Dr. Deb 0:00
But the doctor told me it was just anxiety. Three days later, I was in the emergency room having a heart attack. For eight years, they said my symptoms were depression. Turns out it was Lyme disease. These people weren’t crazy. They weren’t overreacting. They were right all along today on Let’s Talk wellness now. We’re exposing the dangers the reality of medical gaslighting and why it might be happening to you right now. Welcome to Let’s Talk wellness now, the podcast where we uncover hidden truths about the healthcare system and empower you to take control of your health. I’m Dr Deb, and today we’re diving into something that affects millions but is rarely discussed openly, medical gaslighting, when healthcare providers dismiss your symptoms and make you question your own reality. Have you ever described your symptoms to a doctor, only to be told it’s all in your head, or maybe you’ve been prescribed antidepressants when what you really needed was further testing. Perhaps you’ve been told you’re too young or too healthy looking to have something serious, maybe. Well, medical gaslighting isn’t just frustrating, it can be deadly. According to a study published in the Journal of women’s health, women are 50% more likely than men to receive an incorrect initial diagnosis after a heart attack. For black women, the number jumps to 75% today, you’ll hear from real patients who fought for years to be believed. You’ll hear my professional insights as a naturopath, along with evidence based data and powerful patient stories, and most importantly, you’ll discover exactly how to advocate for yourself in a medical system that often prioritizes efficiency over accuracy. You see, this isn’t just another medical horror story podcast. By the end of this episode, you’ll have concrete strategies to ensure you never become another statistic in medical gaslighting epidemic. If you’ve ever felt like the medical system was working against you instead of for you, this episode might just save your life or the life of someone you love. So grab your favorite cup of tea or coffee, settle in, and let’s talk about the complexities of medical diagnosis and the journey to finding the truth. So what the heck is this term medical gas lighting anyway? Well, it comes from a 1944 film where a husband manipulates his wife into thinking she’s going insane. Medical gaslighting happens when healthcare providers make you question your own experiences through dismissal, minimization or even blame. It sounds kind of like this. Your laps are normal. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re probably just tired. Try to get more sleep. You’re too young to have that condition.

Dr. Deb 3:39
Women, your age, hear this again? Women your age often get anxious about their health. Have you considered therapy? These dismissals aren’t just frustrating, they’re dangerous. Now let me share some shocking statistics a John Hopkins study published in the BMJ quality and safety found that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, and misdiagnosis plays a major role when it comes to cancer. Specifically, the statistics are alarming. Studies published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology show that approximately 12% of cancer patients are initially misdiagnosed for certain cancers like lymphoma, sarcoma and melanoma. Misdiagnosis rates can reach up to 44% According to research from the Journal of the American Medical Association, even more concerning a 2020 JAMA Network open study found that one in five patients seeking a second opinion at a major medical center received a substantially different diagnosis that changed their treatment. Treatment plan entirely. The average autoimmune patient waits four years and sees five doctors before receiving a correct diagnosis. According to the American autoimmune related disease Association, the diagnostic journey for specific conditions is even more troubling. Multiple Sclerosis patients typically wait an average of seven years from symptom onset to diagnosis, with many being told they have psychiatric issues or stress. According to a 2022 study in the multiple sclerosis journal, Parkinson’s disease, patients often experience a two to three year delay in diagnosis, with up to 25% initially misdiagnosed with conditions like essential tremor or stress related symptoms, as reported in a 2021 study published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. Lyme disease patients face some of the longest diagnostic journeys, an average of 1.9 years. I’m going to say that’s incorrect, because the clients I see are much longer than that, sometimes five to 10 years. And many of these visits, according to the Journal of Medicine, five healthcare providers before a correct diagnosis. My clients that I see are closer to 50, with many being labeled as having chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, according to research from the International Journal of Medicine, women, you get to win on this one,

