FOOD FOR THE BODY
Contains information on physical healing including nutrition, dietary supplements, exercise, physical and occupational therapy, and physical activities with therapeutic effects such as yoga and tai chi. READ MORE
FOOD FOR THE FUTURE
Contains tips for creating a healing home environment and recommend-
ations for music, books, and other materials that can help you plan and
improve your personal or family future. READ MORE
FOOD FOR THE HEART
Contains essays for personal reflection, photos that calm the spirit and
give perspective, and information on recognizing and healing from
grief, whether in ourselves or people we love. READ MORE
FOOD FOR THE MIND
Contains information on heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well
as conditions including autism, mental illnesses, dementia, head
injury, and seizure disorders, as well as links to general and disease-
specific resources. READ MORE
pizza with the intensive care unit nurses. Less than a month later, I was walking when a car sped
past, kicking up a big chunk of paving material with rock embedded underneath. It flew into the
back of my head and I fell.
Smart patients figure out what healthcare they need and work to get it. Medical knowledge doesn’t
make you a smart patient. I know: I sat at home for months and waited to get better. I was passive
when the neurologist kept telling me head injuries heal in their own time. I got frustrated but was
more afraid of having no neurologist than speaking up and possibly angering him. I lost five years
of my life.
Then came the appointment when I showed the neurologist the calendar I was using to track the
weird headaches that started after the injury and persisted after other symptoms improved. When
I pointed out they tended to occur before my periods, he said I had premenstrual syndrome and it
wasn’t his problem, it was my gynecologist’s. That comment was so uncaring (I might not have
known what I had, but I knew what I didn’t have) that I got angry. Getting angry saved me:
I demanded a second opinion. He was defensive that I wanted one but arranged it. The consultant
listened, said my history was textbook for post-traumatic epilepsy, ordered testing the first
neurologist had never done, and made the diagnosis.
I learned patient advocacy skills the hard way, making mistakes I could not afford. Since the mid
1990s, I have worked with individuals and spoken to groups. We all need to be self-advocates.
If we don’t look out for ourselves, who will? Furthermore, we often need to make decisions for
others, including our children and pets.
In Food for Smart Patients, the principles of patient advocacy, along with checklists,
worksheets, and other tools, are laid out in a sequence: To get started. (click here).