~Part 2~ A ToolKit to Communicate with Your Doctor and Take Charge of Your Health!!

Today, for Medical System Tuesday (well it actually is a Wednesday this week because I didn't have time to complete the post earlier!) we continue to focus on outpatient topics to optimize your health BEFORE you become acutely ill.  As I mentioned last post, I completed my inpatient series of "Insider Tips" and now we've moved out the outpatient series.  


Before we get started, I wanted to ask you that after you read this post, could you please share in the comments below if you have ever had problems communicating with your doctor and/or understanding why various tests or medications were ordered?  What do you do to make sure you are getting high quality care? Any tips to share with your fellow readers?


My goal by the end of this outpatient series is for you to be able to:

• get the BEST out of your doctor--in other words, to do your part to empower your doctor to optimally use their expertise to your benefit
• understand what is going on with your own health--knowledge is power
• learn how to organize your health information to improve the quality & efficiency of your medical care
• know how to advocate for appropriate preventive care according to your age, gender & medical history
• learn how to prevent medical errors (check out the last two of my reader Christy's comments on one of my older posts--she followed the communication tips from my previous post and actually was able to help prevent her doctor from making an error with her medications!!!-note--there are a lot of comments on that page, scroll down to the end to see what I'm referring to!)
• be an active teammate in your wellness journey as opposed to a passive participant

Part 1 outlined the the first steps to seize control of your own health. How many folks followed through on the assignments?  Don't worry if you didn't--even if all you do is read these posts to become aware of ways to improve your ability to receive excellent quality healthcare, that is an important beginning!!!  


Oh!  And for all of you who haven't been to a doctor in years--please go.  As you can see by Part 1, you may be due for some important preventive screens that can actually save your life!!

Ok moving on.


Today, in Part 2, we'll get specific about what data your doctor need to really get a comprehensive view of your health.  Why does this matter? Lets look at an example:


You come into your doctor's office for a check-up and says the following:  "I'm feeling good doc--a few headaches over the last few weeks, but other than that, I'm ok."  The doctor has 15 mins to see you.  The doctor checks the chart--your vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, etc) look good, your "finger stick" to check your blood glucose is mildly elevated.  So the majority of the visit you and the doctor talk about your headaches--what do they feel like, how long do they last, how severe are they, what makes them worse, what makes them better?  And then you get a quick physical exam, a prescription for some migraine medications and are sent to the lab to get your blood drawn.


Sounds ok right--well there is just one problem.  You forgot to mention that you've been urinating a lot more than usual, you feel thirsty all the time, and you actually came in this morning after not eating dinner last night or breakfast this morning because of your headache.  So when your doctor looked at your blood glucose "finger stick" they didn't become alarmed because they assumed you'd eaten breakfast that day and the elevation was due to that.  Instead, you may have diabetes.  It might show up on your labs but maybe not.  Next thing you know, three weeks later you are being admitted to the hospital with severe hyperglycemia and require IV insulin & an ICU stay.... 


Ok this is an extreme example, I know, but it could be really be anything--a black mole on your leg that is getting bigger but you forget to mention, some weight loss that wasn't intentional but didn't seem important to bring up, some increased shortness of breath with activity that you downplay to the doc....etc.  It is VERY hard to hit on all the points needed to make a good clinical diagnosis in a short interview.  That is where you come in!!  Docs need data from the patient to get the right diagnosis!!!!!!  It is 100% a team effort!!! And you can help them ask the right questions based on how organized you are before you come to the visit & how well you understand what is important to share with your doctor!


So to get you organized and keyed into the important parts of your history to share with the doctor, here are your assignments for Part 2. These are all key tasks to complete in the two weeks prior to your appointment. Your goal is to enter your doctor's appointment organized (see Part 1 as well) AND make sure you leave the appointment with a clear understanding of what your doctor recommended and most importantly, WHY!