Dr. Deb 6:43
women are diagnosed with anxiety and depression at twice the rate of men, even when presenting with identical symptoms of physical disease, as found in a landmark study of the New England Journal of Medicine. Behind these statistics are real people whose lives have been forever changed by medical gas lighting. Now I want to tell you a story about Sarah. She spent six years being told her debilitating fatigue was just depression. I couldn’t get out of bed. I had brain fog so bad I couldn’t remember my address. Every doctor I saw prescribed antidepressants or told me to exercise more. One even suggested I was enjoying the sick role. Finally, a rheumatologist tested me for Sjogren syndrome, an autoimmune disease my labs came back with some of the highest antibody levels she’d ever seen. Six years of my life gone, all because no one would believe me. Sarah said,

Dr. Deb 7:51
Sarah’s story isn’t unique. Let me share another patient’s experience. This is James, who was 42 when he first noticed a slight tremor in the right hand. James says my primary doctor told me it was an essential tremor and probably stress related. When I mentioned that I was also experiencing stiffness and balance issues, he suggested I try yoga. It took three years in a chance appointment with a neurologist who specialized in movement disorders to finally get my Parkinson’s diagnosis. He says by then he had lost his job because people thought he was drinking and he lost work due to his unsteady gait, those years of dismissal cost him his career. And then there’s Lisa, whose symptoms of Lyme disease were dismissed for nearly five years. Lisa says the joint pain started after a camping trip, then came the debilitating fatigue and the cognitive issues. I was diagnosed with, everything from fibromyalgia to depression. One doctor actually said chronic Lyme disease doesn’t even exist. It’s not real. She had another doctor tell her that Lyme doesn’t exist at all. All of this when she just simply asked to be tested for Lyme, because her symptoms started after a camping trip, when she finally found a Lyme literate doctor, her test came back positive, five years of her life spent in bed, unable to function, told it was psychological. She lost her entire 30s to medical gas lighting. These patient stories break my heart. They highlight how different conditions face unique challenges in the diagnostic process, but there’s a common thread medical. Dismissal that costs years of life and well being, not to mention 1000s of dollars. But what’s causing this widespread problem? Let’s explore these underlying factors. Medical gaslighting isn’t usually malicious. Most healthcare providers genuinely want to help. So why does this happen so frequently? Well, it’s the seven minute visit. The average primary care appointment lasts just 18 minutes with only seven minutes of actual doctor patient interaction, complex system, symptoms can’t be properly evaluated in that time frame, and the insurance model allows you to discuss one symptom at each visit. I’ve actually had clients tell me that their doctors have stopped them after them talking about three symptoms because it’s not allowed inside the healthcare system, they would have to make another appointment if they want to talk about more symptoms than that. Now, as a naturopath who specializes in complex chronic illnesses, I’ve seen this firsthand. I had a colleague once share with me, we’re working in a broken system. Doctors are expected to see 25 patients a day, document everything in real time, and somehow provide thoughtful care. Medicine has become a conveyor belt when faced with complex symptoms that don’t really fit neatly into a diagnostic box. It’s faster to attribute them to stress or anxiety than to dive deeper. It’s not defensible, but it explains why good doctors sometimes make terrible mistakes the elephant in the exam room. Well, research consistently shows that medical gas lighting disproportionately affects certain groups, women, especially those of reproductive health concerns, people of color, particularly black women, patients with obesity, who often have all of their symptoms attributed to their weight, and patients with existing mental health diagnoses, ultimately, the GET OUT OF diagnose free card for many doctors. So I want you to hear Marcus’s story. He’s a 32 year old black man whose appendicitis was repeatedly dismissed as drug seeking behavior. Here’s a story. I went to the ER with the worst pain of my life. The doctor barely examined me, asked if I needed something for pain, and sent me home with a diagnosis of constipation. I returned 12 hours later in septic shock. My appendix had ruptured. Later I saw my chart for the first time, and it said I was drug seeking and dramatic. I almost died because of their assumptions. Marcus’s story is unfortunately, not unusual. It happens more often than we think. Medical education focuses heavily on common conditions with clear diagnostic criteria, but what about the 30 million Americans with rare diseases, or the millions emerging conditions like chronic Lyme pots or Long Haul covid And when it comes to cancer, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Many early stage cancers present with vague symptoms that mimic comic conditions. For instance, pancreatic cancer often manifests as back pain and digestive issues, commonly dismissed as stress or irritable bowel syndrome. IBS, ovarian cancer, often called the silent killer, typically presents with bloating and abdominal discomfort that many doctors attribute to menopause or weight gain or SIBO until it’s advanced. Now, according to Dr Diane goodnow, researcher and author of breaking Alzheimer’s, no woman should ever get ovarian cancer. His research, along with studies published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute, shows that women who have had their fallopian tubes removed a tubal ligation, have a dramatically reduced risk of ovarian cancer by up to 50 to 60% this is because many ovarian cancers actually originate in the fallopian tubes, not the ovaries themselves. This critical information is rarely discussed with patients during routine GYN visits, representing another form of information, withholding. That can have life or death consequences. On a more hopeful note, advances in early cancer detection are changing the landscape of diagnosis. For example, the gallery test by Grail is a ground breaking blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer through a simple blood draw, often before symptoms even appear. And according to research published in the annuals of oncology, this multi cancer early detection test can identify the signal of cancer and predict where in the body the cancer is located with very high accuracy. This kind of testing represents the future of prevention and early intervention, potentially saving countless lives that would otherwise be lost to late detection. But you guessed it, insurance doesn’t cover this test. Now I keep asking myself if we’re truly a nation based on prevention, and if the hospital systems and the insurance systems truly want prevention in medicine, why is this test still not covered by Insurance? It would save 1000s of lives, hundreds and 1000s, if not millions, of dollars, but yet, a test that costs under $1,000 is not acceptable to the insurance company.

