The Kathleen Show Blog

Do you tell your doctor enough?

Posted by Cari @ The Kathleen Show

“Good health care really can’t be delivered without good communication.” --Dr. Mark Chassin

If you ever feel a little dazed and confused when you leave the doctor's office, this interview is for you.  Dr. Mark R. Chassin talks to Kathleen about the importance of communication between patients and physicians (this is not the time to be embarrassed or modest), and why asking the right questions is vital at every stage of care. 

Dr. Chassin offers concrete solutions including checklists, questions to ask regarding medications, surgeries and lab work, and when to ask for a second opinion. He also talks about patient resources through SPEAK UP, a campaign from The Joint Commission that helps patients be proactive about their care.  When it comes to your health, good communication could save your life.

Listen to Dr. Chassin’s interview:


Related:

The prescription for a healthy life?  Less pills, more prevention.

Everything you thought you knew about hospitals and healthcare…

Never miss another interview again.  Sign up for The Kathleen Show podcast.

Dr. Andrew Weil in the house...

And he blew me away.
 

"If you told the average physician to manage a case without using a drug, he or she wouldn’t know what to do." ~Andrew Weil M.D.

Can I make a personal recommendation? If you haven't already read Dr. Andrew Weil's books or regularly visit his website (as in daily), make the time to make it happen. It's some of the best health advice you'll find.

I was excited when we booked Dr. Weil, but nothing prepared me for the connection I felt to his words during our interview. 

His no BS and specific advice for taking our health into our own hands got me charged up and diving for a pen to take notes (yes, during the interview...I almost forgot we were on air). 

Why can't all medicine be like this? 

Listen to Dr. Weil's interview:

Andrew Weil, M.D. is considered the Father of Integrative Medicine and is a best-selling author many times over.

This entry has been posted as part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

Related:

Prevention not Prescriptions

The Dr. Larry Dossey interview 

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Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, February 2

Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to healthier living.  Tuesdays are our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to more pills and the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits.

Dr. Malynn Talks Cleansing

Keeping the body in tune

A colleague of my husband’s recently asked me about doing a gallbladder cleanse.

This got me thinking about all the misinformation floating around about cleansing and what it really means to keep our bodies in tune.  As a physician, I see cleansing and light fasting as powerful tools to reintroduce us to our bodies’ natural biorhythms.  Instead of eating whatever is available whenever we have time, a cleanse allows us to ask, “Am I really hungry and what am I hungry for?”  Quieting yourself down, you may also learn what has made you feel empty over the years.  Read more…

Those relentless Girl Scouts!

"This Girl Scout season make the choice of good health"
By Dan Overlander
@pyschiclunch

Drugs…

Taking your mind back
By Jeremy Starke
@lotusworker


Self Care & Alternative Treatments

Chinese food therapy…trail mix
By Erin Hessel
@NYAcupuncture

Nutritional therapy for chicken pox
By Peggy Webb
@wwwebbs


Fitness

It used to be necessary for survival…
By Dr. Joe
@DrjoesDIYhealth


Food, Diet & Nutrition

What do burgers and fries have to do with diabetes?
By Dr. Ayala
@DrAyala

The rise of obesity: Beverages
By Susan Dopart
@smnutritionist

What self-respecting New York woman cooks?
By Jennifer Schonborn
@jcshonborn

Building a better soda
By Lisa Corrado
@LCNutrition

On-the-go goodness
By Tess Challis
@tesschallis


Information is Inspiration

Love your Lymph Month
By Melissa aka "The Cellulite Analyst"
@CelluliteFiles


Personal Responsibility

Diets…they’re all a smokescreen, aren’t they?
By Pat Barone
@patbarone

What is your intention when you eat?
By Karen Anderson
@kclanderson


Happiness = Healthiness

“The Happiness Project”
By Dr. Michelle Gannon
@DrMichellexo

What does your 2-week bucket list look like?
By Jack
@jackventures

Passion round-up
By Aye
@gotpassport

And your post is next…


In the Media:

FDA Aims at Doctors' Drug Pitches
By Natasha Singer
@The New York Times

Antidepressants:  The Emperor's New Drugs?
By Irving Kirsch, P.h.D.
@The Huffington Post



Related:

Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, January 26 with Lisa Oz

Lisa Oz gets personal

Participate in Prevention Not Prescriptions

Sign up for The Kathleen Show podcasts

Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, January 26

Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to healthier living.  Tuesdays are our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to more pills and the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits.

