By Rich Maloof

Don’t walk into your doctor’s office full of worry and wild theories. Letting your imagination—or your research—get out of hand may complicate the physician’s assessment.

Your time in front of a doctor is likely to be short, so use it wisely. Be well prepared and clear-headed. Again, we warn strongly against self-diagnosis. These are not tools for excluding your physician—they are suggestions for preparing in advance of an appointment.

1. Use reliable sources
Several consumer health guides provide helpful and fascinating medical information distilled in a language we can all understand. Leaders of the category include:

• Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide
  
• Mayo Clinic Family Health Book
  
• Johns Hopkins Family Health Book

2. Be aware of diagnostic guidelines
You don’t have to do your doctor’s job for her. But before you walk in with a theory you put together over lunch, know that your armchair evaluation is only valid insofar as it applies to formal diagnostic criteria.

“It can be helpful if a patient has done some homework, done some thinking, and focused their questions,” says Dr. Brent Bauer, general internist at Mayo Clinic. “Diagnosis can be a collaborative approach between the patient and doctor. But if a patient comes in saying, ‘From what I heard on Oprah, I have multiple sclerosis, so please start me on a study medicine’—well, that’s a whole different dynamic.”
Many conditions can be researched through the National Institutes of Health. Look for documents containing diagnostic criteria, risk factors and symptoms.

3. Keep a health journal
Record relevant events for a week or two prior to your visit. Boilerplate categories to include:

• Sleep (how many hours)
  
• Activity (exercise, strenuous activities)
  
• Diet (both food and liquids)
  
• When symptoms occurred
  
• Changes to your normal routine

4. Present clearly to your doctor
Use your health journal to provide an accurate history of your symptoms. When did the symptoms start? Have you ever had them before? Is the pain localized or general? What stress have you been under?

Consider what language accurately characterizes your pain or discomfort, including when and where it began. Dr. David Plourd of the Naval Medical Center in San Diego also recommends bringing reports from prior physician visits. “It can be helpful when a patient brings reports and photos, such as radiographic images, from prior operations. They should include the doctor’s written report or interpretation.”

5. Listen
Patients sometimes leave a doctor’s office without the closure of a diagnosis. The physician may suggest several possibilities or may have reason to withhold judgment. Unfortunately, the threat of malpractice is often to blame; in other instances, there isn’t enough information or history yet to present a clear-cut diagnosis. Never hesitate to seek a second opinion if you’re uncomfortable with the outcome or suggested course of treatment.

But even a doctor who reserves his opinion will ask for your active participation in your own health. Work at changing bad habits. Be observant of subsequent signs and symptoms. Consider short-term changes for long-term benefits. It is your doctor’s job to accurately assess your condition and guide you toward health. But ultimately you must take charge of your own well being

1. 5 Steps to an Accurate Diagnosis
   
2. Do You Really Need That Yearly Checkup?
   
3. Managing Job Stress
   
4. Meditation
   
5. Messages for men at each stage of life
   
6. Burn Fat With Food
   
7. Flaxseed oil: Healthful or harmful for men?
   
8. 5 strategies you can adopt today to prevent heart disease
   
9. Back pain at work: Strategies to prevent aches, pains and injuries
   
10. The dangers of high blood pressure: A look at what hypertension can do to different parts of your body
    
11. Am I Normal?
    
12. Anger management: Recognize and understand unhealthy behaviors