OHIO

	

AKRON
Rev. JJ Warner, Jungian Astrologer (fat friendly, family friendly)
	566 White Pond Dr. C-166
	Akron Ohio 44320
	BestAstro@aol.com
	What Astrology Can Do For You 
	Self-referred.
	Telephone 330-849-1805 (orders only, for conversation please e-mail)

BEAVERCREEK
Catherine Sargent, Family Medicine DO
	2510 Commons Blvd. Ste 220
	Beavercreek, OH 45431
	937-427-8912
	Dr. Sargent is a friendly physician who actually LISTENS.  If I
	want to talk about my weight, she will. but never blames or
	tries to shame me.  She encourages whole health for me and my
	family.  When I've gone in for an illness or concern she's never
	blamed my weight, but instead asked history, found out what is
	going on me  and my family to find causes.
	Listed Feb 08

BEECHWOOD
Richard J. Koletsky, Endocrinology, Diabetes Care, Hypertension
	Cleveland Weight Wellness Center 
	24755 Chagrin Boulevard Suite 340
	Beachwood, OH 44122
	Office:  (216) 378-2180
	E-mail: rjk13@po.cwru.edu
	Dr. Koletsky does research on the yo-yo syndrome (weight
	cycling) and has published a number of articles on obesity with
	Paul Ernsberger, Ph.D. He is an expert on the genetics of
	obesity.  He advocates a total approach to the obese patient
	with comprehensive treatment of all associated conditions,
	especially diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia.  He
	advocates nutritional counseling, but not very-low-calorie
	diets, diet pills or surgery.  He is located on the East side of
	Cleveland (Beachwood) with easy access from interstate 271.
	-- Paul Ernsberger

CINCINNATI
Amanda Denney, Endocrinologist
	4460 Red Bank Expressway
	Ste 122
	Cincinnati, OH 45227
	Phone: (513) 272-0313
	Fax: (513) 272-0316
	www.thechristhospital.com/physicians/details.aspx?PhysicianID=1003871047 
	I found Dr. Denney when looking for a second opinion to treat
	hypothyroidism.  I was assured by the office that Dr. Denney
	sees as many thyroid patients as she does diabetes patients,
	which is important for someone with a thyroid condition. One of
	the symptoms I wanted addressed was an unexplained weight gain
	that I thought might be related to my thyroid deficiency.  My
	former endocrinologist simply told me to "lose weight."  Dr.
	Denney actually listened to me and sees my weight as a symptom,
	not a cause, of a larger health issue, and she has never once
	mentioned dieting or weight loss (she does recommends all
	patients get in at least 90 minutes of physical activity a week,
	but does not relate this back to weight loss).  Instead of
	blaming me for my weight, she ordered a full gamut of tests to
	rule out any possible condition that might be contributing to
	it.  Not only did the tests reveal a severe deficiency in
	vitamin D and B12, but she also suspects I have PCOS.  I've been
	treated by three other doctors for my thyroid and none of them
	ever mentioned the possibility that my weight could be due to
	anything but my "lifestyle."  As a side note, the office waiting
	room offers wide-width seats and nurses have easy access to
	extra-wide blood pressure cuffs.

Jennifer Messer, MD, Internist
	Madeira Family Practice
	7829 Laurel Ave.
	Cincinnati, OH  45243
	(513) 561-6266
	Dr. Messer has been my general doctor for about a year now, and
	she is very caring and receptive. She has never once tried to
	blame me for my weight, shame me into losing weight, or even
	mentioned my weight as a cause for anything. I had an emotional
	breakdown near the beginning of the year and she was very kind
	to me and helped me out a whole lot with that, despite not being
	a therapist. She's always open to hearing suggestions from her
	patients, but is also up front with her own opinions and
	possible treatments for problems. I've been very happy with her
	every time I've gone to see her. One note: The scale at this
	office does not even go up to my actual weight (it only goes up
	to 350 lbs) so I simply decline to be weighed. -- Chelsea B., 
	sierra14black@netscape.net

Jennifer Thie, Reproductive Endocrinology, Infertility and Gynecology
        Bethesda Blue Ash Professional Building
        4360 Cooper Road
        Cincinnati, OH  45242
        513-794-1430
        Dr. Thie is a very kind and skilled physician.  She assisted in 
        my conceiving twins.  My weight, except for a brief mention in
        the initial visit, was pretty much an "non issue" in the whole
        experience.  She was supportive through the whole process, which
        took several months.  I have recommended her to many family and
        friends.  She is a compassionate health care provider. -- Ann
        Pavey

CLEVELAND
Bonnie Cheung, OB/GYN
	Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
	9500 Euclid Avenue
	Cleveland, OH 44195
	Dr. Cheung is amazing. Her and her staff made me feel completely
	comfortable. Everyone was friendly, they have scales that go up
	to higher numbers, the gowns actually went all the way around
	me, and she never said anything about my weight (and when I
	brought it up she was very supportive). She was even supportive
	when I mentioned to her that I've been trying to conceive. Even
	then she didn't mention weight as an issue and gave me
	suggestions of things I could try for better fertility.