Lisa Oz Gets Personal

Letting go of judgment...for a healthier mind and happier life

One of the infuriating blessings of my life is the supreme sense of irony in the universe. I don’t know if it happens to you – but every time I’m really contemptuous of something – you can bet, I’m headed right for it.  Now, contempt is not an admirable emotion by anyone’s standards, but it’s one of those things we seem to fall into rather easily. That whole feeling of superiority expressed with “I would never do that” or “Can you believe they…?” has a way of sneaking into our thought and conversation. For me, the danger is not just that I’ll be internalizing a negative feeling, but that somehow, someday, I will end up living what I disdain. Read more...

Bustin' out of BETA 



Video commentary from Kathleen
(She has no explanation for what was going on with her hair in this video)
@kathleenshow

Food, Diet & Nutrition

Are artificial sweeteners a healthy option?
By Dr. Ayala
@Dr. Ayala

Solving the national health care crisis with real food
By Sharada Hall
@DrSharada

10 dangerous sweeteners in Coca-Cola®
By Stefan Pinto
@stefanpinto

What you can do: Eat locally
By Dan Overlander
@psychiclunch

Another reason to ban french fries and chips from your diet
By Peggy Webb
@wwwebbs

Start your day in a better way
By Lisa Corrado
@LCNutrition


Self Care & Alternative Treatments

Get this fat burning hormone without a prescription
By Shane Ellison
@peopleschemist

Indigestion…need some relief? 
By Cathy Margolin
@pacherbs

Lose weight with acupuncture
By Erin Hessel
@NYAcupuncture

Relaxation station
By Quintessence Challis
@tesschallis


Fitness

How to start an exercise routine that lasts
By Melissa
@cellulitefiles

Gaiam giveaway
By Michelle Pfennighaus
@Mpfennighaus


Personal Responsibility

Be a better you in 2010
By Dr. Joe
@drjoesDIYhealth

5 easy steps to keep your New Year’s resolutions
By Jack
@jackventures

Food fight
By Pat Barone
@PatBarone


Information is Inspiration

The real link between diabetes and obesity
By Randal Miller
@healthconsult

Get your Omega 3’s
By Susan Dopart
@smnutritionist


Happiness = Healthiness

Helping others is good for you
By Dr. Michelle Gannon
@DrMichellexo

Treat yourself with kindness today
By Mary Langfield
@MulberryMary

Live small, give big
By Aye
@GotPassport

Setting boundaries is good for your health
By Karen Anderson
@kclanderson

And your post is next…



In the Media:

Patient Safety: Conversation to Curriculum

Sleep: A Surprising Way to Lower Blood Pressure

Top Hospitals Questioned in Electronic Health Records Probe

Related:

Participate in Prevention Not Prescriptions

Prevention Not Prescriptions launch press release

Michael Pollan on The Daily Show

Funny and informative. 

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Michael Pollan
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

There was an interesting point here about the health insurance industry taking on the food industry because of the hit to the insurers' bottom line under a new bill where folks cannot be dropped or denied due to pre-existing conditions. It might turn into a war of industries though...because pharma makes a heck of a lot of money from us eating crap.

Side note: The first time I hit play on this video, a McDonald's ad played first. Ha!

(And if you're new to the show and this blog, here is my interview with Michael Pollan. One of our most popular ever.)

Related:

Do you own McDonald's?

Food, sex and...Michael Pollan?

Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, December 15

Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to better health.

It's straight forward and simple. Tuesdays will be our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits. Sound like something you want to be involved with?  Here are the details on how to participate each week.

Once again, a big thank you to all of the contributors below who got involved this week—the last post until after the New Year. When we come back in 2010 we'll be blasting out of 'BETA' with a brand spanking new design and even more great health and wellness info. (Stay tuned for more on what’s in store for Prevention Not Prescriptions in 2010.) 

Until then, enjoy the latest edition of Prevention Not Prescriptions which will have you thinking twice about what you’re putting on your face, and learning a thing or two about cholesterol (turns out it may not be as bad you thought). Enjoy!

