Dr. Visits

Skilled physicians and modern medicine can do wonders for your health, but it’s also important to remember that you are the ultimate decision maker when it comes to caring for your body. While it’s often a good idea to heed your doctor’s advice, it’s also important to listen to yourself. In these situations, the best medicine may be your own intuition. Problem: Your doctor suggests a diagnosis or treatment and you don’t feel completely confident about it. Solution: Seek a second opinion. Sometimes someone who hasn’t been invested in your particular medical situation will have a different idea on how to deal with your situation. Additionally, sometimes medical tests come back as false positives, and you reserve the right to be completely sure that what you are being told is an accurate representation of what your medical situation is. Problem: Your doctor orders several screening tests “just to be sure.” Solution: While many tests can help pinpoint a medical malady, they can also lead to costly and unnecessary diagnostic testing. Ask what tests are specifically important for you to undergo and why. Problem: Your doctor prescribes a myriad of pills. Solution: If your physician hands you a stack of prescriptions, make sure you understand what each and every one does – and what the consequences could be of taking them together. You may have other ways to manage pain (like stretching or exercise), for instance, and find you don’t need to take painkillers every day.