Women need a voice in their medical treatment!
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It is a day to celebrate but it is also a day to raise awareness for issues that are still uniquely female. I believe that one of those issues sits in the way women engage in and are treated in the current health care system.
This is my call to action.
1/3 of deaths in the US are related to medical errors. 1/3! And it is not that I believe that 1/3 of doctors are not good at their jobs, it is that the system is failing patients and doctors and women are uniquely affected by this.
Did you know that women have a 50% higher risk of being given a wrong diagnosis when having a heart attack?
Did you know that is takes on average 5 years to have an autoimmune condition diagnosed?
That it takes a decade to be diagnosed with endometriosis?
Or that it takes approximately 5 years of struggling with debilitating fatigue before it is even properly investigated?
This is time that you could be treated, time that you could be healing, but instead you are suffering.
I take this issue very personally, not only because of my medical challenges but also because I work with these women everyday. Women that are going to their medical doctors, knowing deep within their bodies that something is wrong, and getting dismissed. Women that are finally challenging the system after years, or decades, of being dismissed and getting labelled as a ‘difficult patient’.
Women are not complicated! We are intricate. We are intune with our bodies and our needs but we are not hormonal whiners and I fear that this is how many are perceived. Again, this is a failure of the medical system, and the education system.
The current medical paradigm has not been taught to properly investigate the concerns of women. Aside from the reproductive system, the diagnostic criteria for many conditions are the same for men and women. This often leaves women in the dark.
Women are also educated to be obedient. We are taught in school to stay in line, not challenge authority and to please our superiors. Again, this is well meaning so that a teacher is able to maintain control over a class of 30 something children but that foundational principle stays with women in the long term. Sit down, don’t ask for more than you deserve, you will excel by being liked, being quiet and not challenging authority. This cannot be how you operate in the medical system!
Women need to be heard and unfortunately we still have to fight for that, as if it were a luxury, in many medical systems.
Not only do I see women every day who have received a diagnosis and want to naturally treat it, but I also see women struggling for ‘no apparent reason’.
The conditions that I most often see undiagnosed include the following:
- Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Severe hormonal imbalances including endometriosis, PCOS
- Autoimmune conditions
- Systemic inflammation
The conditions that I see not well supported by the current medical system include:
- Conditions of the thyroid
- Hormonal conditions (the birth control pill doesn’t regulate your hormones!)
- Hair loss
- Weight gain, insulin resistance and diabetes
- Fatigue and burn out
- Pain
- Digestive conditions (bloating and gas are not normal!)
The conditions that I see most commonly over diagnosed include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Post partum depression (it is often related to other causes and goes undiagnosed)
- IBS and heart burn
- Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome
(Many of these conditions have other causes that must first be investigated before being given a diagnosis. I am not saying these are not real, it is just that the alternatives need to be considered.)
You are not complaining or being difficult. You are not crazy for wanting to feel at your best!
Why do I feel the need to write about this?
If my practice is any indication, then the statistics are alarming! You deserve to feel well. You deserve to be given a diagnosis, to be given hope and to be supported. This is a right and together I want to start a movement to help women learn to speak up and be heard.
How to communicate in the medical system
Here are a few steps to get you started.
Focus on facts. It is more common for women to communicate in stories and pleasantries. Have you ever noticed that men tend to communicate in more short, abrupt, straight to the point ways then women? Or alternatively, are you a woman who communicates like this and then gets called names…bossy or another particular B-word? Pleasantries have their place but in a medical appointment time is of the essence (unless you are in my office J ) and you need to make the most of that time by telling your doctor exactly how you feel. Focusing on the facts and what the outcome you hope to achieve is key.
Appointments are short. Be prepared and empowered. This plays into the first point. You need to know what the outcome you want is. Do you want more testing? A referral? You are likely going to need to justify these things to your doctor, and thus to insurance companies. If you want your thyroid tested, and tested thoroughly, not just TSH, you will need to know why. Bring a list of your symptoms, the testing recommended by other doctors and remind them of your family history. All of these are important to your doctor’s final decision.
Have confidence and bring support if needed. Sometimes we all need support when standing up for ourselves and asking for what we want. In these situations, if you feel like you need someone else to help you have the confidence or to advocate for you, then do not hesitate to bring a mother, sister, husband or close friend. These support partners can reinforce to your doctor that your health concerns need to be more fully investigated.
Don’t take ‘it’s normal’ as an answer. Getting a second opinion on what is normal, specifically from a functional medicine doctor or naturopathic doctor, is a final key step on your journey to health. Medical reference ranges, or what is decided as ‘normal’, is far from what we know in the research is optimal. If your labs look fine to a medical doctor and you still feel unwell then don’t think that that is your destiny. Sometimes you just need someone to read between the lines for you!
All in all, on this International Women’s Day, and every other day of the year, I want you to begin to think differently about your health, what is possible and I want to challenge you to advocate for yourself if you are not getting the care you deserve. I don’t believe that the current medical system is set up to advocate for or support women in the best way it could be. But together I believe we can change that.
