10 Ways to Take Charge of Your Health

• April 01, 2019
  By Dr. Sarepta Isaac, DPM, MBA

Life is complicated. There are lots of fast moving parts. Responsibilities to family, friends and work can all easily overshadow the responsibility you have to yourself to take care of your health. We’ve all heard the phrase, “you can’t help others unless you first properly help yourself.” The same goes for your health. You can’t properly take care of someone else’s health until you are in a good place with your health and wellness.

If you are one that is dealing with a difficult health condition or trying to manage multiple chronic diseases, you know firsthand that it can quickly get very overwhelming. Frustration and stress can quickly come about, thus leaving you with a feeling of lost control when it comes to your health. Here are 10 ways to begin to take charge of your health:

1. Do some of your own research on your medical diagnosis and conditions and gain clarity on what’s going on in your body.

2. Prepare in advance for your doctors’ appointments.

3. Be informed of what exactly your medical conditions are, the medications you are currently taking and their respective dosages.

4. Know as much of your family history as possible and share that information with your doctor.

5. Be organized and place in a safe place any referrals or visit summaries that have been given to you.

6. Be prepared to ask questions of your medical provider after each visit, if needed.

7. Speak up! You know your body better than any doctor ever could, if something does not feel right, be vocal about it.

8. Write things down. Often time, a lot of complex medical information is given to you which makes it difficult to remember. Write it down to review later.

9. Ask for help, clarification and additional resources when needed of medical instructions and recommendations.

10. Be gentle on yourself. Recovery, healing, and proper chronic disease management takes time to achieve, it does not happen overnight.

Put yourself in the drivers’ seat when it comes to management of your health and wellness. Take back your control of this, even in the mist of chaos in other areas of your life, so that you can get back to doing those things you want to do and living well.