Healthy Living

5 Signs It’s Time to Break Up with Your Doctor

posted on August 9, 2018 | by Tessa Bowman

5 Signs It’s Time to Break Up with Your Doctor

I don’t know about you, but I grew up with the mentality that whatever the doctor says goes. It never even crossed my mind to question what they recommended. I would simply take the little white slip out the door and fill whatever prescription they said would fix my problem.

But talking to the women I work with on fertility, I realize how many of them are unhappy with their doctors. I personally have had two bad experiences with doctors lately that left a bad taste in my mouth – enough to make a change. We don’t think twice about switching hair stylists when they mess up our highlights, so why are we afraid to switch when it comes to something so important as our health?

Here are signs that it’s time for you to switch doctors.

You aren’t getting better

Have you been following your doctor’s protocol for a long period of time with no improvement? It could be time for a second opinion. Don’t feel like you are cheating on your doctor; you have every right to seek out help from other sources if you aren’t getting better. Some doctors simply don’t have time to keep up-to-date with new remedies and treatments, so going to someone with a different skill set can’t hurt.

You don’t like them

Sometimes you and your doctor just don’t click. That’s okay! Considering they are probably seeing a lot of you (literally), pick someone you feel really comfortable with and actually like.

They aren’t listening to you

I recently had a client tell me her doctor told her a symptom she had been experiencing for years was “in her head.” I had a similarly frustrating experience with an OB prescribing me something I told them I didn’t want to take in the previous visit. If your doctor is dismissing what you are telling them when you know in your gut you are right, I’d say sayonara.

You want more face time

The current medical system sets doctors up to be overbooked and overworked. Standard appointments with MD’s are usually 5-10 minutes. I think we’ve all felt like seeing a doctor at times can be more like a transaction and less like a personal interaction. There are MD’s out there who will spend a lot of time with you, but that might mean waiting way past your appointment time to see them. If you want someone who really can take the time to get to know you, you might consider seeing a functional medicine doctor or practitioner. Initial appointments with naturopaths and acupuncturists are usually 60-90 minutes and follow ups are 30 minutes.

Talk to your friends

Finding a new doctor can be overwhelming, but there is certainly one out there that will be a great fit. Talk to your friends who live in your city and see who they like going to. Figure out what is important to you (punctuality, friendliness, holistic approach, etc.). Then ask them if their doctors meet those needs.

Have you had to break up with your doctor? What did you do to find new one? Share below!