Ask Doc

In the office, they call me "the codger."

It's meant in good humor, but as with most jokes, it carries a bit of truth...

Doc, I think we started a revolution...

That was the response of both my assistants after they read through the flood of messages we received after our last Q&A issue of Retirement Millionaire Daily.

I'm sick of this mindless mantra...

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") published guidelines to bully the food industry into lowering sodium levels in foods to "recommended" levels. It's a huge overreach of government power.

For some folks, gold isn't an investment... It's a religion.

I don't agree with that approach. In my letters, we approach gold like any investment... We set emotion aside and look at the facts. And we get a lot of questions on gold... especially in times of market volatility and fears of catastrophe.

After Wednesday's issue, "The Only Broker You Should Be Using," we were flooded with e-mails of readers sharing their experiences with their brokers.

We even had one broker who switched sides...

I spent many years as a "full service broker" and made a good living at it. When I took note of the momentum being created by the online discount brokers in the early '90s it got my attention. I was mainly bothered by the fact that for so many of my clients, I really wasn't providing much service other than trade execution so I decided rather than fight them, join them... which I did and never looked back. Yes, I took a pay cut but was sleeping well at night because I had the confidence that I was working entirely for the client and not being steered by my company or other personal motivations.

I retired a few years ago and am still happy with the decisions I made in my later years. Your article is spot on. – M.S.

Our readers are too kind...

After last week's Friday Q&A, we received dozens of e-mails thanking us for our "common sense" advice.

Common sense.

It's the approach I use for improving my wealth, health, and retirement. A lot of the advice I've given over the years is common sense.

Most folks think the greatest risks to their health are the things they don't know...

Like whether something is healthy or not... or if there is a killer chemical lurking in their kitchen cabinets that they haven't ever heard about.

Every issue of Retirement Millionaire Daily, I sign off as "Dr. David Eifrig."

If you aren't a longtime subscriber to my paid newsletters, you might not know what kind of doctor I am. But does it matter?

But when you're trying to get the best possible care of your health you need to make sure you're going to the correct medical care provider. Today, I'll explain why you should care and how to know who to go to.

I'll also share an e-mail from a dentist giving us more information on the effects of dentistry on TMJ headaches.

How much importance do you place on the title "Doctor"? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected].

Q: It's obvious you haven't practiced "real eye care" in quite some time. Either that or you still subscribe to the "good old boy" network that has been perpetuating lies to the American public for decades regarding health care provision. Fortunately, many of your currently practicing colleagues appreciate and have respect for other non-M.D. health care providers...

Each profession has strengths and weaknesses. You should stick to investments and I will seek my health care opinions from those more expert than you in that area. Keep up the "other" good work and spare me the old school M.D. drivel. – C.M.

A: C.M., an optometrist – or OD – took issue with our advice on macular degeneration.

In that essay, we recommended checkups with ophthalmologists, which are eye doctors who went through medical school. That means four years of medical school, one year in internship, and three years in a hospital-based residency. They have "MD" after their names. Doctors of osteopathy may also be ophthalmologists, so you can also go to someone with "DO" after their name.

On the other hand, an OD is an optometrist. These folks go to a four-year program in optometry school. They are not able to perform surgery and may not be able to treat some eye diseases. In fact, licensing laws differ from state to state, so an OD in Maine may not be able to treat something that an OD in Maryland can.

The website All About Vision has put together an excellent guide outlining the differences. Read it right here.

Regardless of which type of eye care provider you choose, make sure you do your homework. Ask up front what diseases they can diagnose and which they can treat. If you're concerned about age-related macular degeneration ("AMD"), make sure to go to someone who can treat you. Check out references from other patients. Ask for the doctor's stats too – including how many procedures they've performed and their rate of success. If they don't have that data, find another doc immediately.

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My team and I spent a year on a single special report...

We just released our research to my Retirement Millionaire subscribers on the "Four Surprises the U.S. Government and the Pharmaceutical Industry Don't Want You to Know." (If you're a subscriber, you can find this valuable read right here.)