The Limitations of Obesity Management in Primary Care with Chase Franks

The Obesity Guide with Matthea Rentea MD

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As many of you may know, the Rentea Metabolic Clinic came about as a result of my frustrations in the primary care setting. Despite my passion for patient care, the brief appointments meant I couldn’t effectively tackle underlying metabolic challenges like insulin resistance, which are key for long-term health.

I recently learned that nurse practitioner and TikTok star Chase Franks faced similar challenges in his experience of primary care. Chase shares my passion for debunking myths about anti-obesity medications and his TikTok fans—over 118K strong—love his relatable approach and straightforward explanations.

In this episode, join us as we discuss the challenges we both faced in addressing weight management issues in primary care, our shift into exclusive weight management roles, and why educating and empowering patients is at the heart of what we do.
References:

Follow Chase on TikTok (@bourbonrx)

https://www.ivimhealth.com/
Audio Stamps
01:08 - We meet Dr. Rentea’s podcast guest, nurse practitioner Chase Franks, who shares how and why he built his TikTok presence in the weight management field.
03:30 - Dr. Rentea asks about Chase's experience with weight management in primary care and the challenges he faced due to time constraints and stigma.
05:50 - We hear about the differences in approaching weight management, particularly in terms of patient readiness, between specialty care and primary care settings.
09:55 - Chase and Dr. Rentea discuss the challenges in primary care, particularly the constraints in time and resources for effective weight management, highlighting the gap between patient needs and available support.
15:30 - Chase encourages listeners to seek specialized obesity management specialists for support, acknowledging that not all primary care doctors may have the expertise to address weight management effectively.
Quotes
“I hate that in the medical establishment everything is blamed on weight and people are made to feel bad about their weight.” - Chase Franks, NP
“What I came to realize is this is not something that I can tackle in the primary care setting.” - Matthea Rentea MD
“I don't think that people know when they're going into this, how complex it is, the level of help that they're going to need, and how often.” - Matthea Rentea MD
“If you're seeing a primary care doctor and you feel like they're not supportive in this, they might not have the education, so they're just the wrong person to steer you.” - Matthea Rentea MD
“Obesity is a very complex chronic medical condition that more often than not would require specialized care. And there are providers out there that are well versed in it who do care.” - Chase Franks, NP
“You don't have to white knuckle it your whole life. There are people that care and want to help you out there and have the education to do so.” - Chase Franks, NP

All of the information on this podcast is for general informational purposes only. Please talk to your physician and medical team about what is right for you. No medical advice is being on this podcast.
If you live in Indiana or Illinois and want to work with doctor Matthea Rentea, you can find out more on www.RenteaClinic.com