[lou_lou]

Times are indeed changing--

and all because of you.

In our society, the traditional structure of the doctor-patient relationship is being transformed by patients like yourselves who are no longer willing to assume the passive role, but choose instead to be "active patients," educating themselves about their condition so that they can become partners with their physicians in the management of their healthcare.


Herb of Corona del Mar, California, is typical of this new breed of medical consumer who fortify themselves with information, explore all treatment options thoroughly, and then commit themselves 100 percent to the treatments that make the most sense to them.

Because of a bone disease in his hips called avascular necrosis, Herb had walked with crutches and lived pain for two and one-half years. Discouraged after more than a year of unsuccessful treatment, Herb contacted one of the new health information services to provide him with information about his hip condition. Included in his report from the service was an article about a new experimental treatment called hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) that had been successful for a disorder similar to Herb's. Herb contacted the doctor who wrote the article and asked if this therapy might be beneficial for his condition. The doctor replied that the HBO has not been proven effective for avascular necrosis, but he felt that in Herb's case it was worth trying.

http://ahha.org/articles.asp?Id=36