Dr. Lara shares important ways to advocate for yourself in the medical system. Learn about the elements of informed consent; the historical origins of informed consent in the U.S., including the Tuskegee Study; and common biases in medicine. Learn tips on how to handle tough conversations with your doctor, and things you should be asking from your doctor for your own knowledge and decision-making. Dr. Lara talks about medical gaslighting, and what are the signs of medical gaslighting. It is very important that you know what your medical rights are and that you have the power to make decisions when it comes to your health.
This episode is for educational purposes only, not intended for medical advice.
Resource Links:
- NVIC: https://www.nvic.org
Podcast Episode 22 Transcript
Welcome to Physician Heal Thyself, the podcast empowering you to take a whole person approach to your well-being, spirit, soul, and body. Join me your host, Dr. Ana Lara, a naturopathic, doctor, entrepreneur, and a servant of Jesus Christ. We are not just a body. We are spirit and soul. It’s time to integrate medicine and spirituality into our healing. Let’s get started. Welcome back to Physician Healing Self, the podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Alara. This is episode 22, and in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about how to advocate for yourself in the medical system. It is not uncommon that I talk to so many patients when they first come to me and hear just the ridiculous stories of how they were treated by medical professionals. So we’re going to get started into this conversation. There are a lot of key things that I want you to take away from this.
So you might want to make some notes, but I want to make sure that you’re understanding what informed consent really means. So every patient, when you’re in the doctor’s office, you’ve signed paperwork to give consent, to examine and so forth. But when someone gives you any therapeutic, especially one that’s going to be injected into your body, you do need to be informed of what’s in it, what are the benefits, and what are the risks. And if you decide not to do it, what is the alternative option? So those are the four main points. The four principles of informed consent are to know the nature of the procedure, to understand what the risks are, to understand the benefits, and to know what those alternative options are. Now there’s another category of the elements of informed consent, and this is through a more legal, regulatory, philosophical, medical, and psychological approach that in the profession they’ve taken into account.
And this is that you have to have these elements to have a true informed consent through an ethical and philosophical approach. And that is disclosure. So disclosure consists of making sure that they’re thoroughly going through that process. So if you’re having surgery, they have to explain what’s going to happen in that surgery, everything from beginning to end. And part of that, that second step of this category is the person needs to be able to understand what they’re consenting to. So if there’s a language barrier, you need to make sure that person knows that they understand. So being in the medical industry for so many years, there have been times that I’ve worked in other clinics where I didn’t speak the language that the patient spoke and there wasn’t a reliable source of an interpreter present for me to ensure this person really understands what’s going to happen here.
So in those situations, doctors, medical clinics, and hospitals need to get a qualified interpreter who can be neutral in both parties. And as the doctor’s explaining or the medical staff is explaining the procedure that that person is saying, yes, I understand. Yes, I consent to this, which goes on a deeper low rabbit trail here because children are not able to give consent. So regardless of what the state laws are from an ethical medical standpoint and a psychological and philosophical too, because a minor is not able to fully comprehend and make an informed decision. So the parent needs to be the one consenting to procedures, therapies, and so forth. So disclosure is the first one and understanding is the second. The third is that you’re voluntarily agreeing to take or do this procedure, so you have to be willing to do it. If the person is resistant and hesitant, then you cannot continue with true informed consent.
And then there’s the level of competence of the person is the fourth one. If they’re not able to make a decision because there are cognitive impairments, then there has to be a legal person to step in and help in making that decision. And then there’s the official consent, right? So disclosure, understanding, voluntariness competence, and consent. These are the five elements of informed consent when we’re looking at it from a true regulatory, legal, philosophical, medical, and psychological lens all of these elements need to be present. And clearly, that doesn’t happen in medicine, and it definitely didn’t happen in the last three or four years. I try to stay away from using the term, but that was a very great example of a time not just in this country but around the world. And I don’t know what the laws of other countries are, but I know what the laws in this country in the United States are.
