Welcome to The Own Your Health Podcast.
I'm Cyndi Lynne, and I can't wait to
help you step into your health power.
So last week, we talked about Whitecoat syndrome,
what it was and how it impacts blood
pressure and sometimes results in unnecessary medication.
Today we're going to talk about
Whitecoat syndrome and your memory.
So this is not about Alzheimer's or dementia testing.
This is about the average appointment where
you walk into your physician's office and
go through whatever processes they require, and
you're finally speaking with your physician.
And the first thing that happens as your physician
starts to talk and raises any concern about any
of your lab values or test results is as
soon as he says, I'm a little bit concerned
about, or I see that XYZ is elevated,
our memories kind of lock up.
When we start to hear news that worries us
we move into a very fight or
flight, a very survival type of mode.
And when we're in that mode, memory
is the last priority for our bodies.
So we very often will not remember everything
that said, during the course of the
appointment. We'll get the first questionable or
sad or worrisome few words
and then after that, our memories
just kind of shut down.
So if you want to own your health, the
most important thing you can do is to take
advantage of and remember the information that's presented to
you, because you're the one who needs to make
a decision on this information.
And in order to make a good decision in conjunction
with your healthcare provider, if that's the way you want
it, in order to make a good decision, you need
to be able to hear and remember and process.
So here are some strategies for that.
First of all, anytime you're going to go in
for a physician visit, be it a wellness check,
an annual physical, or follow up to testing, I
want you to have your purpose in mind.
So grab your notebooks and identify what do
you want to get out of this visit?
So even if it's an annual checkup,
where are your areas of concern?
Have you gained a little weight?
Have you lost weight that you didn't expect to?
Have you been concerned about your appetite?
Have you been having indigestion?
Have you been having different aches or pains?
What is going on in your body?
And what do you want to get out of this appointment?
Now, having this purpose and having it written
down in your notebook, along with the associated
questions does a couple of things.
One, it keeps you engaged, and it
gives you your mind a job
when you get there. You look at your questions, you're
like, okay, I need to find out this information.
So it keeps you engaged rather than
just a passive recipient of health care.
The second piece is that if you appear
and are genuinely engaged with your healthcare provider,
they're much more likely to provide additional information.
They're much more likely to go into explanations, and
they very often take their cue from the patient.
So if they say, do you have any questions?
And you have none, the appointment may well
be over or the physician will have decided
what the next steps are, and then you'll
just be kind of put through that process.
If you want to own your health, you want
to be engaged, you want to gather more information.
So think about the questions you want to
ask about whatever your concern is, because your
healthcare provider takes their cues from you.
So if they present a diagnosis or if
they present a treatment option, and your primary
question is, is it going to be painful?
Then they know that your focus is
on the discomfort related to any particular
thing, and that's what they'll address.
If, on the other hand, you ask about
options or what other treatments or what are
the outcomes, what can I expect?
Probing kind of questions, then they're going to respond
to those and they're going to say, okay, this
is a person that not only wants this information,
but they're in a mental place right now that
they can actually receive this information.
Now, occasionally we get really bad news or
really surprising news, and we're taken off guard.
And in those cases, it's helpful to have someone with
us who can also actively listen and actively take notes.
And I wouldn't have them do that for us.
I'd have them do that with us if we're the patient.
But regardless, having the ability to write notes
makes a big difference, because in the process
of writing, things stick in your brain better.
And if that serves no other purpose than
to allow you to ask better questions, it's
well worth the time and the paper.
And of course, you aren't going to write
everything verbatim, as your healthcare provider says it,
but you're going to catch the highlights.
This is the typical course of action.
This is what happens next.
This is the next test that needs to be done.
And you can ask, why.
What does this test do?
What does it entail?
How soon does it have to be performed?
What other options are there?
And that last question gets us
to the most important point.
If you can think of nothing else to put on
your notebook that you take to your physician's office, then
I want you to put this what are the options?
Question mark and underneath that, one and two.
And if nothing else, you can ask this question.
You can get the response, which will be filled in
in number one, and it will prompt you to continue
to ask, okay, what other options are there?
If we don't want to or we can't
do this, what would the next option be?
And if you're comfortable with it, once you
become comfortable with this process, you may well
have a three and four put underneath there.
But for the first time out.
And as you step into this health power, as
you step into your ownership, I want you to
have at least, what are my options?
One and two. Foster that conversation.
Let your healthcare provider know you're
engaged, you're actively involved in this.
You are participating in your healthcare.
Now, if you want support in this, I welcome you to
reach out through the links below in my new program.
I'm very excited about it.
I may do an episode just on this program,
and it's a highly personalized letting people take control
of things like their lab work, looking at test
results, how to interact with their patient portals, and
doing it with support.
So if you have any questions, absolutely reach out.
And until next week, go out and own it.
