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Tribute to a Medical Frontier Man
Doctor Robert C. Atkins and the Carbohydrate
I'm often asked by patients and colleages whether I "believe" in the Atkins Diet. When I hear such a statement, I feel like I'm being asked whether I believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. My response is usually "like I believe in oxygen."
My appreciation for low-carbohydrate diets changed after working with Doctor Robert Atkins at the Atkins Center from 1996 to 1998. Doctor Atkins was an out-spoken, controversial man, gaining international popularity from the success of "The Atkins Diet." He met resistance from his mainstream medical colleagues after his controversial diet became a house-hold name. His clinic in midtown Manhattan was a one-of-a-kind comprehensive health care center which attracted patients seeking more than conventional medicine, when mainstream did not have the answer.
Doctor Atkins found much enjoyment in staying active as a clinician, and created a clinic structure which allowed health practitioners to share one patient, inevitably leading to exchange of ideas and thoughts between Atkins Center healers. We were all facets of the gem he created, and he structured his practice in a way which we all had to work together as a team. His "fisherman" philosophy taught those physicians under his wing to be the best they could be. I am quick to tell others that my expertise in mercury toxicity is mostly due to Doctor Atkins sending me off to learn about it, and giving me the opportunity to apply my skills in a clinical setting.
His enthusiasm and smile were contagious. The learning experience and the satisfying feeling at the end of my "work-day" was tremendous. My knowledge of both mainstream and alternative medicine significantly increased due to the mandatory weekly meetings to discuss a particular area of medicine, and spending time in the impressive library and research center on the sixth floor of the Atkins Center, where one often found me after work. At the Atkins Center for Complentary Medicine I witnessed an astounding number of Type-2 diabetics on insulin and oral diabetic medicines, no longer requiring medication after following Dr Atkins' protocols. Similar results occurred with hypertension, heart disease, prostatitis, arthritis, and other illnesses. AOL News recenty reported a paper released by New England Journal of Medicine which discussed the risks of taking rosiglitazone, sold as Avandia and Avandamet, which is prescribed to 6 million type-2 diabetics worldwide. The drug has been shown to raise LDL cholesterol, and increase the risk of heart attack, heart failure, and sudden death. Type-2 diabetes is that form of diabetes linked to obesity. This is not the first time a drug used for type-2 diabetes found itself in a light of controversy. If the Atkins Diet was ever shown to have these kinds of side-effects, we all know it would have abruptly disappeared a long time ago.
I was planning a return to the Atkins Center in 2003, meeting regularly with Doctor Atkins. He asked me to cover his patients when he was out of town, and to help create a team of doctors to expand his center of complementary medicine. He was going to focus more on teaching, and oversee the team which would run the Atkins Center.
Doctor Robert Atkins slipped on an icy sidewalk one April morning in 2003, hitting his head on the pavement. He was a few steps from his office on East 55th Street. He never regained consciousness, and was taken off life support a few days later, on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2003. It was the same day my mom said good-bye to the world as well. Doctor Atkins mission in life was to expand the boundaries of medicine, taking his practice beyond the Atkins Diet. He introduced many alternative cancer treatments to America, for those reluctant to use conventional treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation. .
Doctor Atkins was extremely well-read with respect to mainstream medical literature, knowing more Cardiology than any Cardiologist I've ever met, expert in many areas of medicine. Doctor Atkins hired me because of my expertise in intestinal disorders, malabsorptmon and detoxification, due to my association with Doctor Leo Galland. Atkins admired Galland, often mentioning that Galland was a genious, in a class of his own. I think he got a kick out of my ignorant boldness, with respect to the low-carb diet, and knew an open mind would undoubtedly realize the importance of dietary carbohydrates, and how they play such a central role in diabetes and other health issues, while the mainstream dietary focus remains on fats. I told Doctor Atkins I did not believe in the low-carb diet when I was first hired at the Atkins Center: He laughed out loud, saying "Don't worry: You will." There were three "head-banging" meetings with the Atkins group before I finally signed on, mostly due to my concerns about my own (ignorant) interpretation of the Atkins Diet, and what impact my association would have, when others labeled my practice of medicine. I did not want to be viewed as an "Akinoid," or another "diet doctor," or the prodigy of another pompous "troublemaker" in the mainstream medical community. Doctor Atkins was one of the greatest and most misunderstood physicians in the history of medicine, and so much more than "The Atkins Diet." His emphasis on the carbohydrate extended beyond it's connection to obesity. If diabetes is an abberration of carbohydrate metabolism, then simple as well as complex carbohydrates are what should be focused on. Not fats, per se. Complex carbs will also raise one's sugar levels, increase insulin requirements and the need for pharmaceutical intervention. Of note, no matter what the ratios are, the body still knows how to change protein and fats into carbs (gluconeogenesis). Dietary optimization is an art of medicine, not an exact science. Dietary recommendations therefore require assessment on an individual basis. And with respect to diabetes, total complex carbohydrate intake was never emphasized enough with respect to its role in glucose metabolism. This was Doctor Atkins' gift to the medical community. And this is why Doctor Atkins was shunned by his colleagues, when he introduced such a controversial concept in the 1960's. Doctor Atkins told me he presented this astounding information to the medical community back then, only to find himself treated as an quack. Groundbreakers always start out that way in a flat world. I walk by the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine almost every day, as it's right across the street from Bolte Medical. I was told Madonna bought the building, which remains empty since 2003, with a rusty roof-top and a for sale sign out front. So Robert, "RCA," "Bob," "Doctor A," here's looking at you: Thank, thank you, thank you! Your genious was misunderstood only because it saw the horizon before everyone else. And we'll all catch up with you, just as sure as the world is (still) round. One can't blame our ancestors for believing until recently that the world was flat. When we walk around it sure looks that way, no?
-Thomas Bolte, MD More Essays
The essays below include my formal (and informal) education, "magic moments," and opinions on healthcare and politics. Magic Moments are those episodes which enhance life with enlightenment and wisdom. They are the spiritual learning experiences which re-shape our souls, and change the way we perceive the world, ourselves, and others. Such moments are often associated with a smile both at the time of occurrence and each reflection thereafter, and hopefully, when they are shared with others.
 Doctor Bolte's Formal Medical Training Dr Bolte runs an comprehensive integrated medical clinic and urgent care center in midtown Manhattan, and makes physician house call visits to local area midtown nyc residents and hotel guests. More info on Doctor Bolte on his personal webpage and New York Urgent Care website. |
Thomas J. Bolte, M.D., P.C.141 East 55th Street, Suite 8-HNew York City, NY USA 10022212 - 588 - 9314Medical Director: Doctor Thomas Bolte