And we have laws that protect individuals from doing procedures, from doing therapies, from doing things that they do not want. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of coercion that happens in the medical industry. And now more on a wider scale of government. I want to talk about the origins of informed consent. Back in the 1930s, the US started to regulate informed consent laws when Nazi physicians conducted horrific experiments on human subjects without their consent. And then during wartime, this is during World War ii, the Nuremberg Trials came, and so they made the Nuremberg codes, and that sets 10 ethical principles that physicians and searchers have to follow in order to conduct experimentation on humans. So they need to consent to that. I kind of consider these last four years in experiments because a lot of people did not properly consent to getting these vaccines. And then of course, in 1932 to 1972, there was a Tuskegee syphilis study that was conducted without consent of black African-American men.
This involved certain therapies and they studied without informing the men of the trial. They just didn’t get informed consent, and they didn’t have any of these elements they did not understand, and they didn’t have the competence to understand what they were agreeing to. And so throughout the history of the United States, the government has come up with these laws to protect people from being forced to do something that they don’t want to or they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. So obviously we know that informed consent is something that some demographics might not be fully aware of. A lot of people are not aware of it, and it’s very serious to me, especially when I hear so many stories of patients that they did not consent to certain things and they still went through with the procedures and there were negative effects on those therapies that they received.
You got to be careful once again, just because these are government agencies, I hope I don’t get in trouble here, but I hope you learn to question everything. I believe that systems and people start off with good intentions, but even systems and people who start with good intentions can go down a road that’s not helpful for the rest of humanity. And so you have every right to question, why is this legal agency asking us to do something that doesn’t seem to make legal sense, moral sense, and even scientific sense, right? So you have the right to question that. So I want to talk about common, some of the communities that are common will face some bias, and everyone’s affected by bias in how they’re treated in the medical system. But these are some of the ones that I hear consistently, not just in my clinic, but through studies and things that I’ve read throughout my time.
It’s white females. They’re often told that their problem is in their head. And if you’re told this, that’s a form of gaslighting, which we’re going to talk about later on. Black women have the highest effect of bias. Native Americans and Hispanics have a high effect on bias. Men are often neglected when it comes to mental health. They don’t always get the help that they need because they look fine on the outside, so they never really offer or check on that status. Language barriers can be an issue. Poverty and lower educational levels, everyone really is impacted bias by unconscious bias. And so one of the things that I often educate and I want to speak to is you need to have the courage to speak up when these experiences happen to you. And do it respectfully, of course, but bring it up to their attention that you feel that you’re being neglected or that you’re being overlooked, that you’re not being taken seriously.
Let the doctor know that you’re not being heard and that you want some solutions. If they don’t know the answer, that’s okay, but point you in the direction of who can help you with your situation. So those are some of the common biases to keep an eye out for. Now, how do we handle these conversations with your doctor? So you’re in your doctor’s office, you’re not happy with the approach. Maybe you feel like you haven’t been hurt. How do you handle those tough conversations with your doctor? So I have some points here to share with you on things that you should definitely consider doing when it comes to advocating for yourself. Take someone with you. There’s nothing wrong in taking someone with you to a doctor’s visit in the hospital wherever it is, because oftentimes if you’re not feeling well, it may be difficult for you to comprehend everything and to fully digest all the information that’s coming at you, especially if you’re in a hospital setting.
Highly advise that you take someone with you when you are in these facilities. I also suggest that you go prepared. If you’re going into a doctor’s visit, you already know what you’re going in for, make sure you’re writing down what your concerns and your top questions are. We know that doctors don’t have a whole lot of time in their visits to sit there and answer your questions, but if you write your questions down or concerns you want to share, be very pinpoint specific. That way it takes less time and you can get them answered. That can help facilitate the conversation and also that you get your questions and concerns addressed, which should be part of every visit. So make sure you’re taking something to write. You could do it on your phone, but it’s always nice to just take something to write and make notes.
