One of the biggest mistakes people make when they go to their doctor is not asking enough questions about the treatments their doctor recommends. You should not just blindly accept what your doctor tells you. You should question your doctors as to why SPECIFICALLY they think you should follow any course of treatment. If you are one of those people who are afraid to ask too many questions because your doctor may get frustrated with you, GET OVER IT NOW! This is not about your doctor it is about YOUR health. Take charge! You are paying A LOT of money to visit a doctor. Get your money’s worth.

But, how do you take charge when you do not even know what questions to ask? It is always tough to come up with questions at the time of your visit. I have taken care of this problem for you. I have devised a group of questions that you can use at most encounters with your doctor. These questions have been formulated to force your doctor to THINK at a deeper level about your condition and to help you identify the appropriateness of the treatment they suggest.

The only conditions you would not necessarily have to ask these questions would be when the cause and treatment of your ailment was clear and straight-forward. Examples would be the flu, strep throat, infections, or any trauma.

Other than the above, ask these Five Simple Questions at every single doctor visit.

1. What is the SPECIFIC cause of my ailment?
2. What caused that to be abnormal?
3. How does your suggested treatment address the true cause of my problem?
4. Are there any other options you can suggest to treat the true cause?
5. How long will I have to stay on this treatment?

Let me give you an example to help illustrate how a visit may play out. You go to the doctor with heartburn. After asking you very few questions your doctor prescribes a proton pump inhibitor like Nexium®. Instead of simply saying, “O.K., I’ll take that.”… I am challenging you to ask these five simple questions.

Question 1: Doctor what is the specific cause of my heartburn?
Answer: Your stomach is producing too much acid.

Question 2: What caused my stomach to produce too much acid? (This is one of the most important questions to ask because it forces your doctor to think about the true cause of your symptom and not just about the symptom itself.)
Answer: You might get: “I don’t know” but most times it will be “The cause was probably stress” or “You are eating the wrong foods.”

Question 3: How does your suggested treatment address the true cause of my problem? (If it was stress or improper diet, how does blocking stomach acid fix these problems? Or, if they don’t know what is causing your stomach to produce too much acid, are you really treating the true cause?)
Answer: The treatment would not treat the stress or improper diet, only the low acid.

Question 4: Are there any other options for treating the true cause of my symptoms. (If they cannot give you any solid recommendations you will have to start looking elsewhere.)
Answer: This answer would vary. (You are forcing them to think deeper about your problem and not letting them just get rid of you with a prescription.)

Question 5: How long will I have to stay on this treatment?
Answer: This answer will depend upon the condition.

The answers you get to these five questions will probably spur other questions that you will want to ask. What you are doing is training your doctor to know that you will make them think about your care beyond just trying to figure out what drug to give you. You will be able to find out in a non-threatening way whether your doctor is giving you the brush-off. If so, you know that you will have to pursue other avenues to find a viable treatment for your condition. Do not be afraid to ask any questions that may come to your mind.

I am amazed at how many of my patients do not want to aggravate their doctors with too many questions. GET OVER IT! This is about YOU not them! If your doctor begins to become agitated simply ask him/her this very easy question:

“Doctor, are my questions bothering you?”

This will remind them very fast that you are not there for them, but they are there for you! If they do not accommodate you, FIRE THEM!

You can read examples of other potential encounters you may have with your doctor along with much more detailed information about how you can take charge of your health by clicking on this link to read my new article: Why Medicine Dislikes Natural Supplements