6 Things Your Doc Shouldn’t Tell You To Do

Posted by & filed under Dealing with MDs.

Chiropractic Lane (www.chiropractic-lane.com) and Safety Lane (www.safety-lane.com)
Regular readers (love ya!) know we YOU Docs think it’s vital to cut medical costs, for the economy’s sake and yours. You shouldn’t spend a dime on health care that you don’t need. Yet it likely happens whenever you see a doc. The upshot: billions of dollars wasted, often because MDs are “covering the bases” (or their behinds). Now physician coalitions are urging docs and you to just say “no” to these steps, unless you’re both sure you need them.

Don’t get X-rayed for low-back pain. Yep, it’s miserable, but it usually clears up in a few days or a few weeks. An X-ray won’t help. It just exposes you to radiation. Get one only if the pain lasts six weeks, sharply worsens or you have other symptoms (like leg problems).

Don’t take antibiotics for sinusitis. It’s unlikely to be bacterial, especially in the first 10 days. Yet 80 percent of the millions who see docs for sinusitis get antibiotics, which only fight bacterial infections. You’re taking drugs that won’t work.

Don’t get a Pap test if you’ve had a total hysterectomy. The surgery removed your cervix. Paps look for abnormal cervix cells. No cervix, no point.

Don’t get “routine” ECGs. Plenty of savvy docs order electrocardiograms for people over 40 as part of a routine checkup, no matter how healthy they are.

Don’t lie down for a bone density scan if you’re under 65. Exceptions: You’ve lost height, taken steroids or had a bizarre bone fracture (like from a hard sneeze).

Don’t get a complete blood work-up or urine analysis if you’re healthy. Save ’em for when something internal’s gone amuck.