#59 - MEN1, Medicine & Mistrust: Why Patients & Doctors Misunderstand Each Other (Top Consultant)

Ever left an MEN1 appointment feeling more anxious than when you went in? – Season 2, Episode 9Professor Maralyn Druce, leading London Consultant Endocrinologist, joins me for an honest conversation about where tension, mistrust, and misunderstanding can quietly grow between patients and clinicians — particularly in rare disease care.We explore:• Why MEN1 so often exists in a grey zone of uncertainty rather than clear answers • How “watch and wait” can feel profoundly different for patients versus doctors • The anxiety many patients carry between appointments, tests, and scans • Why feeling unheard doesn’t always mean someone isn’t listening • How better outcomes depend on partnership, trust, and shared responsibilityAbout our guest: Professor Maralyn Druce is a Consultant Endocrinologist specialising in both general and complex endocrine conditions, including thyroid, adrenal and pituitary disorders, neuroendocrine tumours, and inherited syndromes such as MEN1. She is known for her holistic, patient-centred approach and her commitment to ensuring patients fully understand their management options. Professor Druce is also a senior medical educator, serving as Deputy Dean for Education and Head of Governance for undergraduate MBBS and dental programmes at Barts and the London, Associate Dean for Undergraduates at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and Founder and Director of the Postgraduate Diploma and MSc programmes in Endocrinology at Queen Mary University of London. She trained at the University of Cambridge and University College London, completed specialist training at Hammersmith and Barts Hospitals, held a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellowship, and was awarded a PhD in physiology at Imperial College London focusing on gut hormones and energy regulation. Find out more about Professor Druce here.Are you sure MEN1 can’t be influenced? Join my community to learn how better quality conversation and radical self-responsibility has kept me away from symptoms, surgery & meditation. Click hereDisclaimerI share my personal experience as a MEN1 patient. Nothing in this episode, including the opinions of my guests, is intended as medical or holistic advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making changes to your care.