Every once in a while a gem of information falls into your lap offering hope for something better.Β In this case it comes from Dr. William J. Powers, D.O. a family medicine physician in Michigan and in the form of a recorded lecture and PowerPoint.Β Β For those of you who are already well-informed this may be an exercise in reviewing what you already know.Β But, for those of you like myself this may be a source of knowledge to learn and share with your provider in order to help get past a stalled or sluggish transition.Β
Dr. Powers provides a number of examples where prescribed solutions weren’t right for the individual. He notes where prescribed treatments were wrong based on their situation.Β People who thought no more physical changes were possible would have them realized 20 years after starting their transition.Β Β My own story includes one where I had to persuade my care provider, in a less than knowledgeable way, to alter my HRT regimen.Β We who are not clinically oriented need a voice to articulate alternatives that can enable us to achieve our desired goals and this is one that may help you.
What Dr. Powers presents is based from his care of over 1500 transgender patients, which alone speaks for itself.Β He references WPATH and UCSF guidelines and much of the old research they are built on.Β However, as I’ve found with other DO’s I’ve worked with in my lifetime, IMO he listens to his patients and earnestly works steadfastly to find the right answers for them, transcending the current medical dogma of care standards when necessary and appropriate.Β This has led to an increasing number of transgender people coming to him from all over, and is at the point where he may soon have to stop accepting new patients.Β In fact, the link below is a lecture that he gave to other healthcare providers, and is intended as a means to share his knowledge with them. He states he plans to document it with formal publications in the future.
Dr. Powers makes some powerful arguments that may assist others with getting their own physicians to consider alternatives to the current prescribed care and tests being performed.Β Β The PPT and video are both targeted toward providers. You might need interpretive help from someone more knowledgeable if youβre not up on some of the things he discusses.
This is his webpage where you can access a download of the PPT.Β It is continually being revised, but as of this writing date 8/14/19 it goes with the video.
https://powersfamilymedicine.com/news-events
This is a YouTube of a lecture he gave in June of 2019.Β It’s two hours long so get some popcorn and a steno pad and settle in. Youβll want to make note of specifics so you can start to take your personal care into your own hands with a modicum of knowledge and a useful tool to give to your provider.
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You’re welcome dear. That’s a difficult question to ask. Be kind to yourself as you figure it out and all will be well.
Hugs,
Cloe
Just sent to my Endo with request to review. We’ll see! Thanks for sharing this I never knew of this information
I hope it helps. Dr Powers does work with WPATH, but some of his recommendations weren’t considered when the current Standards Of Care were written. A lot of doctors find it hard to go outside the SOC for various reasons.
I see that the Video stream on his page is marked as outdated. Does he have a newer video file that you are aware of?
It looks as though he has a new presentation that can be downloaded, but no new video. The video is still on Youtube at
, but likely there are new items in the new presentation.
Thanks Chole. I did watch quite a bit of it and took notes on points that I found particularly interesting. I put them into a 2-page doc in bullet-point form and faxed to my endo to ask her to review. I also asked if she’d be open to consulting with Dr. Powers. She said she wanted to meet with me first (my next appt is this week actually), so we’ll see. Would you be willing to share a bit more about how your transition changed after you worked with your provider to adopt Dr. Powers’s approach? (Of course with the… Read more Β»
Two things changed. One, my relationship with the endo improved and i was no longer stressed about how poorly things were going. Two, my development finally seemed to take off. although most recently my breast development has slowed it took off for a while and I have a great size for me, but waiting for the rounding out. Otherwise, the fat redistribution seems to be my bodies current mode. It’s all dropping off my waist and into my butt and thighs. Neither of these were doing much before the changes.
That’s really interesting, thanks so much for sharing Chloe. I started my HRT 7 months ago and still gradually increasing the E. I have an appt with my Endo on Fri. I’ve sent her some material and will see (she replied to my message though that she’s not comfortable consulting with Dr. Powers). I assume it’s because his approaches are pretty new and have not been empirically tested yet. Fair enough of course, and I do want to protect myself, but I get the feeling that Dr. Powers is making strides, and I’m def interested. I put my name on… Read more Β»
I live in the UK and also recognise Dr W Powers work and seen the lectures which seem an individual approach to obtain maximum results. I have been in touch with his practice and asked if there was a Doctor who uses his methods here in the UK, but No!. Now that I have been referred to the gender clinic I have asked for some or all his methods to be recognised and possibly adopted. ( I even said I would be a test subject for such practices). I am still waiting for my first appointment GIC, Wales. If you… Read more Β»
Hi Jessica. One thing I remind people of is that WPATH references average estradiol blood levels. But the practice I’ve see a lot of MD’s use is to always be below the average. That still doesn’t always fit into what Dr Powers suggests, but it is a point for discussion with your MD if you find them doing the same. I wish the best of all possible journeys.
Hugs,
Cloe
Thankyou Cloe! I am indeed on thar trip. Not been on this site for along time but in any case having my 6 monthly blood test next week 7th Jan with a follow up appointment from the local Gender team on the 21st of Jan so I will bring it up with them. Will Powers certainly did his homework and I did mention to Dr R that I wanted to follow the route but without result. But maybe I can get my oestrogen levels well into cis range rather than below the adverage. Thankyou for your comment.
Cloe, I took the time to watch and listen to Dr. Powers lecture. I have an appointment with my
physician next month to discuss my beginning hrt. After viewing Dr. Powers I am really concerned
about how this will take place. All that he explained seem to make better since. How do you convince
your physician that this sounds like a much better route to take? I have waited so very long to begin
transition I hate to put it off any longer but we all must consider our long term health.
Convincing your physician requires knowledge including how much your physician knows. Many just rely on the standards of care because of a lack of experience with transgender care. Ask questions to find out where they stand and their experience level. Powers has worked with 1500, how many have they? Offer the video to them as it was meant as an education tool for them and not you anyway. Let him do the talking for you, but knowing the points brought out in it will show you are very aware of the possibilities and what goes into your care.
Cloe, Thank you so much for posting the links to Dr. Powers lecture and slide show. I found this information to be quite valuable. I wish more physicians took such a concerted interest in the health needs of transgender people. As I chart the course of my own transition it’s provided me valuable information to be a better informed patient when discussing my own options with my physicians.