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thank you for rating! How Not to Die from Latrophobia or Odontophobia

No one likes to get sick. It means that you can't do the things you enjoy or the things you live for. When you're sick, you don't feel like doing much of anything, except lying in bed. You might get better on your own, but then again, you might not. If you stay sick long enough, sooner or later you'll have to go to the doctor, whether you want to or not.

Be a Sleuth

If you're afraid of doctors, one of the best ways to get over your fear is to be under the care of one you like and trust. To find that kind of doctor takes a bit of sleuthing. Here's what I do: I look for a doctor who is geographically convenient, and I won't go to any doctor who is not board certified in his or her specialty or subspecialty. Board certification means that a doctor has had extra training after medical school and internship in an approved training program to become an expert in a field of medicine such as family practice, internal medicine, or gynecology, then has passed a rigorous qualifying examination (the boards).

Ask Around

Personality is important to me, too, so I ask around to get a feel for what a doctor is like. Nurses are a great resource, since they're the ones who work with doctors day to day and see how they treat patients. I also ask friends, family, coworkers, and colleagues.

I also want a doctor who treats me with respect and doesn't sugarcoat things. What you need most is good communication. You end up telling a doctor a lot of intimate details about your life. If you feel uncomfortable doing so, that's your signal to find another one.

Use the AMA Website

Another good source is the website of the American Medical Association with its DoctorFinder link. It gives you basic professional information on virtually every licensed physician in the United States. Of course, if you belong to a managed health-care plan, your choices are limited to doctors who are a part of that plan.

10 Questions to Ask

Here are 10 questions to ask when choosing a new doctor:

• Are you board certified in your specialty?
• What type of health insurance do you take? (If applicable, find out if the doctor accepts Medicare.)
• How frequently do you see patients who have the same health problems as I have?
• Do you refer patients to other doctors for special problems as needed?
• Will I need to go to another location for blood tests or are lab tests done in your office?
• If yours is a group practice, who are the other doctors and what are their specialties?
• Who sees patients for you if you are out of town or not available?
• Which hospitals do you use?
  
• Will you take care of me in the hospital if I'm admitted? If not, who will? (Make sure you're comfortable being treated at one of these institutions, should the need arise.
• How far in advance do I need to make an appointment to see you?
• If I've got a problem (say a drug reaction or a treatment side effect) can I speak to you or your covering physician within a reasonable timeframe?

Excerpted from "How Not to Die" by Jan Garavaglia, M.D. © 2008 by Jan Garavaglia, M.D. Excerpted by permission of Crown, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Jan C. Garavaglia, M.D. is the Chief Medical Examiner for the District Nine (Orange-Osceola) Medical Examiner's Office in Florida. In addition, Dr. Garavaglia is the host and subject of Discovery Health's hit series "Dr. G: Medical Examiner", which first premiered in 2004, and takes viewers on an investigative journey as Dr. Garavaglia examines the cases coming through her morgue. She is also the author of "How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner", published in October 2008 by Crown Publishers (a division of Random House).