The medical practitioners in America should be commended for their exemplary skills in emergency and trauma care. If you are in an accident or a life threatening situation, there is no place in the world more equipped to save your life and treat your injury than an American medical facility.
Doctors really have a handle on medicine and technology when it comes to trauma care and pain due to injury. However, when it comes to prevention, nutrition and holistic health care, we are really missing the boat.
Does your Doctor Know You?
Too often I hear people express a lack of trust and confidence in their doctors. When I question them about their contempt, I realize the root of the problem. Most people don’t truly know their doctor – and on the flip side, their doctor doesn’t really know them either.
I recently read a study which found that the average American doctor gives each patient less than 20 seconds of his undivided attention during an office visit – 19 seconds of undivided attention; that’s barely enough time to tell someone your name and address!
Think about it – we shop all over town for the best deal on a car or a pair of shoes and most of us will interview multiple professionals and check all credentials and references when it comes to hiring child care or a contractor, but we often settle for a doctor simply because he/she is in the “approved network” of our insurance company.
Many people I talk to can’t tell me a thing about their doctor other than their name and the location of their office. I challenge you to interview your doctor as if your life depends on it (because it may). Learn where they went to school, when they graduated, how many credit hours of nutritional training they have. It would also be prudent to know their areas of expertise, their weaknesses and, most importantly, are they healthy? Would you want an overweight, unhealthy doctor who smokes giving you health advice?
What Makes a Great Doctor?
I think a GREAT doctor and a routine yearly physical are essential in maintaining good health, so do everything in your power to make this happen. Make money the last concern when choosing a doctor. A great doctor is worth paying for – after all, how much is your life worth? If your insurance provider won’t cover the doctor of your choosing, choose another insurance carrier.
When everyone wakes up and takes charge of their health and demands more from their doctor and insurance provider, then and only then will true health reform start to take place in this country.
Remember, you only get one life to live and one body to live it in – make the most of it every day and take care of yourself as if you are the most precious thing in the world.
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the East Coast Current.