You can record the conversation now before you record the conversation. You do want to let your doctor or whatever professional staff is there that you would like to record the conversation. That way you’re giving them informed consent that you will be recording the conversation. And so this is very critical, especially if you have a loved one in the hospital. These conversations should be recorded, especially if there’s not someone with him there because there are a lot of things that doctors may communicate to the patient they’re not able to fully comprehend. And so if someone’s recording or the patient’s recording this is later on, someone can take a look at that and you’d be surprised, I’ve done this before, or I record the conversation, or someone’s recorded the conversation and sent it to me, and there’s a discrepancy in what the doctor said and what the patient is understanding.
So it’s nice to do that, but I do out of respect, I do ask that you let the doctor know, and the staff know that you will record if it’s okay to record. Another key thing to do is when you’re not happy with the tough conversation you have with your doctor and you’re not happy about what they’re telling you, the recommendations, the approach that they’re taking, it’s okay to get a second opinion, go find another doctor and get a second opinion on that particular situation. I’ve had people do more than a second opinion. They’ll continue to seek around for different advice. So that’s always a good thing. It’s okay to reference other doctor’s opinions because the reality is that every doctor is going to have a different perspective, opinion, and approach. So you have the right to investigate. Now, if your doctor’s not listening, it’s very simple.
Find a new doctor. Just find a new doctor that you trust that you like, and that is listening to your needs and is doing something about it. It’s unhealthy to go into a working professional relationship with a doctor who is just neglectful, not listening, and gaslighting that you’re not really getting any solutions. Just find another doctor and know that there’s nothing wrong with you to speak up. I know sometimes people are afraid or they’re a little embarrassed because they’re up against an authority figure, but there’s nothing wrong in asking what is that? And I’ll tell you a quick story here. I remember when I was 27 years old and was in the doctor’s office and she was diagnosing me with thyroid issues. I did not have a medical background, or science background at all. My background was in business finance. I knew that world. And so when she said, oh, you have thyroid issues, I was like, what is that?
I was so embarrassed to ask the doctor, what is the thyroid? Where is the thyroid? I mean, this is like 2006. Thyroid conditions are not talked about everywhere, and it wasn’t talked about back then so much. I thought that I started to think maybe the thyroid, maybe it’s in my thighs. Yeah, completely foolishness, right? But I was so embarrassed to ask my doctor, what is the thyroid? What does it do? But here’s what I did. I went home and I went online and I googled, what is a thyroid? What does it do? And that night, I just educated myself on this gland. So don’t be embarrassed to ask. If there are concerns that you have or questions about something you don’t understand, just ask the doctor or ask someone for that. And of course, if there is a real reason to put in a formal complaint, your rights have been violated, you’ve been forced to do something against your wishes, or you felt you were being forced against your wishes, you can make a formal complaint to their medical board as well.
Sometimes doctors like to control the conversation, and the reason they do that is they have really limited time to spend with each patient. So this is why it’s helpful to come prepared with some key two, or three top things that you want to ask and that you have concerns about in your visit. Something I see often in my practice, and I really encourage my patients and everyone, is to get copies of your labs and your imaging every time. Not so much the doctor’s chart notes, but get copies of the labs and imaging because you’d be surprised how often things go unseen in your labs. Imaging doctors won’t tell you everything that’s on the reports, and they see so many patients that sometimes they overlook what’s on those reports. I’ve had people tell me, well, my doctor said everything was fine. They show me the labs.
I’m like, no, you’re not. You’re super vitamin D deficient. This is off. That’s off. We need to address these things. So get a copy of that for yourself, and that way you can have those records to show future doctors. Or if you do go for a second opinion, you have those records with you. Don’t assume that because your doctor says your A one, your hemoglobin A1C, which screens for diabetes. Don’t assume that because they say it’s okay that it is okay. You want to be able to see the number yourself and see where you’re at because their assumption of, okay, might be in a pre-diabetic state, and that’s not okay. So get those labs, like I said, it can really help you, and make sure that if there are questions you have on those labs and imaging, ask them. Ask them, can I have you show me the report?
