When you visit the doctor\u2019s office have you ever felt\nintimidated or unprepared? Perhaps you\u2019re embarrassed to disclose certain\nsymptoms or simply have trouble communicating what exactly the problem is. Here\nare 8 things doctors secretly want you to know so that you can maximize the\ntime spent with your physician and ensure you get the best care possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.  \u201cBe honest. If you have been prescribed medication and\nare not taking it regularly or at all, tell me\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

• There are many\nreasons patients do not take their prescriptions, it could be that they decided\nupon another method of treatment, or only take their medication intermittently.\nWhatever the reason, providing complete and detailed information about your\nmedication usage is vital to receiving accurate care.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

  2.  \u201cIf you are taking herbal supplements or\nover-the-counter drugs, or using alternative therapies, let me know\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • It is important\nthat the use of any over-the-counter, alternative or herbal medications is\ndisclosed to your doctor so that he\/she can get an accurate idea of your health\npractices. This is particularly important in countries like Nigeria, where\npatients have easy access to a multitude of over-the-counter and herbal\nmedications.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    3.  \u201cYou need to lose weight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • According to a\nstudy published recently in the National Institute of Health database, in\nNigeria the prevalence of overweight individuals ranges from 20.3%-35.1% while\nobesity ranges from 8.1%-22.2%. Obesity is a problem because it is a\nprecondition for about 35 different health issues, such as heart disease,\ncancer, depression and many more.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      4.  \u201cTell me what you\u2019re worried about right away, not when\nyou\u2019re leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      • It is important to\nmake the doctor aware of the issues that bother you the most so that such\nissues are given the most attention. It is also advisable to ask your doctor\nhow he prefers to work.  A recent nationwide survey of Canadian doctors\nshowed that doctors are divided between those who prefer to hear a list of\nsymptoms and those who prefer to approach one problem at a time.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        5.  \u201cYou don\u2019t need a prescriptionat every\nvisit\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        • Whether it is\ncaused by past history, media, or friends; there is a tendency for patients to\nexpect prescription medication after a doctor\u2019s visit, otherwise they feel under-treated.\nA good physician knows that not all treatment methods require medication.\nPatients must trust their physicians to do what is best for them.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          6.  \u201cTreatment is individualistic. If a method of treatment\nworked for a family member or friend it doesn\u2019t mean it will work for you\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          • It is important to\nremember that people are different. Therefore, a one-size-fits all treatment is\nsimply not ideal. As mentioned above, trust you doctor to provide you with a\ntreatment regimen that works for you.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            7.  \u201cThink carefully about your symptoms before coming to\nthe doctor\u2019s office\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            • Be as direct,\nconcise, accurate and as prepared as you can. A full description of your\nsymptoms allows doctors to determine the best place to start. Questions\npatients can ask themselves are:<\/li>
            • When did the pain\nstart?<\/li>
            • Is it getting\nbetter?<\/li>
            • Where is it\nlocated?<\/li>
            • What makes it\nworse?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              8.  \u201cPlease wash your hands before coming to see me\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              • Washing hands is\none of the first and most important steps in preventing the spread of disease\ncausing bacteria. Washed hands and basic hygiene in general are basic\nrequirements when going to see your doctor. However, this goes both ways so\nremember to ask your doctor if he has washed his hands before he touches you.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Adapted from best health magazine -10 things doctors\nsecretly wish they could tell you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                When you visit the doctor\u2019s office have you ever felt intimidated or unprepared? Perhaps you\u2019re embarrassed to disclose certain symptoms or simply have trouble communicating what exactly the problem is. Here are 8 things doctors secretly want you to know so that you can maximize the time spent with your physician and ensure you get…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[61],"tags":[520,518,525,517,519,527,522,516,523,526,521],"yst_prominent_words":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/stnicholascdn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23065942\/what-doctors-wish-to-hear-from-their-patients.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4275"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.saintnicholashospital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=4275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}