1)  If you have any of the following chronic diseases, prepare CLEARLY PRINTED OR TYPED logs for your doctor on ONE PAGE:

• If you are a diabetic or have hypertension (high blood pressure) and you don't keep a log of your blood sugars or blood pressure, in the 2 weeks before you go to the doctor record daily at least 2 "finger-stick" values (at least one before breakfast) and get your blood pressure measured each day (use a home blood pressure cuff or grocery stories sometimes have them).
• If you have angina record the number of times you have been symptomatic in the two weeks prior to your visit and what you were doing at the time.
• If you have an inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome, write down your daily bowel symptoms for two weeks prior to the appointment as well.
• If you have depression or anxiety try to keep a "mood diary" for the two weeks prior to the appointment
• If you have a pain disorder, try to keep a "pain diary" of your pain levels at four different points throughout the day, when you needed to take your "as needed" medications and what effect the medication had on your pain level.  

2)  For EVERYONE:  Sit down before the doctors appointment & review your health in every body system you have so you will able to answer your doctor's questions quickly & clearly.  


Here is a link to good old Wikipedia's "Review of Symptoms". (currently down due to the Jan 18th protest--check it out tomorrow!)  There are also twenty million "review of symptoms" forms that pop up on a google search.  Don't get overwhelmed.  Just quickly go through each category and not any abnomalities.  For example:  Eyes: blurry vision, Heart: nothing, Lungs: cough, etc.

6) Read through everything you have organized (including the medical info sheet & history from Part 1) and make a list of questions to ask your doctor.  


Try to limit the list to less than 5 questions in order of priority.  Make at least two questions the following:

"Doc if you could pick two things for me to work on healthwise this year what would you choose?"

 And 

"Are there any medications I could potentially get off of if I changed my eating habits or exercise level?"

You can also use this Free Online "Question Building Tool" that the AHRQ put together to help patients prepare for doctor's appointments!

7) Once you have finished your question sheet, clearly PRINT/TYPE it and make 3 copies:  


1) Give 1 to the receptionist at check-in and ask her to give it to your doctor's nurse so your doc can look over the questions (if they have time) before entering your room. 



2) Give 1 to the doc when he/she walks in the room--just say: "I made this brief list because I want to make sure that I ask you the questions I have but also help you stay on schedule because I know you are very busy" (the doc will LOVE this statement).


3) Keep one in your lap with something hard to write on. leave enough room after each question on your copy so you can write down AS THE DOC IS TALKING so before they leave the room you can *quickly* repeat what they said so you make sure you understand.  Just say:  "Doc, I want to quickly repeat what you said to make sure I understand so I can follow through on what we discussed."  Don't be intimidated if you doctor appears to be in a hurry--keep it short but make SURE you repeat everything back to them--you'd be surprised how many errors can be prevented this way!!!


Ok!  Well that concludes this series!  I am hopeful that with this information you will be able to overcome the extremely frustrating & dangerous constraints on the patient-doctor relationship due to insufficient time to do a proper clinical interview!!!    


If you do end up using any of these techniques, please report back and let me know how it goes!!  I hope that this information is helpful to all of you! 


The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

A Toolkit to Communicate With Your Doctor & Take Charge of Your Health! ~Part 1~

Its Medical System Tuesday, a New Year and time for a new way of operating with regard to your health!  After spending the last part of 2011 sharing my "insider tips" on how to get the best medical care in the hospital, with the New Year upon us I'm going to shift to talk about outpatient topics to optimize your health BEFORE you become acutely ill.  I'll also throw in a few posts over the coming months specific to my medical specialty--like how to use rehab techniques to prepare for a joint replacement surgery or how to use multi-disciplinary interventions to treat chronic pain. 

Today I'm going to talk about how to take the first step to seize control of your own health.  This step begins with your primary care doctor.  


Outpatient clinics are hectic--you have a very short period of time to communicate your health concerns & give your doctor the opportunity to use their professional training & clinical judgment to assist you.  The result is often leaving appointments feeling confused about the treatment plan and having forgotten to ask about a key medical symptom that has been worrying you!  


But this doesn't have to be the case!  There are a few simple things that you can do to get the professional best out of your doctor and leave appointments feeling empowered to take charge of your own health!