Zuhayr T. Madhun, M.D., Clinical & Molecular Endocrinology
	University Physicians, Inc.
	11100 Euclid Avenue
	Cleveland, Ohio 44106
	(located inside University Hospitals of Cleveland)
	216-844-3142 (office)
	216-844-8500 (appointment scheduling)
	I'm a Type 2 diabetic, and I was referred to Dr Madhun by my
	OB/Gyn, who stated that I need to be off oral medication in
	order to get pregnant. Since I was uncomfortable at almost 500
	lbs, I asked Dr Madhun for a weight loss program, stating that
	my goal weight is between 250-300 lbs. He agreed that 300 lbs is
	a reasonable goal weight for me. Dr Madhun sees many patients
	300+ lbs. as I could tell by sitting in the waiting room. There
	was a gown large enough to fit around me with room to spare and
	the chairs in the exam rooms are all armless. Dr Madhun first
	ran numerous tests. His dietician is reasonable and friendly.
	She looked at my eating habits and helped me design a program
	that fits my lifestyle. 

COLUMBUS
Keith Blakely, General Practice
	2151 East Dublin-Granville Road
	Columbus, Ohio  43229
	(614) 898-0150
	-- Deirdre Links (102404.2372@CompuServe.COM)

Chad I. Friedman, Reproductive Endocrinologist (infertility specialist)
Clemens Grosskinsky, Reproductive Endocrinologist (infertility specialist)
	Ohio Reproductive Medicine
	4830 Knightsbridge Boulevard, Suite E
	Columbus, OH 43214
	614-451-2280
	www.ohiorepromed.com
	friedman.7@osu.edu
	Dr. Freidman is the most professional and knowledgeable doctor
	I have met. Being plus size(4X) and desiring to have a baby, I
	felt my size would not allow it. Dr. Friedman assured me that it 
	was not impossible and that my size would not be a factor. Other 
	doctors in the office had difficulty getting ultrasounds on me but 
	Dr. Friedman never did. The entire staff at Ohio Reproductive were 
	very caring and offered tremendous support and encouragement. Dr. 
	Friedman was very skilled, and never made me feel uncomfortable about 
	my weight. After the first ivf try, Dr. Friedman gave us the good
	news that we were pregant with twins!!!  I highly recommend him
	to anyone trying to get pregnant. -- just4nikki2@yahoo.com
		Dr. Grosskinsky made me feel completely at ease the few times
	I've seen him -- did not mention my weight at all, and when I
	mentioned it, said it was most likely a result of my diagnosis
	(PCOS), not the cause of it. Has no problems helping me try to
	conceive at my current weight (425 lbs). I would not hesitate to
	recommend him to women of size with infertility problems. One
	small complaint: some of the chairs in the office are a tight
	fit; however women smaller than myself shouldn't have a problem.
	My husband (at 350 lbs) thought the chairs were just fine. 
	-- bboyer@telocity.com

Ann Gerace, Eye doctor and Surgeon
	3545 Olentangy River Road
	Columbus, Ohio  43214
	(614) 261-7113
	-- Deirdre Links (102404.2372@CompuServe.COM)

Charles Gerace, General Surgeon
	3545 Olentangy River Road
	Columbus, Ohio  43214
	(614) 261-1900
	-- Deirdre Links (102404.2372@CompuServe.COM)

Gregory D. Gibbons, Internist
	3820 Olentangy River Road
	Columbus, Ohio  43214
	(614) 457-1213
	-- Deirdre Links (102404.2372@CompuServe.COM)

G. Todd Schulte, pain specialist 
	6495 E. Road St., Suite F 
	Columbus, Ohio 43213 
	614-860-0114  
	I have a very wonderful pain specialist.  During the past year
	and a half I have been receiving epidural injections for severe
	back pain. I actually went to this man with the feeling that
	everything was because I weigh 400+ pounds and he assured me
	that it didn't matter how much I weighed I would still have the
	pain. I feel that in my 38 years, this is the ONLY doctor who
	had treated me as a human being. Although the many treatments
	have not been that successful, I would recommend him to anyone
	having severe pain. Although my insurance company does not pay
	for my visits to this doctor, I choose to pay out of my own
	pocket because of the way I am treated. 
	-- clarkphillips@worldnet.att.net  

