August 29th, 2008 by Jason
Besides teaching you how to eat better, exercise and reduce your risk of death, I am also going to help you by asking you to listen to someone else. Not instead of me hopefully, but with me. By the headline of this article, you’ve no doubt reasoned that the “someone else” I’m referring to is your doctor.
Don’t have a doctor? You’ll want to find one now, but be careful. I strongly recommend that you do some research beforehand, rather than picking out the first one you see in the phone book or the closest one to your house. The right doctor is worth his or her weight in gold - the wrong one, well, I’ll let your imagination fill in the rest. You’ll want to find a doctor that is competent and one that you both like and trust.
I suggest that you find a doctor based upon a recommendation from someone you respect. This isn’t a full-proof plan, but it works very well for me most of the time, and in all aspects of my life, not just health. Recommendations are great - you’ve leveraged people you trust to save yourself valuable time and energy.
So what do you do when you get to the doctor? Well, first of all make sure that you go once per year for your annual physical. Men’s and women’s physicals are obviously different, but hopefully your doctor will have that figured out in advance! There is something very wrong if they can’t. The point is to go to the doctor regularly and to go informed and prepared.
Additionally, recognize that you are your doctor’s customer, so you’re the one calling the shots. Too often I hear people say that their doctor is telling them to do this or that without the patient’s input. YOU are in charge, but with that power comes responsibility. Don’t make decisions about your health if you’re not informed, and if you’re going against your doctor’s advice, you’d better be very sure of your position.
Your doctor is a professional, and an expert in the health care field. Having said that, your doctor is also human and just like you and me, he or she can make a mistake. That’s why you need to be as informed as possible, and if necessary don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion. And of course, ask lots of questions (write them down in advance). Perhaps most importantly, be completely honest AND forthcoming with your doctor. He or she can only help you as much as you allow.
In Part II, I’ll talk about which tests you will want to consider having performed and why. Additionally, I’ll introduce a concept called BMI, or Body Mass Index to those of you who may not be familiar with the term. See you soon!
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