It will require some work on your part but the benefits are tremendous!  Are you ready to get started?  In the comments section of this post let me know if you are COMMITTED to taking these steps and then lets check in next week to see if you were able to follow through!!:-)

Your first goal is to organize yourself as a patient to enable your doctor to get all the data they need to fully focus on and address your key medical problems.

As you can probably tell, I like writing lists so guess what?  Its time for another list!  This time its YOUR list of assignments for the months of January and February 2012. :-)  

Here are the first three tasks (lets take it step by step and don't get overwhelmed!)

By next Sunday, January 15th:

1) Make an appointment with your primary care doctor to be seen in one month from today.  When you make the appointment ask for either the first appointment of the day or the first appointment after lunch.  This will make it more likely that you will be seen close to on time.

2) Make time to sit down and organize all your health information before you go into the doctor (make a medical info sheet, put all your health-related paperwork in one binder, call ahead and make sure the doctor's office has all your updated information in their files.)

3) Research what recommended health screens you should have based on your age and exposure.  Make a written list of any tests that haven't been done that are appropriate for your age range. 

MEN:  print this PDF file out: http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.pdf or visit the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) website at: http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm 

WOMEN: print this PDF file out:  http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.pdf or visit the website: http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm

Ok now lets get to it!  Tune in next week for the key tasks to complete in the two weeks prior to your appointment and the techniques you can use to make sure you leave the appointment with a clear understanding of what your doctor recommended and most importantly, WHY!

Coming Up:

• Build a Healthy Immune System with Food: Part 2 of SuperImmunity for Kids!
• The Clear Skin Diet and My New Soy-Free Life!
• Treating Pain with Food--more thoughts
• Foods That Make You Feel Good (A New Series Featuring Individual Foods & Their Nutrient Power)

Coming Up on Medical System Tuesdays:

• Part 2: A Toolkit to Communicate With Your Doctor & Take Charge of Your Health

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

Tip #9: PAY ATTENTION!! ~More Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~

Ok so today we are continuing our series on how to get the best medical care while you are in the hospital. This post does put bodily functions front and center but I can't tell you enough how important it is to be aware of the following items.  You can save your own life ten times over just by making sure these aspects of your care are properly managed.


For my new readers, look to the bottom of this post for links to Tips #1-8!:-)


Tip #9:  Pay Attention


As much as I hate to admit it--hospitals are dangerous places.  There are so many sick patients and so many opportunities for error.  If you know what to look for however, you really can prevent nearly ALL of these problems.


Ok, now here are the KEY things to pay attention to (I developed this list in consultation with my husband, the Happy Nurse, since he is an ICU nurse & therefore an expert in skin, bowl, bladder, eating, meds & mental status.  So now you have both the nursing and the physician perspective).:-)  This post is written as if YOU are the patient, but you can also apply this information if you are a family member or friend of a person in the hospital.  If the patient is too sick to "pay attention" than you as a family member can advocate as I suggest below & pay attention on their behalf.


Hand Washing:  You need to ask EVERY single person who walks in your room (staff, friends, family) to wash their hands or sanitize them with the alcohol gel.  This in an uncomfortable thing to do but it also is the MOST important thing you can do to protect yourself in the hospital.  Just say "Excuse me, if you don't mind, I didn't see you wash your hands.  Can you please clean them with the gel before coming in further?  Thank you!"  


Meds:  KNOW your meds (remember my "How to Make A Medical Info Sheet post: Tip #4: Know Yourself) and also know what meds you will be taking in the hospital--your inpatient medications may be very different than your home meds.  ASK FOR AN INPATIENT LIST OF YOUR MEDICATIONS WHEN YOU ARE ADMITTED AND KEEP THAT LIST NEXT TO YOUR HOSPITAL BED AT ALL TIMES.  As your nurse gives you your meds, she/he is required to tell you what she is giving you.  Cross check the names of EVERY med that the nurse gives you with your list.  If there is a new med, ask her/him to explain why it was added.  Sometimes you will find that the nurse may accidently have nearly given you the wrong meds.  Make sure the nurse manager knows but be compassionate to the nurse--unfortunately this happens all the time and sometimes its the pharmacy's fault!  Try NOT to refuse meds without letting the doctor know first.  Ask questions and advocate for yourself (like I suggested in Tip #1: Be A Teammate!) but remember--we have been in school/training for a minimum of 12-18 years + our years in independent practice.  Sometimes its good to trust that judgement (not always, but most of the time its a good idea). 


