Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
There are few things more time consuming and frustrating than looking for a good doctor. There are, however, some helpful guidelines that you can use to help you narrow down the field and approach your first appointment with confidence. These guidelines can also help you to determine whether it’s time to find a doctor who is more in line with your values.
The first thing to assess, is whether they view you from a wholistic viewpoint or not. That means, that they see you as more than just an issue or diagnosis, but that they can view your health concerns from the perspective that you are a complete person – spirit, soul, and body. Emotions and environment play important roles in the source and intensity of disease. Hopefully, your doctor can support you in approaching your health from many different angles - whether they utilize these specific approaches or not.
Next, your doctor should respect you and not try to play the power card. Just because you may not have had the education they do, does not mean that your intuition, concerns, and ideas have no merit. Your doctor is there to support you and inform you on your medical decisions. Your doctor may not have heard about some of the things you bring up to them, but if you can partner with them to find solutions that support your body’s natural ability to heal, then all the better!
Your doctor should also be willing to engage in discussion and not shut down your questions or concerns. This is especially important when it comes to treatments and screenings. Many screening recommendations are based off poor data and funded by industry. Just because it’s recommended does not mean that it is necessary. Not all treatments support your body’s immune system either, and many can damage it extensively. Just because your doctor recommends it, does not mean that you should not research it for yourself. This research should be accepted by your doctor and discussed with you. In addition, doctors get very little training in nutrition, and nutrition should, and can be, your first line of defense!
Surprisingly, many functional, chiropractic, and natural health doctors are just as bad as medical doctors in prescribing supplements, drugs, and procedures you DO NOT NEED. Your body was designed to extract nutrients from whole foods and just because your body “needs” a particular vitamin or mineral does not mean that taking a supplement is the best way to go. Often these can cause more harm than good and are not utilized well by the body. Not to mention, they make your pee very expensive! Pharmaceuticals also come with many dangerous side effects. Take considerations and then research yourself!
Furthermore, your doctor should only perform tests when they are needed. Many doctors continue to prescribe useless tests and screenings that don’t give you an accurate picture of your health and can also instigate a lot of fear. It’s hard to get people to stop doing things that they think are preventing disease. The majority of these screenings can initiate unfounded fear, do not increase lifespan or quality of life, and can instigate the very disease they claim to prevent. Stay out of the medical mill and check these tests and screenings out for yourself.
Lastly, your doctor should be able to provide you with evidence for any drug, treatment, or procedure they recommend. "Because I said so", is not a good reason. Many doctors follow recommendations and directives from the powers that be and haven't read the research themselves. A 2011 survey by Wolters Kluwer Health showed that 46% of doctors used Google or Yahoo as a source to diagnose and treat patients. (1) If they are strongly recommending or pushing for something, they should be able to show you the studies they are basing their opinion off of, if you have questions. They should also provide informed consent, which includes alternative available treatments and the pros and cons of any procedure.
Included in "Printable Resources" section of your membership is a PDF printable with questions you can ask your doctor, which can help to guide you in your decision making. Their answers to these questions don’t necessarily disqualify them, but they can help you to have a better idea of your doctor’s convictions, background, and influences.
You can be a partner with your doctor in keeping you healthy and hopefully out of their office!
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