What to consider when
choosing your Health Care Practitioner/Coach/Adviser
The number one rule for selecting your health care practitioner is
their qualifications. Where did he/she go to school? Is it an
accredited school, and does the school have a good reputation? Does the
Doctor keep his/her treatment information current? Is the doctor
attending regular continuing education to keep his understanding/skills sharp
and up-to-date? Ask your friends who they go to and what their experience has
been? Would they recommend them and why?
If the doctor has received their training from an accredited
school, then you'll want to ask the following questions:
1.
How long has the practitioner been in practice?
2.
What type of care does he/she give?
3.
What sort of successes AND failures do they have with my specific
condition?
4.
Do they listen to my concerns, or do they run on automatic?
5.
What type of atmosphere do they have in the office?
6.
How is their staff?
7.
How does the Doctor treat their staff?
8.
Is the office clean?
9.
When in their office, can I relax?
10. Does he/she treat
children, and do they seem comfortable?
What To Ask When Your Physician
Prescribes Medication
You'll want to Bring These Questions When You Go
To The Doctor:
1.
I understand you feel I need the medication, what will it do for
me?
2.
Will this medication correct the problem or simply mask the
symptoms?
3.
What is the mechanism of how the medication works?
4.
What are the side effects of this particular medication?
5.
Can I simply stop the medication if it begins to make me feel bad?
6.
Is there another way to fix/treat my problem that doesn't involve
taking medication?
7.
How long will I have to be on the medication?
8.
What will the follow-up treatment be to balance the side effects
of the medication?
9.
What happens if the medication doesn't work?
10. What are the things I
need to be aware of when taking this medication?
What To Consider When You Take A Medication
These are important to be mindful of:
1.
Any side effects the doctor mentions
2.
Any other medications you are currently taking, and are there any
harmful interactions?
3.
Will taking the medication affect my abilities to concentrate,
drive, eat, do my job or impact my relationships?
4.
Do I need to eat food when taking my medication, and how much is
necessary?
5.
What happens if I miss a dose or forget to take a dose?
6.
How easy is it to come off of the medication?
7.
How long will I be on the medication?
8.
Is this the most effective medication for my condition?
9.
Will I gain weight from taking the medication?
10. Get the official
information on the medication and read about it. Check the website for
the medication.
What To Ask If You Need To Have Surgery
You'll want to bring these questions with you
for the consultation:
1.
Who will be doing the actual surgery? You or an
assistant/other doctor?
2.
How many procedures have you (or the person doing the surgery)done
personally?
3.
What is your/their success ratio, based on 100 % recovery?
4.
What is your/their failure rate, requiring a second surgery or
other form of therapy?
5.
What would be my worst-case scenario for my recovery?
6.
How much Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy will I require to
recover after surgery?
7.
Do you have any success cases I can speak with before I have
surgery?
8.
Do you have any failure cases I can speak with before I have
surgery?
9.
What if I don't have surgery?
10. Can I have surgery later
vs. now? Can I think about it?
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Doctor
You should consider these when making an
appointment:
1.
Make your appointments at the end of a treatment shift; morning or
evening.
2.
Discuss the fact that you'll need extra time to ask the doctor
specific questions and you want the time to do that known ahead of time /don't
want to be rushed.
3.
Write your questions down and have them ready for the doctor at
the visit (make them a copy too).
4.
Make sure he/she answers each question in a way for you to
understand (5 year old mentality) in plain English.
5.
Keep your own notes as to what you are doing from visit to visit
and what to expect by your next visit. What's next in your healing
process?
6.
Keep your scheduled appointments. You are going for your
health and to improve your health, not because your doctor says you need to
come back.
7.
Have your doctor explain to you your course of care step by step.
8.
Don't be afraid to fire your doctor if necessary and tell him/her
why you are firing them.
9.
Take an active role in your care. Do as you are told and do
it for yourself. Be Responsible!
10. Be excited to get well
and to learn more about yourself.
How To Keep Your Health Care Costs Down
Remember: This is for Your Benefit
1.
Establish a schedule of preventative maintenance for your health.
(habits)
2.
Always keep your appointment(s). (habits)
3.
Exercise daily for 30 - 45 minutes. (habits)
4.
Eat healthy foods daily. (habits)
5.
Drink water regularly. (habits)
6.
Breathe fully into your belly on a regular basis. (habits)
7.
Take time to relax on a daily basis. (habits)
8.
Go for vacations several times a year (6 weeks minimum is best).
(habits)
9.
Eliminate stress from your life as much as possible on a daily
basis. (habits)
10. Appreciate that
investing the time and money in your health is worth both, especially on a
regular basis. (habits)
Begin by adopting a new
habit pattern with as many of these as you can fit into your life right
now. Maybe it will be taking the time to consciously breathe, which will
also help you relax at the same time. However many you can take the time
to give to yourself, it is better to adopt any of these habits versus adopting
none. Doing the work for yourself will slowly begin to create the change
in your health and your life that you wish to see. By instituting these
habits, and taking an active role in your health care, you can be sure to get
more out of your health care, more out of your health and more out of your
life. And that makes it well worth the effort.
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