Skin: This is VERY important. EVERY day, your family member & nursing should:
-check ALL points of contact of your body with the bed & check skin from head to toe for dryness, rash, cuts, bruises, etc.  Many of these skin issues are normal (particularly bruising & dryness) but they should be documented.
-The Happy Nurse recommends checking specifically for ULCERS/SKIN BREAKDOWN in the following areas:  the back of the head, elbows, shoulder blades, buttocks & heels.  At the buttocks, check between the folds because many ulcers start at the sacrum.  Also, staff should daily check the genital region for any skin issues.  An ulcer is NEVER a normal finding and should be treated immediately that day.
-Send modesty out the window my friends, skin issues take FOREVER to heal and are very susceptible to infection.  Let them look!

Urine: Watch for dramatic decreases or increases in output, change in color from yellow shades to reds or browns.  Bring all of these to nursing & the physician's attention.  Dramatic increases may mean a Urinary Tract Infection is brewing or it could just be because you've gotten IV fluids!  Dramatic decreases are VERY serious--make sure they check your kidneys.  If you have a foley catheter in make sure you consistently ask your doctor if it can be removed.  The longer it stays in, the higher the risk of infection.  Sometimes it is necessary to keep the catheter in, but other times, doctors forget to discontinue them so ASK!


Stool:  Watch for absence of bowel movement, increase in bowel movement (particularly if very liquid), change in color to black, tarry or bloody.  If you are taking pain medicine of any kind, I put my patients on a bowel regimen of stool softeners & laxatives daily.  Ask your doctor if that is a good idea (there are contraindications).  If you haven't had a BM and are not passing gas and are having severe abdominal pain, this can be a medical emergency.  Tell your nurse immediately. If absent BM but still passing gas for more than 3 days--ask for aggressive bowel management (from both directions--oral meds & rectal meds) if its safe for you & insist on an enema if nothing by day 4.  If liquid, very frequent and FOUL smelling--ask to be tested for C. Difficile or other infection.  


Eating:  If you have "no appetite," force yourself to eat unless you want to stay in the hospital!!  This is particularly important for older patients!  If you just can't manage any food, ask for Ensure or Glucerna or another oral supplement.  If you simply don't like the food, get permission from your doctor to have your family bring you HEALTHY food with lots of green vegetables & also foods with iron in them if you are anemic.  Dark leafy greens are particularly good but make sure your doctor knows you are eating them if you are on Coumadin (warfarin) so they can adjust your Coumadin dose appropriately.  Never eat food from home without your doctor's explicit permission.  DRINK a lot of water & other fluids, unless you are on a "fluid restriction."  Ask your nurse before drinking a lot--if its ok, then drink b/c you will help with constipation and prevent dehydration.  Do NOT drink sodas!!!!!


Mental Status:  Sometimes in the hospital you may get confused at night and may act in bizarre ways.  You may not remember this in the morning.  Make sure to ask your nurse about this because delirium can actually be deadly.  It may be due to medications or infections.  If you are confused at all during the day or night--bring this up to your doctor on rounds (remember how rounds work, check my post: Tip #2: Be Concise & Organized).  Family members with older patients, make SURE to ask nursing about this and bring it up to the doctor--common causes of delirium include: infection (particularly urinary tract infections), disorientation due to lack of glasses/hearing aids, loss of day/night cycle (make sure that the hospital room is dark & quiet at night and bright during the day to orient you properly), medication side effects and cardiac issues.  Unless it is absolutely necessary according to the doc, ask the doc to stop or reduce the dose of any meds if they are producing this effect.

