Conventional Medicine - How to choose a doctor?

In many parts of the world, doctors are viewed as Gods, because when we are sick or injured, only doctors have the power to bring us back to health. There was a time when our family physician knew everything about our family medical history without needing to look at a file, when doctors would make house calls to visit little children and elderly patients, when they had the time to spend a few minutes talking to us about diet and home remedies that could complement their treatment. That was a time when doctors were Gods.

This is a different time. Doctors of conventional medicine now don't have more than a few minutes to spend with any patient, just enough time to look at their file, ask some questions that confirm their diagnosis, write a prescription, or order some tests, and send us on our way. At the end of the visit, some doctors do ask if we have any questions for them, but most of the time, if it is an acute illness, 5 minutes is all you get. So how do you choose who to spend that 5 minutes with to get the best possible treatment?

There are a few different methods. You could choose one or you could try all methods until you find a doctor that you are comfortable with. Now, that is what is most important in a doctor-patient relationship. They should feel comfortable with each other, and neither should feel threatened by the other.

1. If you have health insurance, go to your insurance provider's website and search on their providers list for a doctor that is closest to you.

2. Ask for referrals from your family and friends.

3. Go online and Google.

4. Ask your doctor any questions you may have about your illness or their treatment and see how they respond. Your questions should have been answered patiently with the information that you are actually looking for. If the doctor is even slightly irritated by your questions or changes the subject or does not want to respond, it is your hint to look for another doctor who will listen to you.

Whatever method you use, try to find some reviews for the doctor that you have chosen. Websites like Vitals.com or Healthgrades.com are good places to look for reviews.

In spite of all the research, you might not feel at ease with your doctor when you meet them. That happens because expectations are different for different people, and you just have to keep looking until you find a doctor you are comfortable with. Go back to the list of doctors that you have made, and choose another doctor to continue your treatment with. There is nothing wrong in changing doctors, because a doctor-patient relationship is important and is the first step in establishing a good level of treatment. It is important that the doctor understands and respects your point of view and accordingly provides you with choices in treatment methods, and also gives you enough time and answers all your questions in order to put you at ease and understand his or her point of view. That is how relationships are built, aren't they?

Having said all this, I must say that this blog is about holistic medicine, and this post is a little out of place here because there is nothing holistic about conventional medicine. However, I wanted to include this information in my blog because I have found that in the name of minor illnesses, a lot of people go to doctors of conventional medicine and go home with a prescription for something or the other. So if you're going to go out and get some modern medicine for yourself, you might as well find the best one that is available to you.

Someone close to me once went to an ENT doctor to get his ear flushed out because it had impacted ear wax. The whole flushing out process gave him a headache and just before leaving, he casually mentioned that he had a meeting to attend and it wouldn't be easy to go through with a splitting headache. The doctor promptly asked if he would like a shot, and before he could think of what to say, she was standing next to him ready with the headache shot. This kind of practice of medicine is something that is completely and utterly unnecessary, and thereby the need for holistic medicine.