Going to see your doctor these days can be like sitting an exam. You have to get all your information ready beforehand, and then when you are in the examination you have to try and remember everything that might be important. Effective communication is the key to getting the most out of your doctor – so how do you do that? Here are 5 top tips on how:
1)      Prepare. Before you even leave your home, list all the symptoms you can, whether or not you think they are relevant. If …

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I attend physician appointments with my patients every day.  I am always surprised at the lack of questions posed from the patient and/or family members.  When did we decide that the doctor knows best and we should simply take his or her advice without questioning the why, how come, and what is my alternative?  A story in Better Health suggested that there are typically five reasons patients fail to ask questions.
1.  Fear-In my practice I do feel that there is a fear of many of my patients that …

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This week I ran across a posting by a Dr. Luks, a physician I follow on Twitter.  The information was originally written by another physician blogger.  Dr. Rob who writes Musings of a Distractible Mind posted this and it ran in the NY Time Health issue.  I was compelled to include this information here as well.
Rule 1: They don’t want to be at your office.
It may seem odd to patients, but most doctors forget that going to the doctor is generally unnerving. We work there, and being in a …

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We are supposed to trust our doctors.  We go to them for advice and care, but sometimes we just don’t get that warm fuzzy feeling.
In our current healthcare situation, physicians often have less time face-to-face with their patients.  They are also burdened with additional paperwork and the staff to complete said paperwork.  Despite the pressures of our current healthcare patients should still seek out physicians with whom they can trust, relate, communicate with and participate in the decision making rather than demanding a particular treatment.
Commercials are filled …