By Dr. Michael Cerami
I would guess that more than 90% of my patients have spent
time looking into their symptoms trying to self-diagnose their problems on the
web before making an appointment with me. It’s only natural and mostly helpful
for patients to better understand what might be causing their problems. The web
is a vast resource of knowledge comprised of everything from articles, online
forums, research, opinions and more. I can guarantee that you’ll get a TON of information
on almost any topic you choose. Any there lies part of the problem; there are
so many opinions that it’s almost impossible to decide which one is right.
If you compare health care choices to financial choices it
might create some clarity.
· What’s the best treatment plan?
·
What’s the best financial strategy?
Is there really a “correct” answer? “Put your money under your mattress! Put your money in the stock market!”
The answer depends on more factors than I can list here such as: Your
experiences with money, your philosophy of investment, your aversion to risk,
etc, etc...
I think part of the issue is that when we start to research
a project (our health, how to build a shed or what’s wrong with our broken
dishwasher) we assume that we will, with enough clicking and digging, find the answer we are looking for. While
this is true for so many what we’ll call “End Point” projects (How to fix my
dishwasher), it won’t work for finding the exact right answer for your health
issue.
I’ve referenced Dr. Jerome Groopman’s book; “Your
Medical Mind.” many times in my articles and this quote says it all. “If
medicine were an exact science like mathematics, there would be one correct
answer for each problem. Your preference to treatment would be irrelevant to
what is “right”. But medicine is an inexact science.”
I would again highly suggest this book especially important
is Chapter 3 titled “But Is It Best for Me?” where a
patient gets lost in trying to decide whether and what type of prostate surgery
he should have. There are studies and research to support all the various
methods and what is recommended in the United States is different that what’s
recommended in Europe. There is no right answer. The patient gets so
overwhelmed with information it paralyzes his decision process. That’s how we
arrive with the feeling of being caught in the MC Escher painting above.
My recommendation on internet health research:
1.
Do your homework, but limit your overall time to
a predetermined amount (x hours).
2.
Get a better understand of how your body works
and its anatomy.
3.
Grade your pain accurately using the F.I.D method (more on this next month).
a.
Frequency
b.
Intensity
c.
Duration
4.
Research some of the most common options for
treating your problem. (Rest, taping, etc)
a.
Try these options before spending money on a
doctor’s visit.
b.
Be honest with yourself about your improvement
(or lack of) with your self-treatment.
5.
Go to your doctor’s visit informed.
a.
Ask for a visual interpretation from your doctor
if you need one.
b.
Ask questions: all physicians have a time limit
but they should not be dismissive of any questions you have about a recommended
treatment plan.
c.
Make sure your doctor will amend the treatment
plan if you heal faster or slower than expected.
6.
Be honest about your goals and the time needed
to repair.
a.
If you really want to run that Spring marathon,
you NEED to get treatment plan ASAP
Use the web resources to your advantage, not to confuse you.
Building a relationship (when the time is right) with your doctor though one on
one personal contact will create a lifetime resource for helping you out
through the maze of life. Good luck
Dr. Michael Cerami is a local Utah sports chiropractor and triathlete who has
been treating patients for over 25 years. He writes a weekly patient blog and
monthly athlete article for community education on a wide variety of topics
including treating sports injuries, nutrition, exercise, motivation and
wellness.