Dr. William John Zaks, MD

Worst experience ever with doctor. Absolutely no bedside manner and acted like I was annoying him. My labs were abnormal but he didn't care at all and was convinced everything would be normal. Time to retire.

A while ago I saw him for a goiter and he literally squeezed my neck, told me it's just fat and that's about it. I am overweight, but not that much overweight - my OB was the one who noticed my thyroid was swollen, just by looking at me. I had other symptoms as well (hair loss, fatigue, etc.) He humored me with the tests I asked for but assured me he knew they would be negative. But, my TSH was high and I tested positive for Hashimotos antibodies. I established a primary physician after that and she ultimately had a series of thyroid ultrasounds done revealing a large thyroid (one side twice the volume of what an average female would have) and a large growing nodule that now needs to be biopsied due to its size. I'm glad I have a really great primary who has helped me circumvent having to see him again. I wish there were more endo options in this area. I have enough anxiety in hospital settings without someone telling me I'm fat and treating me like a hypochondriac. My advice is find a… primary that you trust and work with them as much as possible, and see the specialists only when it's necessary.

I have seen Dr. Zaks over 20 years for a few different chronic conditions and have the utmost respect and appreciation for him.

I was referred to Dr. Zaks because he was a specialist for diabetes. I was fine coming from a different state where I had been treated for diabetes. I was taking metformin and and one other pill for diabetes. He immediately changed my medications which caused my blood sugar to rise. I continued to see him for several months and my blood sugar continued to rise. within 6 months he had me for the first time ever on insulin, and added a second insulin. I was taking by then 3 pills and 2 insulins per day. I felt that he was experimenting on me. I went to Fargo and had some other test ran, and the Doctors there advised me to discontinue seeing him mainly because it was very unusual for a person with diabetes to be on 5 meds at one time. i stop seeing him that day and my practitioner returned me to the two pills that I had been taken before moving here, and my blood sugar returned to the before Dr. Zaks average immediately.

Reading the previous reviews they hit the nail right on the head. This doctor wouldn't listen to me or my family history. He could NOT look past the fat girl sitting in the chair, claiming I was lazy, not exercising, and probably eating poorly. Hypothyroidism runs in all the females in my family for last 4 generations all starting in late twenties to early 30s yet he denied testing me. I practically had to beg to get a screening and blood test. I had all the symptoms hair loss, cold sensitivity, weight gain, dry skin, depression, low body temp etc. He never called me with the results like he stated and after 2 weeks I contacted my primary doctor who did more for me than Dr. Zaks. She even reviewed my results. They were off the chart proving hypothyroidism. A week later Dr. Zaks Results CAME BY MAIL!!! NO CALL NO FOLLOW UP! I WILL NEVER USE THIS DOCTOR AGAIN!!! AWEFUL. HOW CAN YOU CONSIDER HIM AN EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL OR EXPERT FOR THAT MATTER!!

I read a lot of these reviews before I went in to see Dr. Zaks. To be honest, the reviews immediately made me want to switch Dr.s, but I gave him a chance. I found him to be very nice and understanding of my nervousness/why I was there (I had a growth on my thyroid and needed a biopsy). I did not in any way find him rude, or having bad bedside manner. He asked me several questions about my history, then explained the possibility of cancer and that we should do a biopsy. He then walked me through what would happen during the biopsy, and did it right there in the office. He was very gentle, and I could tell he knew what he was doing. I found him to be courteous and professional, and left wondering why there were so many negative reviews.

The memorable part of this visit was when he told me I had to have one of the following items, potentially a mixture: gastric bypass, lap band or lifetime weight loss medication with severe side effects to the internal organs. By the way I was recently diagnosed with Hypothyroidism which runs in my family. He didn't want to hear anything regarding my family or lifestyle beyond a basic sentence. I use myfitnesspal.com to monitor my nutrition and exercise, which he didn't want to see. He also kept saying that I had a diagnosis which is inconsistent with my current blood work and other tests done over the years. He couldn't locate my thyroid gland and did the bare minimum to get out of the appointment. Overall I found him a complete fraud for claiming to be a specialist in endocrinology, when he wouldn't even discuss the topic of the hypothyroidism beyond a net-book sized diagram by one of the drug companies. I cannot tell from my interaction with him if he is biased against… people that are obese or if he is getting paid extra from the drug companies for each additional patient he sends their way. I am sorry for my opinion being a bit harsh, but pushing invasive surgery or drastic pills on a patient when they just started a new medication for thyroid issues is negligent and immoral. I exercise 5-6 days a week with over 300 minutes logged, which is what the national health offices advise. Hypothyroidism is known for creating weight gain and preventing weight loss by essentially destroying the metabolism. I've been on levithyroxine for 2 weeks now and have lost 5 lbs in the last week. What about this screams that surgery is needed? This doctor is not even remotely going to be helping people if he doesn't listen to their history and activity levels first. A suggestion would be to let the hormone therapy to actually work long enough before deciding it wasn't going to do a thing. The amount this doctor judged made me feel terribly insignificant and completely useless for a moment. I won't be returning and I am telling as many people as I can to avoid this doctor. I am a hard patient for most doctors as I ask questions and I look into the diagnosis, which makes it more difficult for a specialist should I need to see one; this also makes me less a target for malpractice as I educate myself as to the basics. I am by no means a doctor, but doctors are human and susceptible to error. I suggest others to do the same. If you do visit this doctor, don't sign up for any surgeries or lifetime weight control medications without looking into your original diagnosis and what the traditional treatment is for the ailment. If you feel you want such drastic measures, then by all means, this doctor will push you toward this and it should prove quite easy to get the procedure. Just be careful of potential malpractice and watch for ethical behavior.

Probably the worst experience we have had with a. doctor. He would not listen to the problem and accused my husband of taking drugs. I told him that my husband probably has a tumor on his pituitary gland and needed a MRI to confirm. He finally consented and my hunch was correct. He still denied the problem. Finally he prescribed the needed medication but sent it to the wrong pharmacy. We had to search all over town for it.

I had gone in after being referred for a symptom that I've dealt with for a few years but has gotten out of hand. Quickly the appointment went from trying to find answers to trying to save face. I was told how there is nothing that can be done and that I have to just learn how to deal with the chronic pains, symptoms, etc... and it's just part of aging. However I just hit my third decade and this has been going on for a very long time. Even with my history of getting handed from specialist to specialist, I've never had such HORRIBLE treatment myself by a doctor. He continued on how I look fine, insinuating that it's in my head, that I'm most likely depressed, that he is not a magician nor are other doctors, etc. AND all I wanted was to find a way to stop sweating aggressively.

This physician has multiple, significant patient relations complaints as well as difficulty maintaining proper colleague relations. He seems to have underlying emotional barriers that prevent him forming any relationship with anyone, especially his patients. Very cold, dark personality.