Dr. Deb 16:35
It’s heartbreaking for me. Really is

Dr. Deb 16:38
multiple sclerosis is particularly prone to delayed diagnosis, with patients often being told their numbness, fatigue or visual disturbances are just stress or anxiety. The average MS patient will wait seven years from the first symptom to diagnose, often accumulating psychological diagnoses along the way. A study in the Journal of Neurology found that 74% of MS patients received at least one incorrect diagnosis before their MS was confirmed. The average physician receives just four hours of nutrition education during medical school. Most get zero training on environmental illness, mold toxicity, or the impact of chronic stress or physical health. So my question is to them, how can they dismiss these diagnoses? How can they dismiss mold toxicity, Lyme disease, environmental illness, if they don’t understand it, how do they say it doesn’t exist? Because it wasn’t taught to them in medical school? I’m going to make a cry to all of my colleagues out there. Get your head out of the sand, for lack of me, using a more inappropriate word, and start looking outside of your pharmaceutical education, because there are tons of people doing research on these disorders and so much more on the problems that they cause, that you can no longer say that this is just fringe medicine or quackery. This knowledge gap creates fertile ground for gas lighting. When doctors don’t understand something, many default to blaming the patient rather than acknowledging the limitations of their training. Back to our discussion on medical gas lighting and how to fight back. Medical gas lighting isn’t just frustrating, it can have life altering and sometimes life ending consequences. Take the case of Elaine Eklund, a 32 year old yoga instructor who reported severe headaches to her doctor. For months, she was told they were migraines triggered by stress, when she finally collapsed at home, emergency surgery revealed a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball. Or consider Michelle Carlton, whose chest pain was diagnosed as anxiety for two years before a specialist discovered her heart was failing due to a rare condition called myocarditis. That’s an infection of the heart. These aren’t isolated incidents. A 2020 study published in diagnosis found that 40% of patients who died or suffered permanent disability due to misdiagnosis had reported being told their symptoms were psychological or stress related. Additionally, research in the British Medical Journal found that patients who felt dismissed by healthcare providers were twice as likely to experience worsened health outcomes. The emotional toll can be equally devastating. Many patients develop medical PTSD, a profound distrust of healthcare providers that prevents them from seeking care. Care, even when urgently needed. So I want to talk about what I call the second illness, the trauma of not being believed. In my years of practice, I’ve seen something troubling when patients come to me after years of dismissal, they’re not just dealing with their physical symptoms. They’re dealing with profound medical trauma. They’ve been told they’re crazy attention seeking or hypochondriacs for so long that they no longer trust their own perceptions of what’s going on. They apologize for bothering me with symptoms that clearly warrant attention, and this medical PTSD becomes a second illness, one directly caused by the healthcare system itself. The good news is that there are concrete steps you can take to protect yourself from medical gas lighting and get the care you deserve, and that’s what we’re going to discuss next. Now for the empowering part, how we recognize this medical gas lighting and fight back. Let’s start with red flags. Your concerns are dismissed without proper investigation, your symptoms are attributed to stress, anxiety or depression, without ruling out fiscal causes, you’re told you’re too young, you’re too healthy for certain conditions. The provider seems annoyed by your questions. You’re referred to a psychiatrist without comprehensive physical testing, and the provider uses terms like psychosomatic or tells you it’s all in your head. You leave appointments feeling confused, ashamed, or as though you’ve wasted everyone’s time. If you recognize these signs, it’s time to take action, and here’s your medical advocacy toolkit. Before your appointment, I want you to do the following, document your symptoms thoroughly when they started, what makes them better or worse, and how they impact your daily life. Research your symptoms, but focus on reputable sources like medical journals or university websites. Prepare a concise symptom script, a 32nd summary of your key concerns, bring a complete list of medications, supplements, doses and all of your previous diagnoses. Record your symptoms on video when possible, especially if they’re intermittent. So what I’m talking about here is, if you have a tremor, if you could record that for us, it doesn’t need to be long, you know, three to five seconds. That’s all it needs. If your body goes into an uncontrollable shaking, if you’re stuttering, if you’re slurring your speech, those videos are really going to help you. I want to say they’re a gold mine, and I don’t mean it to sound wrong, but it’s a gold mine for you, because it actually proves to the practitioner what’s going on, and they can actually see it. And us being able to see it, compared to having it described to us, can make all the difference in the world, because sometimes we see something that you don’t necessarily see in your symptoms, or necessarily what somebody else can see and help describe for you. So I want to share a story about Kayla, who was eventually diagnosed with pots after three years of being told she had anxiety. And she’s going to share how documentation changed everything, and I’m going to tell her story for you. And these are, in her words, I started recording videos where my heart rate would spike to 150