Michael Weiss, family practice 
	Beechwold Medical Center
	Columbus, Ohio
	He's wonderful--very matter of fact about weight issues. When
	they affected my health, he told me without judgment or
	attitude. He believes people can be happy and healthy in all
	size bodies, and yet he believes we all can make healthier
	choices. -- pamela
	I happened to see Dr. Michael Weiss listed under Columbus, Ohio.
	He was our family doctor for 5 years when I last lived in Ohio.
	I loved him. He never made weight an issue with us. -- name
	withheld

DEFIANCE
Stavros Karatsoridis, D.O., General Internal Medicine
Mercy Defiance Clinic
	1400 E. 2nd Street
	Defiance, Ohio 43512
	(419) 784-1414 (office phone number)
	Self-referred.
	General Info: Space in my practice is limited due to physician
	shortages in the area, so I have to be a bit selective about the
	patients I take. When calling for an appointment, please mention
	that you found my name on this list.
	I consider myself to be a fat friendly physician, who recognizes
	that being fat is not necessarily unhealthy in and of itself. I
	generally don't mention a patient's weight unless the patient
	brings it up or the medical condition warrants it. I respect the
	wishes of patients who do not wish to be weighed. If something
	requires a weight measurement (i.e., certain conditions,
	medications, chemotherapy, anesthesia, etc), a full explanation
	for why will be provided and any requests by the patient to not
	know their weight will be honored, if they wish. Our office is
	suitably equipped for fat people.

HAMILTON
Thomas Sargero, M.D., diabetes and adult health care
	1010 Cereal Avenue, Suite 305 
	Hamilton, Ohio, 45013 
	513-867-2811
	He was very caring and I felt like he was centered in the room
	with me the whole time.  We spent half an hour going over my
	diabetes and my atrial fibrilation. He wants me to start Byetta
	and he was telling me that some people have lost weight being on
	it. But he didn't tell me this in a glorified and pointed way
	that made me feel like he wanted me to lose weight. He was just
	being factual. In fact, he pretty much said that weight loss is
	not THE way to control diabetes.  He mentioned that he's got
	patients who weigh 300 pounds and they don't have diabetes. It's
	just the nature of the disease to strike who it wants. I felt so
	much more relaxed when he started saying that kind of stuff. I
	gave him Hanne's doctor letter anyway. He was very sympathetic
	about it. He said that he's against gastric bypass. That it can
	make things worse. I nearly stood up and cheered! He did explain
	why he wants his patients to be weighed and especially while in
	Byetta. So, I agreed to that. He said I could close my eyes so I
	didn't have to see the weight since I explained in my letter
	that I can get obsessed about the numbers on the scale. - Jo H.

HUBER HEIGHTS
Mark Striebel, DO, Family Practice
	Brandt Pike
	Huber Heights, OH
	(937)236-0373
	Since 1990 I have found the doctor and his staff to be friendly
	and concientious. I have varied between 240 and 320 lbs, and at
	no time has anyone ever made a disparaging comment about my
	weight. They have gowns, larger B/P cuffs. Accommodations are
	offered without condescention. He always listens to ALL of my
	symptoms and considers the whole picture. Weight loss has been a
	topic of discussion, but I was the one who introduced the topic.
	He is always willing to take the extra time to explain things.
	-- fiona_dragonheart@ibm.net  

JACKSON
Ann Losche
Holzer Clinic
25 South Street
Jackson, Ohio   45640
740-286-6417
	The assistant motioned me towards the scales and I quickly and
	loudly said, "No, thank you." She and the other assistants
	didn't even bat an eye. Imagine my great surprise and wonderful
	relief when through the door of my examining room walks a fat
	lady doctor. And I mean fat. She didn't mention diet at all. I
	brought the subject up just because I wanted to know what she'd
	say. She said she had been on Phen-Fen, lost 80 pounds, and
	gained it all back. She also said that she used to get all the
	usual crap when she went to the doctor but now that she is a
	doctor she doesn't get it. I really liked her attitude. She also
	took her time with me and listened to every one of the
	complaints that I had today.  -- Jo

LOVELAND
Susan Fremont, M.D., GP 
	Loveland, Ohio (near Cincinnati) 
	She is large herself and is fantastic about dealing respectfully
	and honestly with her patients about weight. Weighing-in is not
	required, and she will not discuss weight unless you bring it
	up. I cannot say enough positive things about her--she's a great
	all-around doctor.

