Scott Rigden’s Own Story

Dr. Scott Rigden, M.D. is board certified in Family Practice and Bariatrics. He has been in the private practice of medicine since 1976 and at his present location in the Phoenix, Arizona area since 1984.

Obesity Dr. Rigden has a special empathy for the obese patient that probably begins with his youth and teen years. He was obese and had to endure the nickname of “porkchops” as he struggled to develop self-esteem. In high school he weighed 65 pounds more that he does now. In addition, he grew up with an extended family that included two parents struggling with their weight, three grandparents struggling with weight issues, and one morbidly obese grandfather!

In medical school and residency he noticed the plight of the post- operative intestinal bypass surgical patients and researched and published the first scientific paper on the long-term follow-up of these individuals, documenting their post-op problems.

As a new family practice physician in rural Illinois in the 1970′s, he treated thousands of patients, many of them overweight. He made a professional commitment to reach out to the obese patient and began intensive studies in nutrition and weight management. This led to fulfilling the criteria to become a board- certified physician in the specialty of bariatrics (the management of obesity and related problems). He has worked with obese patients since 1976.

Since then, he has authored a number of articles on obesity and lectured extensively both to lay and professional audiences. He regularly teaches continuing medical education courses to his peers. His book, Take It Off-the Weight Workbook, has sold several thousand copies. He has been featured locally on the Pat McMahon and Michael Dixon radio shows as well as on ABC and FOX TV news shows.

Dr. Rigden has been quoted in Prevention magazine and USA Today. He has been recognized by his peers with positions on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and is a recipient of the distinction of being named a Fellow of the ASBP, an honor only given fifteen times in the long history of the organization. His most recent research interest has been a metabolic cause of obesity called Syndrome X, also called Metabolic Syndrome.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia

Urged on by numerous desperate patients in the 1980′s, Dr. Rigden has been extensively involved with the diagnosis and treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia for many years. He has lectured, published and researched these problems extensively and was named the HealthComm Researcher of the Year in 1993 for his pioneering work on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Enterohepatic Detoxification.

Often asked to teach physicians about CFS/Fibromyalgia at continuing education programs, he has served on the clinical faculty of three medical schools. Dr. Rigden has been one of the pioneers in the Functional Medicine movement and is recognized nationally for his contributions to this field and the application of nutritional therapies to chronic illness.

Functional Medicine

Dr. Rigden Receives Honor

At the International Annual Functional Medicine Meeting in Tucson, Arizona in May 2003, Dr. Scott Rigden received the Institute of Functional Medicine Outstanding Contribution Award. Dr. Jeffrey Bland, Chairman of the Board of the IFM, stated that “…the Institute, on behalf of the many colleagues and patients who have benefited from Dr. Rigden’s expertise, recognizes and appreciates the unstinting and consistent leadership exemplified in his twenty years of clinical and education contributions to the development of Functional Medicine.”