TENNESSEE

ELIZABETHTON
Michelle Davenport, MD, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics
	306 Pine Hill Rd
	Elizabethton, TN 37643
	(423) 542-4189
	Always takes your concerns seriously, whether fat,
	neuro-atypical, etc. treated my commonly dubbed "overweight" and
	visibly fat mother kindly. 

MEMPHIS
A. Peter Thompson, Jr., DDS
	4700 Poplar Ave, Suite 410
	Memphis, Tennessee 38117
	901 767-0507
	Self-referred
	I AM ACCEPTING LARGE WOMEN PATIENTS

NASHVILLE
Michael Bolds, M.D., Pulmonologist
	300 20th Ave N Fl 9
	Nashville, TN 37203
	(615) 284-1400
	He told me that weight loss "doesn't work" as a treatment for
	sleep apnea. 

Tom Callaway, M.D., primary care
	222-22nd Ave N., 
	Nashville, TN 37203. 
	(615)324-2144.  
	A few years ago, my PCP was this wonderful doctor whom everyone
	called "Dr. Tom." I was at my highest weight of 350 when I saw
	him, and I'll never forget what he said to me: "a person can be
	healthy whether she is 100 or 300 lbs depending on lifestyle".
	He is a charming, sweet doctor and I highly recommend him.
	UPDATE JUNE 07: Reported not to be accepting new patients.

Peggy Elam, Ph.D.
	Psychology ~ Psychotherapy & Counseling ~ Personal Coaching
	Kathara Bio-Spiritual Healing System Facilitator
	P.O. Box 58065
	Nashville, TN 37205
	www.peggyelam.com
	Self-referred.
	I'm a licensed psychologist with a holistic (mind-body-spirit)
	and size-acceptance focus. Self-pay only; I don't process
	insurance or work with managed care. I moderate the Health At
	Any Size egroup at Yahoogroups.com. I took a formal massage &
	bodywork training program in 2000 and am licensed as a massage
	therapist in Tennessee. I'm primarily interested in subtle
	energy bodywork such as Kathara healing and Craniosacral
	Therapy. 

Michael J. Fowler, endocrinology
	Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes Clinic
	8210 Medical Center East, South Tower
	1215 21st Ave, S.
	Nashville TN 37232 
	web page
	(615) 322-4752 (clinic appointment line)
	(615) 343-8332 (direct line)
	I have been seeing Dr. Fowler for 2.5 years for a congenital
	adrenal disorder.  The treatment for this disorder includes
	steroids, which exacerbates my genetic predisposition to being
	overweight.  I wasn't exactly thin when I started going to him
	and have gained a good deal more weight since.  He has never
	brought up my weight in any visit, even though he could have
	chosen to make an issue of it due to my primary medical
	condition.  He has always been polite, friendly, and
	accommodating, going so far as to ask me every time I see him if
	there is anything else he can do for me.  I wish I could make
	him my primary health provider!  To the best of my knowledge he
	is accepting new patients, although there is a several month
	wait to get an appointment

S.L. Lampkin IV, MD, primary care 
Karla Brown, MD
	12th Avenue South 
	Nashville, TN. 
	Karla Brown is a beautiful, petite lady and neither Dr. Lampkin
	or Dr. Brown have EVER addressed weight with me unless I wanted
	to. They both treat the whole person.  I love them both and
	always walk away feeling like the problem I went to them for was
	addressed, and they feel like weight is just one aspect of a
	person and isn't the cause of many problems. 

Elizabeth Oldfield, MD, OB/GYN
	Doctors for Women OB/GYN Group
	2011 Murphy Ave 37203
	(615)301-1000
	She never made my weight an issue (I began my pregnancy at 250
	lbs and am 5' 7") She and her staff always made me feel very
	comfortable. Her nurse always used large blood pressure cuffs.
	Both of her nurses were women of size themselves. Dr. Oldfield
	was very open to natural birth, even for a woman of size.
	DISSENTING VIEW
	She kept finding ways to make the discussion about my weight,
	even after learning that I have a condition that makes weight
	loss extremely difficult. She was skeptical and condescending
	about everything I told her regarding my medical history and did
	a very poor job of listening to my concerns. She even went so
	far as to make me get tested for diabetes (the test results were
	negative, which came as no surprise to me) before she would
	prescribe me medicine for the above mentioned condition,
	medicine I have been on for years and needed since I left my old
	gynecologist and could no longer get a prescription from him.
	It was a horrible experience and I would not recommend her in
	any capacity to a person of size. 

Jaime Vasquez - Reproductive Endocronologist 
	Center for Reproductive Health
	2410 Patterson Street, Suite 401, Nashville, TN 37203
	Telephone: (615) 321-8899
	http://www.reproductivehealthctr.com/mainhome.htm
	This doctor does not turn patients away for weight or age. His
	philosophy is that you test and treat the specific issues in
	fertility, and that fat is NOT a factor. We had a long
	discussion about it after I was turned away from another clinic
	and came to his office, almost without hope. He says hormone
	levels and the balance, structure of the reproductive
	system--those are the issues. He's not going to say, go away and
	lose first. He will run tests and say, your ovaries/eggs are
	responding well, or not well. Your husband's sperm is great, or
	not so great... and he'll do it all in a very scientific way,
	using laboratory slides, not drug company propaganda. From
	talking to others in the waiting room, and to his nurses, I know
	he has treated many patients turned away by other local clinics.
	In addition, he is compassionate and just a wonderful doctor. He
	even gave me his e-mail and cell phone number!! His success
	rates speak for themselves. I got pregnant on my first IVF
	cycle. And although I had complications, he was there for me
	every step of the way. I'm not saying everyone has success on
	the first try, but his rates are some of the highest--AND really
	impressive if you keep in mind that he turns no one away! 
	I just can't say enough about him. 

Back to United States page
Back to Fat Friendly Health Professionals