58. Take Control of Your Care

“You have to be the advocate for yourself or for your family member, and ask the challenging questions and not just take the answer that is given to you,” explains host Dr. Andrew Fix. Today, Dr. Andrew shares why it is so important to advocate for yourself and your family members in regards to healthcare.    You know your body better than anyone else, so you need to be taking control over your own care and advocating for yourself and your loved ones in healthcare settings. Many providers will choose whatever method of care is easiest for them or best for the insurance company, rather than taking into consideration what is actually the best path for the patient’s quality of life. If a doctor tells you that surgery is the only option or that you can no longer do the activities you enjoy due to your health condition, push back and find additional solutions or even get a second opinion from another provider. Don’t just take their word for it and assume that your doctor is always right or is telling you the whole truth.    Be willing to advocate for yourself and ask the hard questions, even if that means challenging your doctor’s advice. You know best what is best for your own body and for your physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.    Quotes • “What our lifestyle is can drastically impact how our body feels when we're talking about arthritis, because it's not just damage from use.” (7:00-7:09 | Dr. Andrew) • “Talk about the fact that how we eat, how we sleep, how we manage our stress, and how we manage our activity level have just as much, if not more, to do with our pain level than just having a meniscus tear.” (14:18-14:30 | Dr. Andrew) • “You have to be the advocate for yourself or for your family member, and ask the challenging questions and be willing to push back and not just take the answer that is given to you.” (16:37-16:50 | Dr. Andrew)  • “Nobody knows your body better than you do.” (18:03-18:06 | Dr. Andrew)    Links   Connect with Physio Room:  Website | ​​https://physioroomco.com/  Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/physioroomco/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/physioroomco Andrew’s Personal Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dr.andrewfix/  Andrew’s Personal Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/andrew.fix.9/   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm