by A. C. O'Brien

Created on: July 13, 2009   Last Updated: January 09, 2010

Honesty is the best policy, especially with your Doctor

Be there on time for your appointment. Once there, in order to make the most of your visit, your doctor has to be made aware of everything that is relevant about your health. If the doctor does not have all of the necessary information, she can not be expected to treat you and get the desired results. Lets face it, she can not help you to maximize your health if you are not one hundred percent honest about what is going on in your life.

About a year ago Consumer Reports published a survey that exposed doctors pet peeves. In it doctors expressed their greatest frustration with patients who fail to take the medicine that the doctor prescribed them. If a patient does not cooperate with his care by following the recommendations regarding a patients medicine, the doctor will believe that the medicine is not working for this patient . She will switch him to another medicine or look for another cause for the symptoms that the patient is complaining about. If there is a problem with the medicine, a side effect that the patient does not tolerate, he or she must report this to the doctor and get help either by changing the medicine or otherwise remedying the situation. If a patient does not know what BID, a.c. or h.s. means they need to speak up. Doctors will often use their own medical short hand and expect patients to know what they are talking about. If you do not understand, speak up. Doctors are human too, they forget. They need to be reminded to speak, "patientese," not "doctorese," when speaking to their patients.

Patients frequently come to the doctor with ailments that are often the result of doing things that the patient may not exactly be proud of. We all have our faults and most of us are reluctant to admit to them, especially to our doctors. Some patients may be using, "recreational drugs," or taking part in unsafe sex or pigging out on too many sweetened or fried foods far too often. The low nutritional quality and high salt content of calorie dense junk foods may be reeking havoc with their weight, blood sugar and blood pressure but unless they admit to their dietary shortcomings, the doctor may suspect but will never know for sure what is going on. They may not exercise except to get up to put the used microwave tray into the trash after microwaving and eating its contents. They may be under considerable stress due to a job loss or job problems or financial difficulties. They may be embarrassed to talk to their doctor about sexual behaviors or problems regarding their sex lives. Drinking, smoking, poor lifestyle choices, these are all are factors that come into play when your doctor is trying to see the whole picture. In the interest of your own health, you would be wise to be completely open and honest with your physician at all times, so 'fess up and share your short comings. Share it all, the good the bad and the ugly.

Your doctor should respect you and you should trust him with your honesty and frank openness. If this trust is not possible then you are putting your health at risk by not honest about all your foibles. Perhaps you need to check around and find a doctor with whom you can be honest and make a switch.

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