Strive for Health, Not Just Healthcare

In this week’s podcast episode Teresa and I talk to our esteemed guest, Dr. Heather Burney, about women’s health and more specifically menopause. Throughout our conversation we make the point that we must advocate for ourselves to ensure we get the appropriate level of medical care. Many times, our failure to properly advocate in medical settings is a result of not having seen that advocacy modeled for us in our earlier years.

I was talking with a friend recently about how different our childhood experiences with healthcare were. She and her siblings went to the doctor and dentist regularly. For my family, going to the doctor meant something was “really” wrong, like “your-arm-shouldn’t-bend-that-way” wrong.

When I got my first job with benefits and  finally had access to regular checkups, I thought I had “made it!” I was so proud of myself. At first, I took full advantage. A sniffle? I went to the doctor. A cough? I went to the doctor. A new pill fixed me right up until something else went wrong. It felt like I was always treating symptoms but never addressing the root cause.

Then came Aunt Sina. If you’ve read my earlier posts, you know she believed in taking care of her body naturally, long before “wellness” became a trend. She asked questions like, “Why are you sick? What is your body trying to say?” And she pushed me to stop blindly trusting prescriptions and start listening to my body.

At first, I resisted. But when her advice started working, I began to rethink what “health” really means.

For many Black families, access to care was very limited. So, when we finally could go to the doctor, we did, often and proudly. But here's the truth: Just “having” access doesn’t mean we’re getting the best care.

Black Americans are:

·      Misdiagnosed far too often: Contributing to nearly 12 million diagnostic errors in the U.S. each year. (“A study published in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety in 2014, cited by sources affiliated with Johns Hopkins and others, estimated that approximately 12 million American adults seeking outpatient medical care are misdiagnosed annually. This means about 1 in 20 adult patients in the U.S. experiences a diagnostic error each year.

Potential for Harm: Researchers indicated that in about half of these misdiagnosis cases, there is the potential for serious harm to the patient. Other sources suggest that about one-third of errors lead to serious patient injuries, including disability or death.

Prevalence of Error: While not all misdiagnoses result in serious harm, the high frequency of these errors in outpatient settings suggests a significant problem in patient safety.”)

·      More likely to be undertreated for pain or dismissed altogether.

·      At higher risk of complications or death from treatable conditions due to bias and inequity in healthcare systems.

I used to feel “wealthy” because I could afford prescriptions and see a doctor anytime. Now? I feel rich when my doctor says, “I haven’t seen you in a while and everything looks great.”

That’s the kind of wealth I want to pass down. I want my family to see me working out, drinking water, managing stress, not relying on quick fixes. I want them to know health isn’t luck. It’s work. It’s awareness. And it’s possible for our community.

Take control. Ask questions. Advocate for yourself. There’s no inheritance more valuable than your health.

Lou