February 8, 2009

When Going to the Doctor

It is hard to find a good doctor, but good doctors are out there, you just have to find them. Before going to the doctor, keep one thing in mind, you are going to the doctor to get something specific. You have to have a reason to go there, it could be to make sure you didn’t catch anything in the past year or so, could be to find out why you have a headache, could be simply to get medical check up for your work. If you are going to make sure nothing is wrong, then the doctor will have to answer exactly that question. If you are going to find out why your head hurts, well, doctor should try to find an answer to that question. If you are simply getting paper work done, then that’s all you need. I personally don’t have insurance right now, so I only go to the doctor when I have to get my medical forms. I chose the doctor who is doing exactly what I need. I was vaccinated against tuberculosis, so I now my PPD results are always positive. I know I don’t have tuberculosis, so I don’t care much about getting x-ray done like it is required. Why would I want to get an x-ray and expose myself to radiation when I already know what the results will show? My doctor doesn’t care about his patients well being, he only cares about money, as soon as I pay for my appointment he forgets that he has to check PPD and just marks it as negative. It takes him a total of 10 seconds to take my blood pressure and then he writes down that my blood pressure is 120/80 even though my blood pressure is rarely going over 100/70. Strangely enough, this is exactly what I need, someone who will charge very little and will put down that I’m perfectly healthy.

When you actually have a problem or want to make sure that you don’t have one, however, you need to be more careful with choosing the doctor. First the doctor has to find out what, if anything is wrong with you, this requires assessments and tests. If you came to your doctor and said you have a sore throat, your doctor gives you a prescription for antibiotic and sends you on your marry way, it’s a bad kind of doctor. He should’ve first checked what organisms are in your throat causing this pain. Antibiotics can kill only bacteria, but you might have fungal or viral infection. Doctor has to do all the tests to know that you have this specific disorder and not the other.

Tests can be harmless and cause no damage to the body whatsoever, but many tests are not as harmless. With many of them you end up being exposed to radiation or have your skin punctured which can expose you to potential infections. Before you get tested for anything, ask your doctor why you need it and what is he looking to get in by making you take these tests. Some doctors have an agreement with medical facilities that do these tests and these doctors get money for referring patients to these companies. I know a woman who’s husband went to the doctor and doctor told him that he needs to have his heart checked out, that his heart is so bad that he might die any minute. Obviously he went to get tested and tests showed no abnormalities in his heart. A few days later, his wife ran into a friend of hers who is also going to this same doctor. This friend told her how she was referred for the same test because doctor said that her heart is so bad she might drop dead, tests showed she was perfectly healthy. Who knows how much money this doctor made on scaring his patients into getting their hearts tested.

Diagnosis is the next thing you have to look at. If your doctor gives you a diagnosis of a chronic condition, get a second opinion. Doctors are people and people make mistakes. This guy who got his heart tested for no good reason has a son, a few years ago his son got sick. Poor guy looked like he had cold, except nothing would help his cold, he couldn’t breathe, his throat was so closed up. The doctor tried treating him with many different medications but nothing helped, after a month of these treatments, doctor said that this boy has asthma and prescribed him medications for asthma. The mother knew more then enough about these medications because her mother had asthma, so she refused to give her son this poison. They changed doctors and sure enough the new doctor found what was wrong with the boy, he was allergic to the cat that they got couple of weeks before the boy got sick.

When you are going for the second opinion, try not to tell the second doctor what you were diagnosed with the first time, people attach labels, and once the doctor hears you might have this disease, he might see every little thing as an indication that you really do have it. Other doctors might want to get you to go to them by saying that the first doctor is an idiot and you have a totally different thing. They will diagnose you with something different just so you will go to them.

Last but not least, treatment plan: You have to look at how doctor wants to treat you. Remember one thing, treatment is not only pills, it’s physical therapy, massage therapy, positioning, breathing, and much more. If you have a respiratory condition for example, doctor should tell you to do deep breathing exercise, not just medications.

Traditional medicine is important, it is a great way to find out what exactly is wrong with your body, sometimes it’s good to treat diseases. Use modern medicine to the maximum potential. The most important thing you have to remember when going to the doctor is that you have rights; right for information and right to refuse are very important. Exercise your rights and ask your doctor questions. Refuse everything you don’t need.

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