insurance only tends to cover conventional stuff.

[TheresaB]

A bit of online research caused me to bump into the work of Dr Gundry which I have been consuming for some months now. It's a little hard to parse him because 1. his opinions are evolving 2. his prior book publisher caused him to modify parts of his message 3. he is speaking to a broad patient base that includes people treating things that have nothing to do with APOE4 4. he is a busy guy and will make a comment somewhere and then its hard to get any followup. I thought to make Dr G my APOE4 doctor but it now seems he is accepting no new patients and his costs have gone to $700/hr. Ouch. There is no waitlist its keep trying in a few months. This is before his new book comes out!

We sought our Dr Gundry just over a couple years ago because of his knowledge/hands on experience with the ApoE4 gene, but you're right when he gives advice publicly, it's more generalized. He does have one video aimed specifically at ApoE4? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfr9RPq0HFg&t=15s

Also, because we know not everyone can see/afford Dr Gundry my husband, GeorgeN (a 3/4) has posted transcripts from consults on this forum https://www.apoe4.info/forums/viewtopic ... 490#p34870 so folks can glean his ApoE4 recommendations.

[bexnews]

A bit of online research caused me to bump into the work of Dr Gundry which I have been consuming for some months now. It's a little hard to parse him because 1. his opinions are evolving 2. his prior book publisher caused him to modify parts of his message 3. he is speaking to a broad patient base that includes people treating things that have nothing to do with APOE4 4. he is a busy guy and will make a comment somewhere and then its hard to get any followup. I thought to make Dr G my APOE4 doctor but it now seems he is accepting no new patients and his costs have gone to $700/hr. Ouch. There is no waitlist its keep trying in a few months. This is before his new book comes out!

We sought our Dr Gundry just over a couple years ago because of his knowledge/hands on experience with the ApoE4 gene, but you're right when he gives advice publicly, it's more generalized. He does have one video aimed specifically at ApoE4? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfr9RPq0HFg&t=15s

Also, because we know not everyone can see/afford Dr Gundry my husband, GeorgeN (a 3/4) has posted transcripts from consults on this forum https://www.apoe4.info/forums/viewtopic ... 490#p34870 so folks can glean his ApoE4 recommendations.

Thank you and your husband Theresa. I had seen this. What would you two have done if you had not been able to see Dr G? Are there any other good options?

[SusanJ]

I might suggest a functional medicine doctor to start, who can help you identify other things that you need to watch. Having an E4 is only part of the story, and you might find other actionable items that will help reduce your risk over the long haul. That's how I found out I needed to supplement B vitamins for example, which has been a big help to stabilizing my health. Wish I had known that in my 30s!

After a bit of work with a functional doc and time on this forum educating myself, I've switched to a local doctor who is willing to talk and learn along with me, which saves me the time (2 hours away) and cost ($165/mo) of going to my former functional doc.

[TheresaB]

What would you two have done if you had not been able to see Dr G? Are there any other good options?

Just as SusanJ just suggested, we would have searched for a good functional doctor, as well as continue to follow this ApoE4.info website .

[JerryS]

A Functional Medicine provider should probably be at the top of the list. The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) just had a two day training for providers, with Dr. Bredesen presenting, for "reversing cognitive decline". Evidently they are receiving a lot of inquiries, they have special instructions on their search engine if you are looking for a this type of specialty.

Note: I know the apoe4 group is very savvy, but its worth mentioning there are many non-physician providers trained in areas of Functional Medicine. I'd stick to the MDs, DOs, and ND, just my preference.

Don't assume every provider will be up to speed on APOE4 either.

https://www.functionalmedicine.org/prac ... spx?id=117

[slacker]

Welcome Jerry!

I agree that searching through the IFM screen for Bredesen trained providers is helpful in finding someone with adequate knowledge. MCI Cognition (drbredesen.com) also lists providers who have taken a Bredesen course AND are IFM certified. It's quite possible that the resultant list of providers is the same

And welcome to our site! We'd love to learn more about you - best done under Our Stories Forum.

[sylvieJ]

I would also suggest a Functional Medicine doctor. You can find Drs trained in the Bredesen Protocol with MPI Cognition.

[slacker]

Sylvie has offered the same advice as I did earlier, but didn't mis-spell "MPI" like I did Since MCI is the acronym for mild cognitive impairment, I continue to make this mistake

[CarrieS]

I started with an IFM doctor a couple of weeks ago. He cued right in on diet and lifestyle suggestions after learning about my family history. I agree with the suggestion of finding a functional medicine provider near you.