The
Doctor
Is In
JCC Fitness
Club members
embrace informal
give-and-take.
Dr. Henry Gonte answers questions at the JCC.
Bill Carroll
Special to the Jewish News
that you have to take a shower before corn-
ing in here Gonte quips. "Hey, Doc, where
can I get a new shoulder and a new knee?"
ational surveys of people visit-
asks a fitness club regular. "Giving away any
ing a physician's office show that samples today, Doc?" says another.
patients usually get an average
"We get a better and longer explanation
of 15 seconds to explain what's wrong
of medical problems than we do from
with them — before the doctor interrupts
our regular doctor," said Simon Binke of
to speed up the visit.
Bloomfield Township, almost in unison
But that's not the case with Dr. Henry
with his wife, Ray. They've
Gonte of West Bloomfield. A general
attended every session in the
practitioner for 47 years, Dr. Gonte lets
past few months. "He seems
the "patients" talk as long as they
like just a wonderful doctor:'
want, and loves to shmooze right along
adds Ray.
with them. He does this in a meeting
When "Meet the Doc"
room in the southeast wing (the old
started, Gonte told people to
Holocaust Memorial Center) at the Jewish
stand and ask their questions,
Community Center in West Bloomfield
but they seemed reluctant
every Friday afternoon.
to be identified with their
Dr. Gonte
For about an hour and a half, Dr. Gonte
medical situations in front of
conducts a new feature, sponsored by
everyone. So he placed a question box on a
the JCC Fitness Club, called "A Free Hour
table and the "patients" now anonymously
With the Doctor:' or, more affectionately,
ask their questions.
just "Meet the Doc." It's informal repar-
"I want to talk about the after-effects of
tee, often laced with jokes and Yiddish
my heart bypass surgery:' whispers one
expressions, covering a variety of medical
man shyly. "Talk louder — you're a lawyer;
problems.
you must have talked louder than that
"We call it a 'free hour' because we want in court;' Gonte admonishes. "Come on
people to come in, relax and discuss gen-
up here and put that question in the box.
eral health issues without worrying about
You're a lawyer; you can write. And you
giving me their Blue Cross card:' Gonte
can walk better than I can."
explained. "It's not a class or a lecture; the
people just want to 'meet the doc' and talk
Standing Tall
about what ails them."
Gonte, 71, is alluding to the fact he has
About 90 percent of the "patients" are
only one leg, having lost the other to bone
Jewish, some dropping in after exercising at cancer at the age of 35. "But he's a legend
the fitness club. "From now on, the rule is
in the medical field, handling a medical
N
32
April 26 • 2007
.1N
practice all these years with one leg; and
he's been competitive and beaten adversity
all of his life:' said Joe Stern of White Lake.
Using metal crutches, Gonte won cham-
pionships in racquet ball doubles and still
strives to play golf twice a week. "But I
don't putt because it's too hard getting off
the cart and climbing on and off the put-
ting green:' Gonte explains.
The graduate of the Des
Moines (Iowa) College of
Osteopathy now has office hours
in Inkster three days a week and
often works out at the fitness
club and swims. "You do the best
you can with what you've got" is
his philosophy. He and his wife,
Arlene, have three adult sons
(two of them doctors) and three
grandchildren.
"He's amazing;' commented Annette
Whiting, JCC Fitness Club director. "I was
very much in favor of these weekly ses-
sions when he broached the idea to me.
Our members love it, mainly the seniors
with various ailments. People are now very
comfortable with him."
"Let's discuss the boiche (stomach),"
says Gonte as he kicks off a recent session,
"because here's a question on how to get
rid of belly fat. The answer is that man
was developed to walk on all fours with 22
feet of bowel dangling below him. But now
he's standing straight with the stomach
layers piled up on top of each other.
"Obesity causes toxins in the system,
leading to all kinds of problems. Walking
just 30 minutes a day with a 1,200- to 2,000-
calorie-a-day diet are sufficient. And no
smoking; Chantix pills may help you quit."
More Insights
Other subjects covered include:
• Open-heart surgery — with a
cameo appearance by Dr. Fred Wolf of
Farmington Hills, a retired cardiologist,
discussing the merits of heart stents vs.
bypass surgery. "Take folic acid daily to
fight heart artery plaque and lower the
homocysteine level:' Gonte advises.
• Cholesterol — "Take your statin drugs
(Lipitor, etc.) at night after the liver releas-
es excessive cholesterol:' he says, "and get
blood tests often to check liver function. A
side effect of Lipitor could be muscle pain,
and sometimes Crestor, Vytorin or Zedia
may be better."
• GERD or acid reflux — "caused by
obesity, poor diet, smoking and alcohol;'
Gonte warns. "Don't go to bed until four
hours after dinner, when the food leaves
the stomach for the bowel."
• Dry skin after showers — "often
caused by long showers and excessive hot
water," he points out. "If the skin really
itches, rub on some Vasoline."
"Hey, Doc, what do I do about this 'trig-
ger' finger on my hand?" asks an exerciser.
"Hold it that way until next week," Gonte
retorts. "We're outta time." H
For more information on the "Meet the Doc"
sessions, call the JCC Fitness Club at (248)
980-6235.