To be able to enjoy everything your body has to offer it’s important to know, love and respect it. One of the first ways we can do this is by taking responsibility and ownership of our own health. Considering your GP, specialist or other health professionals as your partner, rather than the guardian or sole carer of your health is an important step.

 Appoint an Advocate

Increased health will come easier if you are empowered by being aware and educated about issues that affect your body. If you are not confident in your knowledge or abilities to ask questions then consider who else could be. It can be difficult to listen and process all the important information and then be able to ask the right questions to find out what you need to know. How often have you left the doctors surgery and thought of some really important questions on the car trip home when you have time to think?

Your health advocate should be someone who is non-biased and considers your health a priority, but not as close as a husband or wife as their judgment could become clouded when too much emotion is involved. Do you have a sibling, friend or parent who can attend your health appointments to ask questions & take notes for you? It may sound silly but why would you put your most important asset in the hands of just one person and a stranger at that, no matter how qualified or experienced they are?

Perhaps you have a family member (sister, parent or grandparent) who needs your assistance at medical appointments to help them make sense of .

Health professionals will often have a certain way of doing things & may therefore not always inform you of all your options. A common example is in the case of pregnant women being told they have to have a cesarean section when it is not absolutely essential (for example a Vaginal Birth After Caesarian – VBAC, often women are not told that it’s an option by their obstetrician, they are simply told that because they've already had a C-section then they must have another one for any future children). Another situation is when doctors automatically prescribe medication where there may be natural ways to achieve the same goal without unwanted side effects.

Prepare yourself

Go prepared with questions and know what information you wish to come away with. It is important that you feel comfortable with your GP and if you often leave them feeling rushed, unheard or dissatisfied then it may be wise to go on the hunt for another doctor. Ask your friends or family members, someone you trust, for a referral. You are not obliged to stay with one doctor or even follow their instructions if you strongly feel it’s not the best thing for you (please let it be clear that this information is NOT recommending you disregard the opinions of a medical professional but that you should ALWAYS get a second opinion if you are not satisfied with what you are being told). 

Organise and consolidate

Organising your health records is usually thought of as being only the responsibility of the doctor, but you can ask them for copies of any test results (usually a simple print out). This is especially the case if you are seeing many different practitioners or specialists at once for example a GP, midwife, obstetrician, acupuncturist, naturopath or osteopath or all of the above – and after explaining something for the 3rd or 4th time it gets quite tedious and frustrating.

If you don’t have copies of your records to take with you then create a spreadsheet where you can record what you discussed or the outcomes of test results and the dates they were taken. Sometimes not one particular health professional will know everything about your medical history because they don't always communicate with each other as much as you would expect.

Some doctors are much more progressive than others and willing to give you information and explore different options but put simply, you are in charge of your health and when you feel like you're in control and are making your own decisions you’ll feel stronger and more equipped to take on any health challenges that may come your way. 

So who's in charge of your health?