Dr. Chris's A, B, C's of Health

Here are a few secrets that nobody wants you to know: Secret # 1: Avoid taking a new drug which has been on the market for less than one year. If the drug is from a new class of drugs that has just been approved by the FDA, it takes at least one year and sometimes several years to discover its new side effects which could be life threatening. Secret # 2: Avoid going to a teaching hospital in the United States at the end of June and in July. Those are the first weeks of the new interns and residents. They are just learning surgery (it can be their first time using a scalpel…) or medicine and there are much more medical mistake being done than at the end of the teaching year in April, May or beginning of June. Secret # 3: You cannot blindly trust a physician 100%. Some physicians are only in this for the money and not for your best interest. A lot of physicians will rush patients in order to process as many claims as possible. Some surgeons will recommend surgery even if surgery is not needed. Some physicians who just acquired a new piece of equipment like an ultrasound machine will recommend that you have an ultrasound study even if you don’t need it. This way they will get more money from you or your insurance. Secret # 4: It is very likely that a general surgeon will know very little about cardiology (heart problems), a cardiologist will know very little about ophthalmology (eye problems), an ophthalmologist will know very little about dermatology (skin problems). Each physician specialist is usually very knowledgeable in his or her own field of expertise but usually knows very little about other medical fields. Secret # 5: Even the best physician can make the wrong diagnosis or choose the wrong medication. You need to do your own research on your problem. You might need to consult several specialists to get different opinions. For this, you need to keep copies of your blood results, X-Rays, CT scans, MRI results, etc… which can easily be lost in a large office or hospital. Ultimately, you are your own best primary care physician. Secret # 6: Medicine changes constantly as we speak and as I write this book. One year, physicians tell you that hormone replacement therapy is good for women starting their menopause. The following year, they tell you it is bad and has too many side effects. Every year and sometimes every month, there are new trends and new discoveries based on ongoing research. Make sure you and your physician keep up to date with what is new.