In my 30 odd years as a health practitioner, I’ve come to search intently for the clues, cues and necessary facts to conceptually lay out best options and directions for my patient. This enables me to draw on signposts from my educational and experiential past. Occasionally, and owing to ‘biological individuality’, I will encounter a person with atypical symptoms or even a constellation of issues they find hard to put into words. This is a problem, with the gravity to stop us in our tracks before we even start.
WORDS
Your words therefore, are of the utmost value to a doctor as a tool to help develop a diagnostic hypothesis and treatment protocol. When a patient uses terms and phrases like “I feel funny, wrong, sickly, buzzy, squiggly, ants crawling around in my head, alien in my gut, or eyes that are flashy”, it necessitates a response from me of “How exactly?”, Where precisely?” and “When did this begin?”. Following with nebulosities like “You know, it’s odd inside…it started awhile back, can’t remember, but it‘s really bad”, isn’t of any concrete use either. Because no – I do not know, nor do I want to guess. I want the communication to be as clear as possible.
By insisting on vague descriptions, you are telling me your brain is incapable of monitoring your physical status? Probably this is not really the case, so out of my mouth come a list of descriptive words and time frames choose any that fit. Nor do I grasp “awhile back”. In your mind that may be a month, or as far back as 10 years. So please help your doctor, to help you. Find words to describe the sensation that have specific meanings — burns, tingles, numb, tearing, cramping, swollen, discoloured, weak, buckles, stabbing, throbs, itchy, etc. And where exactly, “in my right elbow on the inside under my shoulder blade with tearing, immobilizing pain on the left and radiates down that side of my back all the way to my waist”, “in my stomach (which incidentally is at and above the waist, not below in your lower abdomen – very different stuff in there), and this started approximately 2 years ago when I fell off my skateboard and dislocated my shoulder” and so on.
Words, Concepts, and Perspectives
CONCEPTS & PERSPECTIVES
Preconceived notions and general concepts about medicine can further displease a patient in their attempt to achieve satisfying results. Since a doctor has to stay within the confines of their realm of licensed expertise (scope of practice), it is rather important a patient understand methodology of treatment from the doctor’s perspective.
This is just as important a factor as the doctor’s ability to comprehend the issues they are attempting to grapple with, as well as establishing rapport and partnership with the patient. In other words; understand my needs to be able to address yours.
I mentioned above the idea of ‘biological individuality’. This is one area in which alternative forms of medicine excels over programs such as managed care, wherein a patient must fall into a category for acceptable treatment procedures and not outside the lines of dictated care. Medicine for the masses.
Many of you end up with doctors such as myself specifically because you didn’t fall within those parameters. But be careful not to assume by this, that alternative medicine is the adversary of mainstream medicine. It is not, and please don’t preconceive that I for one, am anti-conventional medicine. Each discipline has its’ value and benefit. It is finding that delicate balance between these, or the combination of them, to provide the greatest benefit for the given and frequently morphing situation.
For the optimal doctor-patient relationship and the greatest chance for desired results, the patient needs to understand that only they can take responsibility for themselves and their physical condition. Being in touch with your body, and being able to present words to describe conditions and changes as accurately as possible, both good and bad no matter how subtle, are key to progress. And remember, change is a process, especially in regard to natural measures. A process that is oftentimes expensive, in time, in effort and in dollars. Quick fixes are extremely rare. So this is your part. For my part, understand I am neither your shrink nor your guru. Please don’t try to put me in that position. I am your educated and experienced assistant for optimal health and well being. Similarly, I am not ‘in charge’ of you. You are. The doctor is the mechanic and sometimes the re-programmer. But only you can restart the engine by repeated effort and move the body from here to there. My goal and highest, most driving desire, is to help you be the best you can be in order to enjoy and extend a happy and fulfilling life.