***CAVEAT--if you find any problems with your care, please point it out politely.  Please also bundle your requests into ONE conversation, like I discussed in this post: Tip #8: Be Nice.   You will DRIVE STAFF CRAZY and really make them massively annoyed if every time they come in the room they are being peppered with requests. This annoyance level WILL effect your care.  Mention it ONCE at the beginning of the nursing shift (Remember what I told you about the the nursing shift schedule Tip #5: The Hospital Routine).  I recommend you ask the nurse as follows:

"I'd like to make sure that I get my skin checked thoroughly today & I know you are super busy but when you have a moment today, could we also talk about how my bowel, bladder, eating & mental status is doing?"  

Pick a time during the day to remind the nurses to check all these things before the end of his/her shift if they haven't gotten back to you from your inital request.  Good reminder times:  1pm for day shift.  10pm for night shift. ***

OK!  I think that wraps it up for this medical system post!  Hope this was helpful to you!  Next time we finish this post series with Tip #10:  Try Not to Be Alone!


Here are the links to my previous posts on these subjects:

Tip #1: Be a Teammate & Tip #2: Be concise & organized: http://happyrehabdoc.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-get-best-medical-care-insider.html
Tip #3:  Key Questions to Ask Your Doctor: http://happyrehabdoc.blogspot.com/2011/11/tip-3-key-question-to-ask-doctor-in.html
Tip #4:  Know Yourself--How to Make a Medical Info Sheet:  http://happyrehabdoc.blogspot.com/2011/11/tip-4-key-things-you-need-to-know-about.html
Tip #5: Know the Hospital Routine: http://happyrehabdoc.blogspot.com/2011/11/tip-5-what-is-hospital-routine-part-4a.html
Tip #6:  Know the Role Everyone Plays in the Health Care Team: http://happyrehabdoc.blogspot.com/2011/11/tip-6-know-role-that-each-person-plays.html
Tip #7:  Know Your Doctors: http://happyrehabdoc.blogspot.com/2011/11/tip-7-know-your-doctors-short-guide-to.html
Tip #8:  Be Nice!  http://happyrehabdoc.blogspot.com/2011/12/tip-8-for-best-hospital-care-be-nice.html

Coming Up This Week:

• BOOK REVIEW:  "29 Gifts!"
• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• Practical Stuff:  Kitchen Tools That Help & Products I Like! (Gift Ideas?!)

Coming Up Next Time on Medical System Tuesday: 

• Tip #10 For The Best Hospital Care:  Try Not to Be Alone! ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

Tip #4: Key Things You Need to Know About Yourself To Tell The Docs: How to Make A Medical Info Sheet!! More Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital

Ok so today I'm going to talk about PREPARATION!  This is something REALLY important that you can do to immediately improve the level of care you receive from the moment you walk into the hospital!  


We health care providers LOVE organized patients because your organization allows us to quickly get a full clinical picture of you--therefore giving us the opportunity to treat you more effectively & efficiently. 


The other reason we LOVE having an organized, prepared patients is because it is very obvious from the beginning that you are OUR TEAMMATE!  By preparing your medical info sheet you indicate to us immediately that you are NOT a passive participant in your health care!  You are actively trying to understand what is going on in your body.  This bodes well for both your recovery & your survival of serious illness!


So here we go...


Tip #4:  Key Things to Know About Yourself: (I say "your" but this could apply to any of your family members)

First, make a clearly written/typed sheet with your NAME & DATE OF BIRTH on it with all the following data:

MAKING THE MEDICAL INFO SHEET:

1)  Know your medications & keep them with you at ALL times on that clearly written/typed list:  

•  names 
• doses 
• frequency 
• when/why each one was started 
• (i.e. I take Metoprolol 50mg twice daily.  Started in 1996 for High Blood Pressure).  
• Include EVERY vitamin as well & things like Birth Control Pills & Metamucil, etc.  
• If you don't know the answers to these questions, call your primary care doctor to clarify and/or have them "proof" your list.  
• ONCE AGAIN:  PUT THIS INFORMATION ON A CLEARLY WRITTEN/TYPED LIST (The Medical Info Sheet) & TAKE IT WITH YOU EVERYWHERE! 
• I like the idea of putting it folded up in a tiny ziploc bag in your wallet.)

