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Dr. Lowe has voluntarily surrendered his clinical licenses.
He has done so for several reasons. One of the main ones, however, is so
that the restrictions placed on licensed clinicians don't hinder him from
sharing helping information to those who consult with him.
He considers the freedom from licenses a large advantage, as
it liberates him to share information with people that when licensed would have
risked sanctions by regulatory boards. "Besides," Dr. Lowe says, "people can
get most of what they want or need nowadays without the approval of licenses
clinicians, from lab tests to medications, all without
prescriptions."
Free from the restrictions imposed by his previous licenses,
Dr. Lowe continues several activities: consulting with patients and
clinicians, clinical research, writing and publishing, serving as
Editor-in-Chief of the international journal
Thyroid Science, and radio
interviews.
A doctor-patient relationship
can be established only by a doctor who evaluates a patient in his or her
clinic. Because of this, consulting by telephone with
Dr. Lowe doesn't establish a
doctor-patient relationship; instead, it establishes a health
education/counseling relationship. When the doctor uses the terms
"consulting" or "telephone consulting," he is referring to educational
consulting.
Dr. Lowe strongly believes
that education, or reeducation, is a prerequisite to most people achieving
and maintaining optimal health. He believes this to be the case not only for
people who consult with him long distance, but also for those who
have doctor-patient relationship with licensed clinicians.
Within his consulting relationship with
you, his intention is to help you understand what you need to do to overcome
the health problem you consult him about, and how best to do it. In
consulting with you, he'll consider your relevant health history, exam
findings, test results, responses to treatment, and your questions.
Some patients who consult by
telephone with Dr. Lowe are working on their own to improve their health. They're not enlisting the help of local health care practitioners. Most are
using diet, nutritional and herbal supplements, exercise, and some
are using one or more medications. Dr. Lowe strongly encourages
patients to continually work at their own self-guided health
recovery and maintenance program, although he believes the help of a
collaborative local clinician can be helpful. Through consulting, he assists
them in several ways: by answering their questions, helping
them set reasonable goals, suggesting how to improve their treatment
and health maintenance regimens, briefing them on research that is
relevant to recovering from their health problems, and by helping them identify and
remove obstacles to their improvement and recovery.
Other patients have disorders that
require treatment by health care practitioners. If this is true of
you, Dr. Lowe assumes that you have a local health-care practitioner
who is primarily responsible for your care. The educational
information he gives you is intended to aid you and your local
practitioner. He often helps the patients and their local
practitioners troubleshoot a treatment plan that isn't working well
for the patient. When patients request,
he also lets them know how to order
their own lab tests
that may help clarify the nature of the health problem and
what's needed to overcome it.
How to Get the Most from Your Consultation
Dr. Lowe wants to make sure the
time you spend on the phone with him is maximally productive for you and/or your
doctor. To this end, he recommends three steps:
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Fax a summary of
the health issues you're concerned about. This will familiarize
Dr. Lowe with the issues you want to discuss during your phone
consultation.
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Be sure to also
fax the
consulting agreement
to Tammy at 303-496-6200. She must have your signed agreement
form before she schedules your consultation.
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Fax any relevant
lab test results.
Tammy and Dr.
Lowe take customary precautions in protecting the
confidentiality of those who consult with him.
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