Explain that to me, please. You have the right to explain what’s on there. Another problem that I see with care is when a patient really should be referred to a specialist, but then the doctor is a little hesitant about maybe the primary care is hesitant to refer to the specialist. They might not think there’s a reason for it, but the patient oftentimes has really credible reasons to want to go see the cardiologist, whether they’re having symptoms or there’s a family history of it, they’ve done some blood work, there’s some concerns there. Advocate for yourself to say, yeah, can you please give me the referral to go see a cardiologist? Just keep insisting until they get you that referral. It doesn’t cost them anything, but sending the referral and your last chart note so that way that you can coordinate your care. And I really want you to know that it is your responsibility to advocate for yourself and to be in the driver’s seat of your health.
So make sure that you’re coordinating your care. Even if a doctor says, yes, I’m going to send the referral to the specialist, and you’ve heard nothing from the specialist, don’t wait. Call the doctor. Get the information from make sure that the referral was sent out. There are a lot of times there’s just such an overwhelming in the information that’s getting sent from one office to another that you want to make sure that it just wasn’t forgotten or it maybe did get sent, but referring the place that you’re being referred to just hasn’t gotten to you. Be proactive and make those calls to make sure that your coordination of care can get follow through on that. I always tell my patients, you’re in the driver’s seat of your health, so don’t let another doctor or another professional take the driver’s seat from you. You’re the one directing your health.
Here we’re going to talk about, the next thing I want to discuss is something that is very, it happens. I don’t know if doctors or professionals mean to do it intentionally, but it just happens. And that’s medical gaslighting. So when a doctor or healthcare professional blames you of your symptoms or denies that you have these symptoms, that’s medical gaslighting. So I often see this with, like I said, women who have a lot going on and they’re doing blood work. They’ve done maybe some imaging, maybe they referred and everything seems to present well on there. And so then the doctors or professionals, I’ve seen this in counseling too, where they’ll say, it’s just in your head, there’s nothing wrong with you. And that is a lie. Oftentimes these people have a lot going on. It’s just a matter of the doctor didn’t do the test that would unveil to reveal the true diagnosis of that person.
If they’re just doing basic blood work, that’s not going to reveal an autoimmune condition, for example. So you want to make sure that you’re aware that medical gaslighting is a real thing. And so some of the top signs of what medical gaslighting can look like is this. So the doctor or professional is dismissive of your symptoms. They’re invalidating your experience. So it’s like, yeah, that’s not really happening. It’s just in your head. They blame or shame you. They refuse further testing or treatment. They ignore your medical history. There’s a lack of empathy and compassion. And if you’re intimidated by them, these are all medical gaslighting situations that you want to keep an eye out for. And if you feel like you’ve fallen into any of these, the best thing to do is just call it out. Just speak up. I am very surprised how many people don’t speak up.
And even in some situations when people do speak up, they’re still not heard. And this is a good time to walk away from that situation because what oftentimes happens is that medical gaslighting turns into medical trauma. And so I have several patients who’ve come to me. They have medical gaslighting happening with their physician or in their experience, and then they end up having medical trauma, and they come to me scared of everything. They feel like they can’t trust a doctor and they’re not sure if this is safe, if they’re going to have negative repercussions of this natural substance. Now they question everything, and there’s a lot of anxiety around anything that I recommend. And so I know that that’s the medical trauma that they’ve experienced, and there’s ways to heal through that with a lot of nature paths. When we see that and notice that in our patients, we give them the power and authority to make the decision will present options, and let them pick what they feel safe with.
So how do you overcome medical gaslighting and trauma that you may have experienced? Man, I wish I could share so many stories with you guys on people, but to respect their privacy, I’ll tell you, it involves receiving vaccinations. They didn’t want to or being pushed on a vaccine they didn’t want to take, and they were constantly harassed for not taking it. They end up leaving the office. I’ve had women who in GYN exams, during exams, they felt they were treated very harshly. There might’ve been some sexual trauma for them, and they disclosed that to the doctor, and there was still no compassion and no empathy, and nothing was done with finesse. It was very traumatizing. I’ve had women who went in for surgery and extra organs came out that shouldn’t have come out. Just a lot of assumptions that doctors make on both men and women.
