How To Be the CEO of Your Health.
Hello!
It has been a while since I’ve written a blog. After a few months of overwhelm, my schedule is finally settling. It is good to be back, and I appreciate your patience. I’m unsure what the blog schedule will be, but it will be more frequent.
Today I want to focus on your role in your health care. Nothing is more important than your health, yet we often do not take charge and prioritize it.
What Does It Mean To Be Your Health's CEO?
A CEO is the highest-ranking executive in a company. They are responsible for making significant decisions and taking full responsibility for the company. The buck stops with them.
Being the CEO of your health is like being the CEO of a company. You are the highest-ranking executive and are responsible for all your life decisions. Being the CEO of your health means taking ownership and recognizing that prioritizing your health is your responsibility.
This also means taking agency by not allowing medical professionals to make decisions about your health, especially if they don't resonate with you. Doctors are well-educated and usually quite informed, but they do not know everything and certainly do not know your body better than you do. Being proactive, assertive, and self-determining in your health care is essential. Your relationship with your family doctor should be a collaborative one, a partnership, not one in which you feel unheard.
Important Tips
Ensure You Receive Your Health Screenings.
Regular health screenings are an excellent preventive tool. Early detection and regular monitoring are crucial to treating certain types of cancers, controlling chronic issues like diabetes, and preventing heart attacks and strokes.
A close friend’s father passed away from cancer a few years ago. During his first colonoscopy, polyps were found and removed, and he was advised to have another colonoscopy a few years later to monitor his colon. Unfortunately, subsequent colonoscopies never happened because he went through numerous family doctors, and they missed a referral for a follow-up test. More than five years after his first colonoscopy, he started experiencing symptoms of colon cancer. The cancer had metastasized to other parts of his body, and it was too late to offer him much.
The last year of his life was not easy. This could have been prevented if he had received that follow-up colonoscopy.
Cancer Screenings
Breast, cervical, colon, lung, and prostate cancers are treatable and have excellent prognoses when detected early. Be sure to follow the screen guidelines for these tests. If unsure, speak to your family doctor or check out Cancer Care Ontario, if you live in Ontario.
Annual Physical
During your annual physical, your family doctor can check your skin for questionable moles, monitor blood pressure, and order yearly blood work to detect cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
What do you do if you don’t have a family doctor?
Unfortunately, there is a shortage of family physicians in Ontario, where I live, and most of Canada. I’m unsure if this is an issue in other countries.
Not having a family doctor makes obtaining important screenings and annual physicals, monitoring severe conditions or injuries, and renewing prescriptions challenging.
If you do not have a family doctor, you can get medical help from a:
Walk-in clinic.
Community Health Centre (CHC).
Doctor house call services.
Cancer Care Ontario: You can have cancer screenings without a family physician referral.
If all else fails, you may need to visit an emergency department to obtain a referral or contact the Ministry of Health or local political representatives.
2. Understand The Importance Of Prevention & Lifestyle.
Poor diet, stress, and an unhealthy lifestyle = chronic disease.
“Cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke), and lung disease are the leading causes of preventable death and disability in Canada. By changing how you live, you can dramatically reduce your risk of these Big Four chronic diseases (long-term or ongoing illnesses).
These chronic diseases share common conditions or risk factors related to your everyday choices and health habits. For example, an unhealthy diet can lead to obesity, which is a risk factor for certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes; and smoking is a significant cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and lung cancer and puts you at high risk for heart disease.” Source
Making healthier choices will reduce your risk for chronic disease and improve your overall quality of life. If you prioritize self-care, you will not need to access the health care system very often.
Healthy Choices To Reduce Your Risk Of Disease
· Be a non-smoker.
· Move every day. You don’t have to attend the gym for hours daily to reap the benefits. A brisk 30-minute daily walk will provide many positive benefits.
· Eat a healthy diet. Avoid processed food, limit red meat and sugar, and follow the Mediterranean Diet.
Food can be poison or medicine. Make the right choices to nourish your body.
· Achieve a healthy weight
· Limit alcohol intake to 1-2 drinks per week.
· Reduce stress through nature walks, regular meditation, and yoga practices.
· Sleep well.
· Stay hydrated, and drink 2.7 litres of water daily for women, 3.7 litres for men.
· Socialize. Stay engaged in your community and keep in touch with family and friends.
3. Advocate For Yourself.
We should be grateful for our healthcare system, but it is a mess, at least in Ontario. Because of their challenging work conditions, showing compassion and patience towards healthcare professionals is essential. However, this doesn’t mean becoming a doormat. It does mean asking questions, requesting appropriate referrals and tests, and pushing back when needed. Do not give your power away.
If you are seeing a specialist or worried your family doctor may not listen to you, bring a family member or friend to your appointments so they can be there as a support and witness, and ask them to take notes. I guarantee the doctor will be more accountable.
I see a neurologist once a year to monitor my mild cognitive impairment. She is a world-renowned neurologist, but because of the demands on her time, she is usually very late for appointments, and my time with her is typically chaotic. As much as possible, my husband Ben accompanies me on these appointments. He takes notes so I can focus on her and my questions. Without his presence, there is no way I would remember what was talked about.
Another way to advocate for yourself is to keep records and take notes before and after appointments. Never go to an appointment without preparing a list of questions and concerns. This will ensure you don’t forget anything and have a constructive appointment.
If you are struggling with symptoms, remember when they happen and what you feel. It’s easy to forget symptomatic moments, and you will have more credibility if you can provide a doctor with an accurate picture of your symptoms. When did they start, and how often do you experience them? Purchase a small hard-covered notebook so you can easily track your symptoms.
Consider a multidisciplinary approach to your health concerns. I have a family physician and a naturopath, and I believe both approaches complement each other nicely. They have different training and techniques, but I feel comfortable working with both.
The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) operates several clinics in Toronto, Brampton, and New Westminster, B.C. You will see an intern supervised by an experienced Naturopath at these clinics. They are very thorough, affordable, and offer virtual appointments. CCNM Clinics
I also regularly see a physiotherapist, chiropractor, and massage therapist to keep things moving.
Get a second opinion. Don’t hesitate to obtain a second opinion if you receive a serious diagnosis.
4. Educate Yourself.
If you are not discerning of sources, you can spend hours going down numerous Google rabbit holes, where you will often find inaccurate information. Research only reliable, professional websites, i.e., WebMD, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, or foundations specific to your problem. Join Facebook group pages. I belong to a Facebook group for people with Lyme Disease in Ontario. It has thousands of members, and the resources I’ve found have been more helpful than what any medical professional has offered me.
I’ve had a rough time with my health since my Lyme Disease diagnosis in November 2022. I’ve had to advocate more for myself than ever before. Hours of reliable research have helped me understand what I’m dealing with. I have a fantastic family doctor, but he admitted how little he knows about Lyme Disease, and I’ve had to pressure him a few times on what I felt were appropriate referrals and treatments.
I must admit that I’m behind on all the essential screenings, mostly because my family doctor is three hours away. I recently booked my physical, mammogram, and annual appointment with my neurologist in July. Travelling for these appointments is a pain, but I am grateful that I have a family doctor and can access health screenings.
Without good health, all aspects of life can be negatively impacted, including relationships, work, travel, and community engagement, potentially leading to challenges in other areas of your life.
It’s your body, so you decide what procedures and treatment plans suit you. You also have the right to be well-informed and question advice, especially if it makes you uncomfortable. Taking charge of your health is how you become its CEO. Access all that is available and focus on having a healthy lifestyle.
Please comment below and share your experiences with the health care system and how you take care of yourself.
Be well.
Anita
