3 no-nonsense steps to taking charge of your own health

It always pays to be a smart medical consumer. Gone are the days when there was one approach to getting you well, and you accepted treatment without question.

• Today, smart patients search for the right treatment or surgeon the way they shop for a new car or dishwasher.
• They do research. They arm themselves with healthy skepticism.
• They ask a lot of questions.

In a world where options abound and medical procedures not covered by the government can be expensive, more and more patients want to know if doctors' orders are really the best medical treatment for their condition. They ask themselves How do I know? Is the cost worth it?

You have two options 

When Stephen H. Schneider learned that he had a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer, he realized he had two options:

1. He could become an average patient, do everything his doctors told him and hoping for the best/
2. Or he could learn everything he could about his disease and put his knowledge to use.

1. Be an active participant

Schneider took the latter course, reading up on all the treatment approaches available, both standard and experimental.

He questioned his doctors every step of the way. He didn't kick or scream; Schneider simply asked his doctors to let him participate in making decisions about his treatment.

2. Be persistent 

Doctors were reluctant at first but eventually saw that he truly understood his disease, and began to take his input seriously. In several instances, he persuaded them to bend the rules and try non-standard therapies — which may be one reason he lived to write about his experience in The Patient from Hell.

Schneider had an advantage over most patients in terms of understanding the nuances of medical research, since he's a noted scientist who studies global warming at Stanford University. But an advanced degree isn't required to become a better medical consumer.

3. Ask questions

All you need is persistence, a willingness to ask questions and a perception of yourself as a key player in your care instead of a victim. "Becoming a participant in your treatment tells your doctors you are a savvy patient and that they had better stay on their toes," says Schneider. "It can make a big difference in getting the best — not just average — care."You can gain a greater sense of control over your health and health care by applying the same philosophy to all the quandaries you confront that affect your well-being, both large and small.

1. Work with doctors in a way that improves your chances of getting top-quality treatment.
2. Make sense of medical news by knowing when to heed alarming headlines and when to ignore them.
3. Find accurate, unbiased information about medical conditions, which will help you make better health care decisions.

Apart from maintaining a healthy lifestyle, your role is to become informed about your health care options and involved in your own care.