a combination of allergy testing (back scratch test that I forget the name of), some extreme gut healing measures and an elimination diet...turns out I do very bad with wheat and non fermented dairy (Im ok with hard cheese, yogurt, kefir)
I got really lucky in finding this dr because I called the office on a whim based on the drs bio...a female bodybuilder that now practices sports medicine and hrt that used to be an obgyn...so she was ideal for a female with my goals
shes a ripped little shit too...haha
she also explored some of my thyroid problems beyond what my endo did
and I went for 24hr cortisol (which was off the hook bad), sex hormone (cycle appropriate timing) and complete blood panel along with glucose tolerance testing
the glucose tolerance testing was based off of my A1C numbers tho ...
I was incredibly insulin resistant so the first step was a very strict clean keto diet then slowly re-introducing foods back in pending the allergy testing
My first three appointments with this doctor were over 2hrs long but I mean she went over EVERYTHING with me including nutrition which she does know a lot about, my weight lifting goals, stress levels/stressors, aas use, family life...family medical history that was incredibly thorough...and really really listened to me about the thyroid problems Ive had since being diagnosed with thyroid cancer
because of my knowledge base she also wrote scripts for me to experiment with if I felt I needed to. Including metformin, sprinolactone, armour thyroid and synthetic compounded thyroid, usp progesterone and a birth control pill...I wound up taking the progesterone and the armour in the long run.
She also gave me a list of sups/vitamins and minerals I should be focusing on beyond the basic multi-vit
now a lot of all this I knew but never had anyone to back up my ideas/thoughts on it...and never stuck anything through long enough to really see a result
thats why Ive turned in to a broken record about finding a sports medicine dr that fits in with your philosophies ..I think they can be invaluable.
I havent felt this good since my very early twenties..weight finally started moving and I finally found myself more awake and alive
oh, and I forgot....my insurance covered all of it for labs I had to pay out of network physicians fees which all total I think were around $400 bucks