Patient advocacy seems to be the cliched-phrase of the moment. And that is a good thing. We are seeing the new paradigm shift, in the ever-changing health care landscape, towards a more educative hands-on approach in dealing with preventive and ongoing care of OUR (own) health. And that is a good thing.

To focus on fibroids for just a moment, hysterectomies are still the 17 BILLION dollar industry — with uterus-ripping (out) at the top of the list as a treatment, forsooth!!!  But thankfully, the number of women battling for a better choice for fibroid treatments is increasing. And that is a good thing.

By becoming your own patient advocate, it is my belief that all aspects involved in the health care industry (and yes it is an industry) will become much more personalized and will allow for a much quicker turn-around time when it comes to policy-making and approval-issuing with regards to state-of-the-art treatment choices. And that is a good thing. The following helpful hints and the their applications, can simply be remembered by saying (and becoming) “Patient Advocate”………..(literally, spelled out below)……….

P …persistence
A …assertiveness
T …tenacity
I …insistence
E …education
N …never give-up
T …talk (and question)

A …ask ask ask (questions…learn)
D …dedication
V …vocal veracity
O …organized
C …choose-to-choose
A …action
T …thoughtful
E …examine

Sooooo, remember this simple recipe to become a fantastic PATIENT ADVOCATE, and to become an integral (and necessary) aspect of the positive changes towards a  more effective health care “system.”  And,we shall ALL say, ”this is a good thing!!”