MIAMISBURG
Contemporary Obstetrics and Gynecology
	8701 Old Troy Pike #30 (inside Huber Health Center)
	Huber Heights, OH 45424
	(937)237-0153
	or
	8940 Kingsridge Drive
	Miamisburg, OH 45458
	(937)433-4325
	They have
	several physicians in their team. I have gone to them for OB and
	GYN care, and they have always been concientious. Of the doctors
	in their practice, only one has ever made me uncomfortable
	because of my size. The other doctors in the practice are warm
	and wonderful. For my routine GYN care, no mention is ever made
	of my weight, though they do insist on weighing patients. --
	fiona_dragonheart@ibm.net
	They have overseen both of my pregnancies and done all of my
	yearly exams. I also had 1 doctor who had a problem with my
	weight, but when it came to the delivery of my daughter in 1996
	he was very professional. He took the time to clamp up my belly
	apron so that I could have a bikini c-section cut where most
	would just cut vertically. These are a great group of doctors
	and nurses. I currently weight 283 pounds. I would suggest this
	group of OB/GYN DO's to anyone!

PAULDING
Larry Fishbaugh, D.O., Family practice.
	220 West Perry Street 
	Paulding, Ohio (near Lima or Toledo, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Indiana)
	419-399-3771 
	Doc Fishbaugh takes the time to *listen* to patients. That cuts
	both ways; I've been the first appointment of the day at 10:30
	a.m. and had to sit there until 2 pm because something came up
	at the hospital, but knowing that he'd take any necessary time
	with me when it was my turn made it worthwhile. Several years
	ago, I decided that I wanted to lose weight; he recommended that
	I shouldn't diet because "I had enough health problems already"
	with type II diabetes and high blood pressure. He does not
	*refuse* to supervise someone who insists on dieting, but I've
	heard others say that he discourages dieting pretty much
	universally. His office scales go past the 300-pound limit, and
	the nurse takes down statistics on weight and blood pressure
	nonjudgementally and quietly. The nurse automatically retrieves
	a thigh cuff for blood pressure on fat patients, and often Doc
	Fishbaugh repeats taking the blood pressure. 

SOUTH EUCLID
Kimberly Altman, MS, RD, LD, dietitian 
	1611 South Green Road  Suite 202
	South Euclid, Ohio  44121
	(216) 381-4541
	Email kaltman@en.com
	Self-referred.
	I am a dietitian with a Master's in Nutrition. I focus on
	wellness. Many 	doctors blame "weight" for every medical
	condition and say weight loss will make everyone healthier. I
	have been up and down the dieting rollercoaster all my life. I
	got off (I am a plus size by the way -- I exercise and am
	healthy). I help clients with reaching their goals. I ask most
	of my clients to avoid scales altogether.  I am active in the
	fat acceptance movement. I respect and listen to all my patients
	in a nonjudgemental and caring environment. I am attending the
	"Overcoming Overeating" seminar (in Feb. 2000) and hope to begin
	a workshop for women dealing with wellness -- the eating portion
	will be based on a non-diet approach.

TOLEDO
Duane J. Kerscher, Jr.  D.O.
	Airport Highway 
	Toledo, OH
	I have been seeing him for 3 years. I have never been weighed.
	Never asked about my weight, never been told I need to lose
	weight. He has a nurse who works in the office who is at least
	300+. He is also very up to date on all the latest trends in
	medicine and being an osteopath does not generally swallow the
	"company line" so to speak (unlike some ancients who never
	update once they get out of med school). The blood pressure
	cuffs are large.  He does not use those benches that are high
	and in two pieces (you know like with the stirrups), he uses
	one-piece benches which are lower to the floor and very sturdy.
	-- dmgbulls1@aol.com

WESTERVILLE
Merle Kennedy, Orthopedic Surgeon
	495 Cooper Roard
	Westerville, Ohio  43081
	(614) 898-6656
	-- Deirdre Links (102404.2372@CompuServe.COM)

WILLOUGHBY HILLS
Carolyn Nemec, Family Medicine
        2570 SOM Center Road
        Willoughby Hills, OH 44094
        Solon OH 44139
        Phone:  (440) 943-2500        
	Recommendation 1: Dr. Nemec has treated my husband and me
        without regard to or mention of weight.  She is very friendly
        and conscientious, and is interested in getting to know you in
        order to help you.  She put me at ease immediately, and I feel
        good knowing that I have found a doctor who cares about treating
        _me_ and not just my fat.
        Recommendation 2: Dr. Nemec and her staff are conscientious
        regarding larger patients. The waiting area has several benches,
        the scale goes up to 600 lbs., the exam tables are new, large
        and sturdy. Upon my first visit, Dr. Nemec spent considerable
        time getting to know me and my health history, correctly
        diagnosed my problem (veinous insufficiency and lymphedema) and
        recommended a specialist for my vascular issues who has helped
        me tremendously.