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One of my favorite channels is Discovery Health. I like to watch the show Mystery Diagnosis because you ‘ll learn what to look out for. For example, last night a lady in her early thirties started having hip pain. She went to her family doctor and he told her that she was just getting “older”. I laughed out loud when I heard that because it’s amazing what some doctors come up with.  He didn’t even order some basic X-Rays. Makes you wonder how this guy is a doctor.

Since she is a runner she shrugs it off and the pains continue on and off. The years go by and now ten years later,her husband got a transfer so they move up to Seattle, WA. Shortly after moving there, she now has pain in her hip and it starting to radiate down to her knee, She see’s another specialist there and he really doesn’t think it’s much other than probably from her running. She quits running and starts bike riding instead but the pain continues. Another ten years go by and she finally goes to see another specialist. This time this doctor orders a CAT Scan and He finds a non-malignant tumor in her pelvic bone. She has it surgically removed and her life is back to normal. No more pain!

She even stated she knew something was not right but she did not insist or go see a specialist. So she is mainly to blame. She had the intuition but ignored it.

When you have a gut feeling it’s for a reason. Don’t ignore it. That’s your higher self watching out for you. If she would have followed up with her intuition after the first doctor and kept on until someone did some diagnostic studies she would not have suffered for twenty years.

While most doctors do order diagnostic studies and sometimes too many, I often come across patients who have been misdiagnosed. This is a really BIG problem in this country. And that leads to getting the wrong treatment, which in most cases are prescription drugs.

Television commercials are great promoters of misinformation, bar none. For example, let’s take a look at acid reflux disease and the little purple pill. If too much acid was really the cause of heartburn, bloating, indigestion etc. why do you have to keep taking it forever? Shouldn’t one or two prescriptions cure the problem? Absolutely not! This applies to any prescription drug….they don’t cure. That way you take it for the rest of your life and the pharmaceutical company laughs all the way to the bank

I have known patients to have been on Nexium for over ten years. The patient is usually overweight, smokes, drinks alcohol excessively, no exercise and follows the SAD (Standard American Diet) diet consisting of burgers, fries, big gulps, meat and potatoes. When this patient changes his habits his body normalizes and no more acid reflux!

Next time you find yourself in a situation like the like the Mystery Diagnosis woman …get a second, third or even fourth opinion. Do whatever it takes. Take charge. It’s your body.