2)  Know Your Allergies--

• including 
• medications, 
• foods, 
• materials like latex
• for EACH one write what the allergy looks like (what happens when you take it)
•  (i.e. Penicillin:  Rash & trouble breathing, discovered in 1989)  
• PUT THIS INFORMATION ON THE "MEDICAL INFO SHEET" ABOVE

3)  Know Your Past Medical History: Including:

• current medical conditions that your doctor is treating you for 
• surgeries & 
• past hospitalizations WITH dates!  
• if you are a cancer patient or have a history of cancer, write out what treatment you received or are receiving & when 
• i.e. I have breast cancer.  I have had a mastectomy, finished 3 cycles of chemotherapy & am now on the 2nd week of radiation therapy
• PUT THIS INFORMATION WRITTEN/TYPED ON THE MEDICAL INFO SHEET & TAKE IT WITH YOU EVERYWHERE! (keep this safe!)

4)  Your Immunization History:  Every nurse you meet will ask you about this--just bring it with you WRITTEN DOWN ON THE MEDICAL INFO SHEET with the dates you got the shots.

5)  Who your doctors are:  ON THE MEDICAL INFO SHEET list:

• The name & number of your primary care doctor
• The name & number of ANY specialist you are currently seeing & **why you see them**

6)  MOST IMPORTANTLY: Your advanced directive telling us what to do if you get sick enough that you can't make your own decisions & you require things like life support, resuscitation etc.)  PUT THIS IN THE SAME LOCATION AS YOUR INFO SHEET ABOVE AND TAKE IT WITH YOU EVERYWHERE!!

• EVERYONE needs one of these, and I mean EVERYONE
• This will be one of the first questions you are asked--the admitting department usually asks it at first actually!
• I don't care if you are 22 and in perfect health (there are always the risk of car accidents, etc) or if you are 95 and ill with a myriad of chronic illnesses:  YOU NEED ONE
• I'm not sure of the legality of everything but at a minimum you should have your wishes written down with copies to all the key family members.  
• If you want it to be legally binding you need to consult a lawyer (I am NOT one).  A power of attorney is a good idea too.
• I'll write more about this in one of my Tuesday "Medical System" Posts

ONE LAST POINT:   **if you are a caregiver of a family member or a spouse/daughter/son/mother/father than make sure you have every one of your family member's info sheets that you are responsible for.  If the patient is not able to speak for themselves, the medical team will turn to you.***  (The last thing you want is to be running over to their house to pick up their medications--usually by then the initial admitting orders will be in & the patient will be in their room on different meds!!)

Hope this info helps!!

Next Time:  Tips #5 & #6: What is the Hospital Routine & Who ARE These Different People Taking Care of You??

Coming Up AFTER Thanksgiving:

• SuperImmunity Foods for KIDS (Calling All PARENTS!)
• RECIPES & Ideas: Snacks!  YUMMY & Portable Plant-Based Snack Food--all sugar-free, gluten-free & without adding oil or fat!!

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

RESOURCE: Find out how your Medications & Vitamins Interact with a FREE Online Tool!!

Have you ever wondered how the medications and the vitamins/supplements you take interact?  There is a fantastic FREE resource on the web--its a tool designed by one of my favorite authors:  Dr. Leo Galland! Its called :"Pill Advised":  http://pilladvised.com/.  I'm all about freeeee awesome information and this webpage is so helpful! 


Basically you can enter your medications and supplements (after registering FREE) and the program will tell you GOOD & BAD interactions and which additional supplements would help maximize the GOOD effects of medications (from anti-depressants to allergy meds!).  Not only that but it can tell you how different VITAMINS and SUPPLEMENTS interact together!  Ever wondered whether your multivitamin was really giving you the benefits of all the vitamins listed on the bottle? It also tells you interactions with food & sun!


Check it out! Hope this is a resource that helps!


You can also check out Dr. Galland's facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pill-Advised/271060899666

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.