Honesty is your best health policy
Keep your doctor in the loop about your physical and emotional issues.
A little white lie may help you back out of a dinner date, "but concealing information from your physician can affect your medical treatment," says Alex Foxman, M.D., an internist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Three things to confess:
| WHEN YOU FIB ABOUT... | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Taking supplements YOU RISK A possibly dangerous interaction with other medications. Even seemingly harmless herbs or minerals like echinacea or zinc may counteract the effects of certain prescription meds, such as corticosteroids used to treat asthma. |
How stressed out you are YOU RISK Missing out on an important mental-health chat. "Many patients don't think to bring up upsetting situations or stressful events to their doctors," says Foxman. "But these feelings can be early warning signs of depression or anxiety." |
Smoking YOU RISK A too-lax examination. "Cigarettes raise your risk for so many conditions, from heart disease to cervical cancer," says Foxman. "So if your doctor knows that you smoke, or used to smoke, he'll pay more attention to certain symptoms, like high blood pressure." |
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