I’m just using examples of women, what’s coming to my mind where it was a complete violation of them physically of their decision making. And so that’s kind of triggered them to not trust. So if you find yourself to have experienced medical gaslighting, which we all kind of did, if you go back to 2020, if you’ve experienced medical gaslighting or some medical trauma or abuse, what I highly encourage is that you start to learn to trust your instincts. Listen to that inner physician that’s inside of you. I say we all have an inner physician. Trust that gut. If something feels off, don’t do it. Take time. Say, you know what? I need to postpone this right now. Let me take some time to think about it. Let me take some time to reflect. I need to get out of here and get out of there. You’re not five years old. You can leave that. You can leave the doctor’s office. You can ask to be discharged. The other thing is to educate yourself and talk to someone who may know a little bit more about your particular situation.
Knowledge is going to be the most powerful tool that you have. So leave the situation that you’re in and then start researching yourself and ask questions. You may not know at all, but like I said, turn to someone who may have a better idea of where to go from there. Document your experience and like I said, report these cases to the appropriate medical associations and formal complaints and find a doctor, find a new doctor that’s going to work with you. And if you do have some of that medical trauma, then work with a therapist that has experience working with medical trauma, and medical abuse that people have experienced. And I guarantee you that usually there’s other trauma in the person’s life that has also allowed them to stay in that position. And it has to do with the power that authority figures have over us.
So I’m going to point you back to, in terms of legal medical rights, I’m going to point you back to nvi.org. There’s a lot of information there on your legal rights, and that’s really important to know. What are your rights when it comes to advocating for yourself when it comes to insurance? That’s a whole different beast. You really have to challenge insurance companies to ensure that they’re covering you, that you’re getting approvals, and prior authorizations for the therapies that are indicated for you to be on. If you don’t push the insurance companies to get them approved, they’ll just deny you. So don’t take the first, no, just keep challenging the system. So there’s so much to this conversation on how to advocate for yourself. And really the big point is to speak up, speak up research, educate yourself, and know that you have all the right to decide what you’re going to do to your physical body. No one can impose that. You have to do this therapy even. And I’m not saying you should do this. Even people who have cancer, have the right to refuse doing chemotherapy, whether they’re seeking other therapeutics or not. Some people decide I’m just going to die. And that’s like, as a doctor, we don’t like to hear that. We don’t like to hear that our patients are choosing to die because we want them to live. That’s why we went into the field.
But it’s still ultimately the person’s choice. And it comes down to the quality of life. It’s their choice if that’s what they wish to do. So be informed, stay educated, speak up, ask questions, and remember, ultimately it is your choice. And continue to advocate for yourself. Don’t wait for someone to do the work for you. I hope you’ve enjoyed this segment. There’s so much to it. If you guys have specific questions about this, specific stories that you’ve encountered, medical gaslighting, or medical trauma, feel free to send me an email and share your story with me at PhysicianHealThyselfthepodcast@gmail.com. And so we’re going to go into the good, the bad, and the ugly in our current medical system.
So guess what? I’m going to say what’s wrong with our current healthcare system? The last four years have been the most coercion I have seen when it comes to medical care. And this is why it’s so important that we understand that we have in this country, we have rights, we have freedoms, and we have the freedom to choose what we’re going to do with our bodies. And so whether it’s your doctor, whether it’s a government official or agency, they don’t have the right to force anyone to do anything. And so when we don’t understand how our bodies work and what it entails to be healthy, this is a great opportunity for someone else to have control over us. So the way to offset that control is to arm yourself with knowledge and have the courage to speak up and state what you want and what you don’t want.
So I hope this conversation has helped you to know that you have the right to choose what you wish to do with your body and in terms of which medications and which type of care you wish to receive. And as part, of a physician, healing me, is to take ownership of your well-being and your health. And so thank you for joining me in this episode. And until next time, be blessed. Thank you for listening to Physician Heal Thyself, the podcast. If you like what you’ve heard, please like, share and subscribe to help this message reach more people who may need to hear it. Leave your comments. I want to know what you think. If you’re interested in learning more about Raices, visit our website. Until next time, be blessed.