In the following weeks I’ll be referring almost exclusively to a free booklet written by the National Institute on Aging working with the National Institutes of Health called: Talking With Your Doctor. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NIH Publication No. 05-3452 August 2005 (Reprinted April 2010)
https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps66054/TWYD_Final.pdf
They emphasize the importance of talking with your doctor as you get older. Why? “Partly because you may have more health conditions and treatments to discuss. It’s also because your health has a big impact on other parts of your life, and that needs to be talked about too.”
Many times we go to the doctor knowing something but we don’t tell her/him. We expect them to find out/discover what “ails us” and from the doctor’s perspective, they figure you will tell them so all they will do is perform a normal checkup. Your relationship with your doctor should truly be more like a partnership.
In addition to your primary care doctor, you should also develop a partnership with your pharmacist. While your doctor prescribes medication for you it is your pharmacist that can tell you not only the side effects but also if there could be an interaction with other medication you are taking.
Next: Choosing a Doctor
I serve the counties of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba, as well as cities like Auburn, Lincoln, Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, Placerville, and Woodland.
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