Believing that Your Doctor Supports You on Your Health Journey Increases Your Chances of Success
Whenever we make positive but difficult changes to better our health, it is vital that we have the right support systems in place.
Starting a new exercise regimen with a friend or family member can boost your chances of sticking with it in the future. Even simply making your exercise plan and health goals known to a friend or family member can strengthen your commitment.
In terms of eliminating unhealthy (and much-loved) foods from your diet, your family and friends can also be your biggest cheerleaders. Helping them to understand the reasons why you are doing so is vital in getting their unwavering support and in giving them the insight needed to give you a well-informed pep talk when you need one most.
Family and friends make up the largest part of the average support network. But what about your personal physician?
We all know that doctors can have a big (or not so big) impact on our health depending on a number of different factors: their accessibility and level of knowledge, their commitment to your health, their approach to healthcare (disease prevention versus disease maintenance), to name just a few.
But what about how happy we are with their level of support? Could this also play a role in how successful we are in reaching our health goals?
A recent study published in Patient Education and Counselling has shown this to be the case. In it, 347 male and female patients took part in a 2 year weight loss trial, during which they rated their level of satisfaction with their physician’s involvement in the trial. At the end of the study, the researchers recorded their individual weight losses.
They discovered that regardless of the quality of the patient – provider relationship, those patients who rated their doctors as very helpful during the trial lost approximately twice as many pounds as those who gave their physicians the lowest ratings in helpfulness.
These findings suggest that partnering up with a supportive physician could be a great strategy to achieving and sustaining your health goals. But how to find one if you haven’t found him or her yet?
There are some important things to consider when trying to find a great family doctor:
- Does the physician focus more on disease prevention and treatment through diet and exercise or disease treatment via pharmaceuticals in his or her practice?
- Does he / she heavily prescribe pharmaceuticals as treatments or are medications considered a “last resort”?
- Is the physician up to date on current research surrounding the role that gut imbalance and silent infections play in disease development?
- Would he or she be open to supporting you in trying new therapies and health interventions when you are able to present clear, evidence based research that supports them?
Consumerreports.org also has a number of other helpful things to consider when choosing a family doctor >> Click Here For More Information.
Finding a doctor who is ready, willing and able to support you on your health journey is not an easy task- especially if you live in one of the many countries around the globe that are experiencing a shortage of family physicians. For many people in these locales, finding any family doctor is extremely difficult, let alone someone who lives up to the above checklist.
However, there is a lot to be said of “word of mouth” in this challenging task. The best thing to do if there is a shortage of physicians where you live is to talk to your family members, your friends, health coaches and coworkers and ask how satisfied they are under the care of their doctors. Perhaps, they can even help answer some of the above questions.
If someone’s family doctor sounds promising, ask for them to request that their doctor take you on as a patient, stressing that you are proactive about your health and are focused on preventing disease. If the doctor understands that you are motivated to get and stay healthy, they are more likely to want to work with you. Once you are in the door, you can follow up with any remaining questions that you have for them.
Sources:
“Physician support key to successful weight loss, study shows.” Science daily.com. August 21, 2015.
Clinically diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 28, Pam chose an alternative approach to recovery. Now decades later and still symptom free, she coaches others on how to treat the root cause of chronic disease, using a holistic approach. She can teach you how, too.
Pam is the author of Become a Wellness Champion and founder of Live Disease Free. She is a wellness expert, coach and speaker.
The Live Disease Free Academy has helped hundreds of Wellness Champions in over 15 countries take charge of their health and experience profound improvements in their life.
