Who can you trust most with your health?

Who do you turn to when you are thinking about joining a gym, taking up yoga or trying a new diet?

Who do you call when you have a health concern, small or large?

These are important considerations… because who you talk to, and the advice you follow, boils down to who you trust with what’s important — especially on matters of health.

One way to help ensure you can trust the answers you’re seeking to questions like these is to create a “wellness circle.” Here’s what I mean and why you should have one…

Your “first line” influencer

Many people, including myself, have someone in their lives they look up to, ask questions of and are influenced by. It’s usually someone you realized you could truly trust in times of crisis or need, look to for initial guidance and receive honest feedback. For some, that person is their parent or partner; for others it may be their friend or neighbor who has experience in the area under consideration.

When it comes to fitness, it might be a fit friend or relative, who has been involved in fitness or sports/exercise activities for a while. For pain, it might be someone you know who has also suffered pain, or continues to do so chronically, and has “tried” many avenues for relief. When it comes to illness or disease, usually a spouse or parent who may have had or knows someone who has the same or similar issue.

Whatever your health and wellness need, the first person you turn to for advice or consult usually shapes the way you move forward.

Who you consult shapes what you report

One of the most fascinating realizations I had while studying medical anthropology was the fact that who we are consulting about a health issue often dictates what “segment” of the problem we share.

For example, if you are suffering chronic fatigue you might tell your primary care physician about the symptoms you experience: being tired all the time, you feel like you’re not rested after a night’s sleep, you have low energy, etc. As a result of these symptoms and appropriate signs, he may come to a diagnosis and offer a medical prescription as treatment.

However, if you are talking to a therapist about the same issue, you might not discuss the symptoms as much but rather focus on your levels of stress, anxiety, working relationships with others, home/life struggles and so on. The therapist may then give you mental exercises, ways to see things differently or to manage your relationships and time as a “treatment” method.

For best results, communicating the “entire story” is vital to understanding root causes and thus creating a powerful plan of action.

Do the research

We live in the information age where so much about a given topic is readily available a thousand-fold 24/7. Being as informed as possible can both help you understand your options better while also giving you direction on whom to ask for advice. Books, magazine articles, news reports, talk shows, blogs, and internet searches all provides glimpses and perspective into all things related to health, wellness, illness and so on. However, with so much information “out there” it can be difficult to know what’s being put out there with the intent to help others… and what is slanted to push an agenda.

Be careful what you believe

There is a movement called “astroturfing” that is undermining facts. It is the ultimate “fake news” on the internet, and though you hear more about it in the political arena, it’s even making its way into medical journals and seminars.

It is the opposite of an honest “grass roots” efforts to build community or awareness — though that’s often how it is disguised; rather, it looks to discredit fact by creating fake blogs, social media posts, and articles that serve to provide “back-up” for whatever topic they’re discrediting. Every day I read multiple medical sites that run abstracts and commentary on the latest studies and trials; and in several cases, even on these top sites, I comes across astroturfed commentary or references to such materials.

Unfortunately, this means you may need to become a bit of a skeptic. Be careful about believing everything you read, even from respected sites. It’s a good rule of thumb that when you come across something you find compelling, firstly consider the source… specifically, does it have sources to back it up that appear credible? But even if it does, it’s wise to seek information from a variety of sources to make a better judgement or decision.

With all this in mind, here are some tips to help you move forward:

1. Research to better understand your issues and goals.
2. Consider your circle of influence and reach out to the appropriate people for advice and feedback.
3. Your narrative often depends on who you are speaking to, so form a description of what you want to achieve that includes all aspects and then recount it.
4. Adjust as you go.