You Know Best

Have you ever been to the doctor's office with a complaint of a nagging pain or a strange sensation in your body? If so, your doctor probably asked you a few probing questions, he or she maybe even probed the area in question a bit, and without any definitive answer did one of three things: gave you a prescription, ordered some tests or told you to come back in a month if it wasn't any better. And, we pay for this? Yes, we do and a great deal actually.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking physicians. I happen to like them, have several friends among them, and am ever grateful for the times they've kept my family members alive. We need our physicians. No doubt about it.

I do want to share a, perhaps, radical idea: you know your own body better than your doctor. Gasp! Shocking!

The concept is simple and potentially very powerful. If your body is sending you a message, stop what you're doing and listen to it. We talked about this earlier in the week, read about Your Body is Wise.

Today, on this Friday before a holiday weekend, let's take the idea one step further. Declare yourself your own Primary Care Provider. Be the one best person, in the entire world, to look out for your own health and well being. It is not always a glamorous job, but the rewards are terrific. This weekend, you can enjoy some great rewards: get some extra rest, eat some summer vegetables and go outside and play.

Happy 4th of July!