When people have medical challenges, most of them put complete and ultimate trust in their doctor to make them well. There’s nothing wrong with this, however, healing is a two-way process. You have to be a part of it as well; it does not entirely rest on the hands of your doctor.

So here are some of the things that your doctor will not tell you but you need to know:

• When you complain about pain, the fastest way for you to get relief is to take drugs that contain narcotics. Doctors will prescribe this to you just to get you out of their office, but these drugs should never be taken for chronic pain. Narcotics addiction is very dangerous – over time, they worsen the pain that comes back to you.
• Statins can lower your cholesterol but common side effects include soreness and muscle pain. These can be just annoying, but some can suffer debilitating muscle weakness as well. What’s worse is that these side effects might not go away when you discontinue taking it. So talk to your doctor about switching to another drug immediately once you have these symptoms.
• If you’re taking Coumadin (blood-thinner), your blood should be tested monthly. Don’t take the same dosage for years because the way it thins your blood may vary due to the changes in your metabolism or diet. If not monitored correctly, this can lead to hemorrhage, strokes, gastrointestinal bleeding, and severe joint pains.
• When you tell your doctor that you are allergic to a certain drug, make sure that it’s true. Because once this record is placed in your charts, it will not change. And if one day you would need to take that drug, the doctor will not give it to you.
• If you have been on medication for decades without change, maybe you don’t know that anti-depressants, anti-coagulants, and anti-hypertensives are no longer needed after about two years. Make it a habit to check with your doctor from time to time and see if it’s time for you to lower the dosage or even stop taking these drugs altogether.
• Doctors would often give you freedom of choice to pick out your treatment plan. For example, they might let you choose between two operations or three chemotherapy options. If you’re wise, you would ask them what they will do if they’re in your shoes. Better yet, empower yourself by researching on your own. Information is right at your fingertips today with the advent of the modern internet. Just make sure you check out credible websites and not just some unusual health site wanting to make money out of you.

You have to admit that doctors are experts. Indeed, you should express true confidence in their abilities and skills. But also bear in mind that they’re only human, which means that they do make mistakes (hopefully not too often). These doctors conclude their findings based only on the medical test results they see and the answers you give them when they ask. You need them, but at the end of the day you are still the one responsible for your absolute well-being.