Doctors....and me

Picking a physician can be a tedious task and one that I do not take lightly.  I truly believe that the best physician for a friend might not be the best for me and the best physician by rating might be one that I don't prefer.  I have a very specific list of qualifications I require of ANY physician before I'll let them treat me or any of my children.  Here it is:

1.  MAMA KNOWS BEST:  While a doctor is trained in the medical areas, I stand firm to the adage that "mama knows best."  I know my own body and my children better than a doctor.  If I'm taking my child to a physician, it means that they're due for a well check or I know something's really wrong.  With that being said, I do NOT like doctors telling me what I NEED to do with my kids or my own body.  I appreciate the advice and I'll take it into consideration when researching and weighing my options but don't tell me what I HAVE to do.  I think there are far too many antibiotics, antidepressants, and other drugs being handed out way too easily now and I prefer to let my body do what God created it to as often as possible.

2.  LET'S TRY.... One of my favorite phrases to hear (especially from the pediatrician) is "Let's try...."  It implies that the physician is willing to give some different, less drug-related options a try before jumping right into Medicine Heaven.  Maybe that means trying Behavior Modification Therapy for ADHD or Sensory Processing Disorder.  Maybe that means using the inhaler/nebulizer "as needed" and seeing how it goes before prescribing a daily regimen.  Maybe that means suggesting locally produced honey instead of allergy medication or possibly even flushing with saline to prevent the allergies from taking over..  The fact is that these words tell me that there's some wiggle room and they're willing to work WITH me instead of telling me what to do.

3.  BEDSIDE MANNER: For me, the preferred bedside manner is straight forward but not pushy.  There's a rather thick line between explaining what's going on and telling me that my child's going to perish if I don't get a flu shot.

4.  RESPECT THE ANSWER "NO":  I know I've covered my aversion to certain vaccines before and I can honestly say that if I tell you "no" and explain my decision based on research of all kinds, I expect you to respect the answer and deal with it.  No means no.

5.  DON'T SPEAK DOWN TO ME:  I am fine with "dumbing down" medical terminology (though I have an associate's degree that required me to take medical terminology AND years of anatomy under my belt from high school courses).  What I don't like is being spoken to like a child, or worse, like someone who's illiterate.

That pretty well sums up the important factors (aside from the obvious, well-trained) for me.  It's not the same for everyone but if a doctor doesn't meet these standards, they can kiss my happy ass goodbye as their patient.