Before making an appointment, don’t be afraid to call a profes-
sional’s office for information about how he or she practices. This is
not unlike an interview: You want to know about someone before
developing a professional relationship.
Once you make an appointment, take note of how this practition-
er addresses your needs and concerns. If you have a good feeling
about your visit, plan another as necessary. But if you don’t feel com-
fortable, whether you can explain it or not, search for another health
professional. It may take some time to find a person that best match-
es your particular needs.
One problem with our current health-care system is that by going
to see a particular doctor or other professional, you’re most likely
only going to get that person’s specialty as treatment. For example, if
you visit an acupuncturist, you’ll get acupuncture; visit a surgeon,
you often get surgery; visit a dietitian, you’ll get diet advice. But what
if you have both surgical and nutritional needs for the same problem?
It’s uncommon to find a practitioner who can address all your needs,
or who will refer you to another specialist, although these health-care
professionals do exist and are worth seeking out. This is why you
must actively manage the entire process. It’s up to you to find the best
health-care practitioners that match your needs. In my practice I per-
formed a variety of therapies, but most importantly took sufficient
time to assess the patient using a variety of forms (sent to the patient
ahead of time), past medical records, diet analysis, a long oral history
and a physical examination. An effective assessment is a key to suc-
cessful treatment. My therapies included various forms of neuromus-
cular biofeedback, individualized diet and nutrition recommenda-
tions, stress management, exercise guidelines and others.
And finally, finding a health-care professional who is fit and
healthy is very important.
242 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH