05/29/2026
Let’s talk about patient-provider relationships for a minute. Yes, there absolutely SHOULD BE a comfortable relationship with your doctor! What is more important than your body? Your health? YOUR LIFE!!??
If you are going to your doctors appointments in fear of being belittled, ignored, shamed or anything but happy then your provider isn’t right for you. If you are going and not discussing what you really intended to discuss because you’re worried about being judged then you’re wasting your money and time.
It is important for both of you to listen to each other. You should be coming up with a plan together that best meets your individual needs as a patient with the professional knowledge of your provider. You should BOTH be in agreement to the plan. You should feel comfortable talking about things you’ve researched about your body, requesting labs, and talking about supplements that you take or wish to take. On the other hand, you should trust your doctors education and input in regards to what will be helpful or not. If this is not the case, your relationship is not satisfactory.
It is very saddening to me when I hear patients say they came home crying because their doctor belittled them or when they say they just didn’t mention it in fear of what their provider had to say. This is equivalent to bullying and it shouldn’t be tolerated. We have come so far away from caring about people. It also is the responsibility of the patient to trust their providers and if that trust is not there then the relationship is not ideal either.
Let’s work together as providers and patients to develop these relationships and bring healthcare back to what it should be.
