Many health professionals are overwhelmed with patients, diagnosing and treating conditions, and tending to everyone who needs help. So often we rely on doctors and other health practitioners to be and do everything in regards to our conditions and personal health situations. In order to achieve true optimal health, personal responsibility is critical for your health.
Personal responsibility means taking action instead of waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Being proactive is more effective than being reactive in any situation. Especially concerning women’s health conditions, as so many of them are hard to diagnose or discover the root issue, we must be vigilant of our own health. This includes scheduling doctor’s visits, requesting specific blood work be performed, journaling symptoms, including severity of pain and duration, and seeking solutions. The “seeking solutions” part of personal responsibility is the action most women find difficult to take outside of their primary physician’s advice. Our doctors, as wonderful as they can be, are not responsible for our health as much as we are; we must seek solutions for our conditions on our own, exploring the many different options for treatment, even if they are outside of the conventional prescription for our condition.
In Women’s Health July 2010, the article, “Survive Your Doctor,” by Kristen Dold described the importance of being your own health advocate. This story rings true for so many women who struggle with undiagnosed symptoms relating to PCOS.
“So a woman walks into a doctor’s office. She’s 25, and her cramps are out of control; her period is irregular at best. What’s more, she’s packed on over 50 pounds in 18 months. Her general practitioner suspects and tests her thyroid. Normal. She’s shuffled to a gynecologist, who orders a raft of blood work. Normal again. She’s prescribed birth-control pills to regulate her cycle. Back home, she takes to the Web, searching for answers. And at a follow-up visit with her gyno, she timidly offers a diagnosis of her own: polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that plagues some 5 million young women. “Doubtful,” says her doc. “You don’t fit the profile.” Though the classic PCOS patient is overweight, sufferers also have unnaturally high testosterone levels, something that’s missing here…two years later, after constant pain and countless more appointments, procedures, and tests [she] is finally correctly diagnosed by a reproductive endocrinologist with PCOS…”
The woman in the story, as frustrated as she must have been, took action in regards to her condition. She did what was necessary to find an answer and would not disregard her symptoms as minor or “normal.”
In order to be your own health advocate (whether you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS or not), you need to do a few things:
1. Be in tune with your body. Make sure you are always present and aware of how you are feeling. Journal any major pain or symptoms that concern you; you likely won’t remember to mention them to your doc at a later time. Notice how certain foods make you feel and anything that seems abnormal. You should know your body like the back of your hand, in the sense that if your lower abdomen is suddenly and consistently swollen, take note. Many women have discovered serious conditions this way, and often times caught them early enough to properly treat them.
2. Do some research. If you have chronic pain in any one area, start doing some research. It’s not your doctor’s responsibility to do extensive research on your symptoms. They only have a certain amount of time with you, so if you do go see your doc, you should know more about what’s paining you.
3. Find the right practitioner. When I used to deal with chronic neck pain, I sought treatment from an acupuncturist. When I thought I had hypothyroidism (which turned out to be PCOS), I requested blood work from an endocrinologist. Of course, my MD thought I was in good shape since my blood work came back normal, but I insisted (personal responsibility) on seeing the endo. After paying attention to your body and pinpointing the source of the pain (if you can), be sure to see the right practitioner for your needs. Sometimes an MD is not the best person to see, but you may need to ask your primary doctor to recommend a specialist.
4. Discover your best solution path. The buck does not stop at seeing the doctor or holistic practitioner and taking their advice as final answer. YOU are in charge of your health, your body and your life. No one but you suffers if there is better, more effective information and solutions available than what your practitioner recommends. Once receiving a diagnosis or an answer that fits your symptoms, start researching all of the different options to treat your condition.
When being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, the conventional treatment is birth control pills and so many other medications. If you wish to take synthetic medications for the remainder of your life, so be it. However, if you wish to explore the alternative and effective options to combat PCOS, you must take matters into your own hands.
Being your own health advocate is not only important to achieve optimal health, it can dramatically change your life. Take action and seek your own solutions for your health condition. You’ll thank your lucky stars when you find the right answer.
For more information on naturally combatting Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, go to www.FreedomFromPCOS.com. You’ll get the first 3 chapters to Freedom from PCOS absolutely free!
Notes
Dold, Kristen. “Survive Your Doctor.” 132 – 137. Women’s Health. July/August 2010. Womenshealthmag.com
Leave A Reply (1 comment So Far)
Eileen Tidwell
571 days ago
I have become my own health advocate. In 2008 a blocked renal artery required a stent. In addition, in spite of 3 blood pressure medications in combination, my blood pressure was between 140/70-220/80. Also my cardiologist found that I had a leaking mitral valve, rated moderate leakage. Tests found that my carotid arteries had plaque buildup.
I researched what I could do to help remedy these conditions, and I found quite a lot of information on EDTA chelation. To be sure that it was not quakery, I checked NIH web site, and found that studies were being done on it there. Reassured, I ordered the oral EDTA, 500-mg capsules and began them in September of 2009.
By january 2010 my bloodwork was according to my doctor, remarkably good, almost unheard-of good were his words.
In the spring of 2010 my cardiologist ran tests and told me that for some reason my heart valve was no longer leaking.
About the same time my blood pressure began dropping.
In September 2010 dopplar exam of my carotid arteries showed them to be ‘Normal’.
In the interim my blood pressure has continued to drop until now I have gone from three prescriptions of blood pressure medication to one.
In short, I did on my own, what my family doctor and my cardiologist could not do for me. I am 73 years old and in better cardio-vascular health than I have been in many years.