Dr. Deb 23:54
just from standing up. I tracked my symptoms meticulously in a journal. At appointments, I’d calmly say I’ve documented 47 episodes in the past month where my heart rate jumped over 100 beats simply from changing position. I’ve ruled out anxiety as the cause, because it happens even when I’m completely calm. And here’s the video evidence that factually, unemotionally approach finally got her the tilt table test she needed for her diagnosis. This is so important today with tracking devices like an apple watch or a Fitbit, something like that, that can show your heart rate, can show your vital signs, this is unequivocal to the doctors. We can’t make this stuff up. We can’t argue with you that this is happening and it allows us to have the documentation that we need to order the tests that you need, to get your insurance to cover them. Oftentimes, doctors are held back from ordering tests that they would want simply because you’re. Insurance won’t cover it unless there’s certain documentation that we can prove, and many doctors are unwilling to offer you a test outside of what the insurance company will pay for, like there are places that you can go and you can get MRIs done for a couple $100 instead of several $1,000 being billed to your insurance company, you need the order, but you can bypass your insurance company. Doctors are taught that people don’t want to pay for things outside of their insurance, and that is not true. We see patients every single day who don’t pay us through insurance, and that’s because we take time, we do different things, and insurance doesn’t cover a lot of that. But when you’re unfortunately in these chronic systems or symptoms, you’re looking for answers. Your insurance has already paid 10s of 1000s of dollars for a workup that has gotten you nowhere, and now you want to find things outside of the traditional scope of medicine that our regular doctors and radical regular medical systems can provide for you. This is that environmental medicine. This is the outside of the box thinking medicine that actually gives us answers to what’s going on for you, and not just giving you test results that are quote, unquote normal. So the words you use matter tremendously, and I want you to try some of these approaches with your next doctor’s appointment. Instead of asking, Could this be whatever condition say I’d like to rule out whatever condition that you think you have with appropriate testing. If a doctor dismisses your concerns, respond with I understand this might seem like anxiety, but I’d like to explore physical causes before accepting that diagnosis. What tests would definitively rule out other conditions? Use the phrase please document in my chart that you’ve declined to test for this condition despite my request. This often changes the dynamic immediately. Bring an advocate with you. Research shows patients with companions receive more thorough care and are taken more seriously. Let me explain why these approaches are so effective based on research published in the Journal of general internal medicine and the BMJ quality and safety, healthcare providers respond to confident, informed patients differently. When you present your symptoms factually and request specific documentation, it activates a different part of our brain. Suddenly we’re thinking about the potential liability and thoroughness rather than our fastest path to diagnosis. It’s not about being confrontational. It’s about signaling that you’re a partner in your care, not just a passive recipient. A 2020 study in the patient education and counseling Journal found that patients who use specific, assertive language received more thorough evaluations and had better diagnostic outcomes. Sometimes the best advocacy is finding a new provider. Signs it’s time to move on. Include the provider becomes defensive or angry when questioned. You’re made to feel difficult for asking questions. Your symptoms are dismissed without proper investigation, and the provider seems rushed or disinterested. Remember, you’re hiring your doctor, not the other way around. You deserve a medical professional who listens, investigates thoroughly, and treats you with respect getting a second opinion isn’t being