Doctors treat and nature heals.

In order to be a partner in the care of your health it is imperative that you understand the nature of your health. There are very few instances where doctors can help patients with out patients taking a role in their own health. One of my main goals is to have every patient improve their understanding of their conditions. This web site has printed material given at the office, references to other sites on the Web and often somewhat long discussions are different ways I attempt to educate my patients.

Often doctors find it easier to give a prescription of a pill or potion and do not attempt to explain in adequate detail why the patient has a problem in the first place. Problems often get better with treatment but continue to recur. Sometimes problems like dry skin can be solved completely by bathing correctly for their skin and altering their environment, etc.

Other problems may only get better with increased understanding. An example is acne. There are some cosmetics that aggravate all types of acne and some foods only affect certain types of acne. Unfortunately there are also a small number of conditions that cannot be helped and must be accepted.

Compassionate education is critical so a patient doesn’t go from doctor to doctor hoping for a different answer. I encourage patients to get a second opinion any time they are uncomfortable and even a third opinion at times can be helpful. After three opinions I suggest that a patient sticks with their favorite of the three doctors because sometimes problems can be difficult.