Healthy skepticism helps patients get better care. But closed-minded cynicism gets in the way of healing — and there’s a real difference between the two.
A man I know through a networking group came to me one day with a straightforward complaint: his gut had been giving him trouble for a long time. He had already been to conventional doctors. He’d had a CT scan. The imaging came back showing diverticulitis — small pouches forming in the wall of the colon that become irritated and inflamed. His doctors told him to take stool softeners and add more fiber to his diet. He tried both. Things didn’t get much better.
When he asked if I could help, I said what I always say: let’s take a closer look. My first thought was to search for a food trigger. Diverticulitis doesn’t happen in a vacuum. In functional medicine, we ask a different kind of question — not just “what disease do you have?” but “why is your body reacting this way, and what could be driving it?”
Looking Beneath the Surface
I ordered a food sensitivity test — specifically, the Meridian Valley Food Safe blood spot panel. This test screens for IgG4 antibodies, which are immune proteins linked to delayed food reactions. These aren’t the same as the IgE reactions a conventional allergist tests for. IgE reactions are fast — think peanut allergy with immediate hives or throat swelling. IgG4 reactions are slower and sneakier. They don’t show up as a dramatic emergency. They show up as chronic gut trouble, fatigue, brain fog, and inflammation that never quite goes away.
I’ve been using this panel for twenty years. It costs $187.00. I don’t mark up lab tests — my cost is the patient’s cost. I waived my professional fees as a courtesy. I walked him through exactly how to collect the specimen and how to mail it in. Then I waited.
It took him nearly two months to complete the test.
When the Results Came Back
When the lab report came in, I emailed it to him and asked him to call me. He did, and I walked him through every detail — what each marker meant, which foods were flagging high reactions, and what that might tell us about his symptoms. I was careful and thorough. I wanted him to leave the conversation with a clearer picture of what might be going on inside his body.
That’s not what happened.
Before I could even finish the review, he told me that medical doctors don’t consider this test to be valid. He had searched online for criticism of IgG4 testing. He brought up the fact that conventional allergists use IgE panels, not IgG4 — and therefore, he argued, the test I used must be wrong.
I tried to explain. The immune system is complex. It has many layers — what scientists call the complement system — and different types of immune responses are better suited to different types of problems. IgE testing makes sense for immediate, acute allergic reactions. IgG4 testing is more appropriate when you’re looking at chronic, tissue-level inflammation over time. The two tests are asking different questions. Neither one is “real” and the other “fake.” They simply serve different purposes.
He wasn’t interested in the explanation. He wasn’t there to understand. He was there to argue.
A healthy skeptic asks: “Can you help me understand how this works?” A cynic has already decided the answer is no — and no amount of evidence will change that.
Skepticism is healthy. Cynicism is not.
There is a real and important difference between these two things. A skeptic questions. They ask for evidence, they want explanations, they push back on things that don’t make sense to them — and then they listen to the response. Skepticism is actually a core part of good medicine. We should all be asking questions about our health, our treatments, and the tests our doctors recommend.
Cynicism is something else entirely. A cynic has already made up their mind. They search not to learn, but to confirm what they’ve already decided. They’ll find one article online that criticizes a test and treat it as the final word, ignoring decades of research and clinical experience on the other side. No explanation reaches them, because they aren’t really listening.
Cynicism feels like strength — like you’re being smart and protecting yourself. But in a health context, it’s actually a wall that keeps you sick. If you go to a practitioner, spend months not completing a recommended test, and then dismiss the results before they can help you, you haven’t protected yourself from anything. You’ve just wasted your own time and stayed in the same pain.
How to Actually Get the Most from a Health Visit
Whether you’re seeing a conventional doctor, a functional medicine practitioner, a naturopath, or a specialist, there’s a right way and a wrong way to approach the conversation.
The right way starts with being genuinely open. That doesn’t mean being a pushover or agreeing to everything. It means walking in with real questions and being willing to hear the answers. Ask your provider to explain the “why” behind a recommendation. Ask what the test measures and how it applies to your specific situation. Ask how the results will change the plan. These are fair questions, and any good practitioner should welcome them.
If something your provider says doesn’t match what you’ve read, say so — respectfully. “I saw something online that said this test isn’t considered reliable. Can you help me understand what this test actually does and why you use it?” That’s a totally fair thing to ask. It gives your provider the chance to address your concern and help you make sense of the information you’ve found.
What doesn’t help is walking in having already decided the outcome. If you’ve Googled your way to a conclusion before the appointment even starts, you’re not really there for help. You’re there to win an argument — and that’s a fight where the only loser is you.
You Hired this Person to Help You Get Well. Let Them Help You.
A word about “the internet said so”
Online health information is genuinely useful — and genuinely dangerous, depending on how you use it. It’s useful for learning the basics, understanding terminology, or knowing what questions to ask. It’s dangerous when you use it to override the clinical judgment of a trained professional who has actually examined you, reviewed your history, and is trying to figure out what’s specifically wrong with you.
A search engine can tell you that IgG4 food sensitivity testing is controversial in some circles. What it can’t tell you is whether removing a particular food from your diet for eight weeks might finally resolve the gut trouble you’ve had for years. That’s what the practitioner in front of you is trying to find out.
The Bottom Line
Be curious. Be thoughtful. Ask hard questions. Push back when something doesn’t make sense. All of that is healthy and right. But when you’ve found a practitioner you trust enough to walk through their door, give them a real chance to help you. The goal isn’t to be right about what’s wrong with you. The goal is to feel better.
Skepticism opens doors. Cynicism slams them shut — and then wonders why nothing ever changes.