difficult, it’s being thorough. Even the best doctors get it wrong. Sometimes, some groups need specific advocacy strategies due to well documented disparities in healthcare, research shows women wait 13 minutes longer than men for pain medication in the ER and are seven times more likely to be sent home during a heart attack if you’re a woman reporting pain, avoid minimizing language like discomfort or ache. Be specific about intensity. Use the one to 10 scale and give concrete examples This pain is preventing me from working and sleeping. For reproductive health concerns, consider starting with specialists like gynecologists rather than your primary care provider. And for people of color, the. Studies confirm that racial biases affect medical care, from pain management to diagnostic thoroughness when possible, bring an advocate to appointments. Consider using telehealth for initial consultations to reduce the impact of unconscious bias. Research providers who have cultural competency training, or who spare, sorry, share your background for patients with complex or chronic illnesses, the average rare disease patient sees eight physicians before diagnosis, Persistence is key. Consider functional medicine practitioners who typically spend more time investigating root causes, joint patient communities for condition, specific, advocacy, advice and provider recommendations. Marcus, who we heard from earlier, and shared his story about how he eventually found appropriate care, says, after my appendix experience, I research doctors specifically known for culturally competent care, I now drive an hour to see a physician who has never once dismissed my concerns. It shouldn’t be this hard, but finding the right provider literally saved my life when I developed unusual symptoms of diabetes years later, medical gas lighting is a systemic approach that requires a systemic solution. But while we work toward these broader changes, individual advocacy remains your most powerful tool. Remember these key takeaways, trust your body. You’re the expert, and your experience tells us everything, document everything, symptoms, conversations, denials of care. Use clear, confident language and specific requests, bring an advocate whenever possible, and know when to walk away and find a provider who listens. I also want to highlight that there are positive developments in healthcare that give me hope. Technologies like the gallery test by Grail are revolutionizing early cancer detection, potentially identifying more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear, and there is growing awareness among medical professionals about the importance of listening to patients and taking a more holistic approach to diagnosis. If you have experienced medical gaslighting, I want you to know something important. It wasn’t your fault. You weren’t overreacting. Your symptoms are real, and you deserve answers. The most powerful words in medicine aren’t I know what’s wrong. They’re I believe you, and we’ll figure this out together. Find providers who say those words and never stop advocating for care you deserve.

Dr. Deb 33:08
Thank you for joining me today on Let’s Talk wellness. Now, if this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it. Rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts to help others find this information on our website, you’ll find a free downloadable medical advocacy toolkit with templates, scripts and checklists to help you navigate your next healthcare appointment. Next week, we’ll be diving into the hidden environmental toxins that might be sabotaging your health and the simple steps you can take to protect yourself, until then, take care, trust your instincts and remember you are your own best health advocate. This is Dr Deb for let’s talk wellness now, reminding you that true wellness begins with being heard.

Speaker 2 34:03
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This episode is sponsored by Serenity Health Care Center, where we specialize in uncovering the root causes of chronic health conditions to help you achieve optimal wellness. Visit us at www.serenityhealthcarecenter.com or call 262-522-8640 to learn more.

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