And this isn’t your typical Prevention Not Prescriptions post, but this week we’re kicking things off with this disturbing video report.  It serves as a critical reminder that we have to be thinking about the food we’re eating…

Downer pigs in the food supply

(Also check out this follow-up piece from our newest PNP contributor: Beef recall?  Here we go again)


Drugs…

Cholesterol…a different view


Food, Diet & Nutrition

Mixed messages

You vs. the free radicals

Why eat an anti-inflammatory diet?

The truth of dieting

Body-driven change


Self Care & Alternative Treatments

Let’s broaden our minds…about cosmetics

Easy at-home facial & natural acne care


Fitness

Lessons from my personal Mr. Miyagi: Episode 2


Happiness = Healthiness

Why work on marriage?


And your post is next…



In the Media

Anti-soda Ad:  Most Disgusting Commercial of All Time? 

One for the ladies… Menopause:  As Brought to You by Big Pharma

And one for the men… Sure, It’s Treatable, But Is It a Disorder?



Related:

It’s not too late:  Give the gift of prevention for the holidays

Get well with…prayer

Prevention Not Prescriptions:  Tuesday, December 8

Pick of the Week: Tara Stiles

She's quirky, fresh and keeping us healthy. 
 

Ok, so I'm about a week behind posting the "picks" I cover on air. But trust me, this one is better late than never.

Watch the above video and see why Vanity Fair says, "Tara Stiles has got to be the coolest yoga instructor ever."

And she's my guest this coming weekend...

Register for the podcasts and never miss another show.

Downer pigs in the food supply

Still think you can ignore where your food comes from? Buy from farmers you trust.

Related

Kathleen's interview with:

Humane Society CEO Wayne Pacelli about factory farms.

Michael Pollan

Author Rory Freedman

Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, December 8

Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to better health.

It's straight forward and simple. Tuesdays will be our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits. Sound like something you want to be involved with?  Here are the details on how to participate each week.

Once again, a big thank you to all of the contributors below who got involved this week.  This edition of Prevention Not Prescriptions has everything from the low down on what’s in the H1N1 vaccine to the must-have health products you’d want if you were stranded on a deserted island (or at the very least in your cabinet at home). Enjoy!

And we’re starting things off this week with one of the most intriguing interviews we’ve had on the show…

Kicking cancer’s butt with natural remedies


Drugs…

MSG in your H1N1 vaccine?


Personal Responsibility

Do you promise to obey?


Food, Diet & Nutrition

Can we trust the food industry?

Help for cellulite with real food

I wanna be French!

Solving childhood obesity

Nutrition enhances injury recovery

Sprouting for kids


Self Care & Alternative Treatments

Health products you want to have with you on a deserted island

Preventing diabetes

Keeping kids healthy this season

The hormone high wire balancing act of PMS


Fitness

Lessons with a Tai Chi master


Happiness = Healthiness

Appreciate each other

Stepping stones


And your post is next…


In the Media

The Insurance Industry’s Lethal Bottom Line by Wendell Potter

The 6 Weirdest, Scariest Processed Foods

Questioning a $30,000-a-Month Cancer Drug




Related:

Give the gift of prevention for the holidays…

Thank you Bill Moyers and Wendell Potter

Prevention Not Prescriptions:  Tuesday, December 1

Kicking cancer's butt with natural remedies

He was given six months to live...it's now eleven years later.

This astonishing interview will change how you look at cancer and its treatment for good.

 

In 1999 Jerry Brunetti was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and told that he had as little as six months to live. Forgoing traditional radiation and chemotherapy, Jerry used his vast knowledge of farming and animal nutrition and embarked on his own journey to become cancer free. 

Jerry shares how he defied the cancer odds and took charge of his health using a holistic approach. Recruiting a team of medical coaches, he focused on immune modulation using natural substances, a routine of supplements and rigorous nutrition, and detoxification. Here he busts the cancer myths and offers advice to others who are battling this epidemic disease. 

Listen to Jerry's interview 

More on Jerry Brunetti...

This entry has been posted as part of The Kathleen Show's Prevention Not Prescriptions initiative, as well as Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.