I was in the waiting room at my doctor's office this morning, leafing through a health magazine while waiting to be called for my appointment. I breezed over several articles before one caught my eye. It discussed the growing concern among healthcare providers and physicians that people are making fewer trips to the doctor's office because of an increase in self-diagnosis. One side of the story is the Internet, with its wealth of medical and personal health sites of all types. Another is the number of medications, previously available only by prescription, that now can be purchased over the counter. Finally, our current economic situation encourages people to spend less money on healthcare and spend more time trying to fix their health problems themselves. The recommendation in the article is that if a particular symptom lasts more than a few days, it's time to go to a professional for a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Makes sense, I thought to myself as I continued flipping through the magazine.
A few pages later I stumbled upon a section containing "quizzes" designed to inform the reader of potential health concerns ranging from diabetes to sleep deprivation. I started answering some of the questions...and then it hit me. Um, isn't answering these questions and scoring myself for the likelihood I might have the particular health issue like, um, self-diagnosis? And shouldn't the doctor be doing this instead of me? What was the editor thinking when he let these quizzes into the issue? "Don't try figuring out what's wrong with you, let the doctor do that, oh and be sure to take these tests so you can decide if you're at risk for any of the health issues addressed in the questionnaires!" Talk about hypocricy!
I'd already started one of the tests and didn't want to feel I'd wasted all that time for nothing, so I decided to finish up (it was a test on sleep deprivation). One of the questions asked if I drank anything after 8 pm, and I answered "yes". Turns out that's a bad thing if you're trying to sleep, as imbibing liquids late in the evening can cause you to have to wake during the night to urinate. That's bad if you're trying to get some sleep. However, it's good if you're trying to prevent certain types of cancer. An article I read last week says that getting up in the middle of the night to urinate can reduce the risks of getting bladder cancer. So now I have to decide if I'd rather sleep better and get bladder cancer, or avoid bladder cancer and be more tired during the day. Can I toss a coin on that one? Or is that also considered self-diagnosis, choosing between the lesser of two evils when it comes to my health? Am I smart enough to make that kind of decision, or do I need an expert to tell me what portions of my life are more important, and which ones I can let slide? And does it make any difference in the long run, since either way my body is going to lose out? What bozo rigged this crap game and made me bet my body, my health, and my longevity? This is so totally not fair! I never even asked to play!!
Fortunately for me, before my head could explode trying to iron out all the conflicting messages this healthcare magazine was feeding me, the nurse called my name for my appointment. I tossed the magazine on the chair next to me, thinking I'd let the next poor patient deal with it. Thank goodness my concern and irritation didn't affect my blood pressure, or I'd have been on more medication (my choice, or my doctor's?).
