b'Being Visible inYour Healthcare Just as it can take eort tomake your personal needs anddesires known, there are stepsyou can take to make sure yourhealthcare needs are addressedand your wishes respected. Thisrequires that you know how toeectively communicate withyour doctor, and how to planahead for occasions wheresomeone else may need to communicate on your behalf.Eectively Communicating with Your Doctor In a recent survey about why people avoid seeking medical care, almost 20 percentof respondents said they avoided medical care because of communication issues withtheir doctor. Talking to your doctor can be especially challenging if you want to discusschanging MS treatments or adding complementary alternative treatments to yourregimen. But whether you are interested in the newest drug or the oldest Easternmedicine technique, follow these steps to establish a dialogue with your doctor.1. Do your research. You may hear great things about a particular treatment, but dont just look at onesource for your information. Research it further, check for credible sources, and lookfor evidence that its right for your particular circumstances.2. Ask with an open mind. Your doctor is there to serve as your consultant, so consult them! Ask their opinionand listen to their response. Start the conversation with a question like, What do youthink about [the treatment you are interested in]? Ask additional questions if yourdoctor is well-informed on the topic. If not, you might wish to bring them a copy ofany information you found during your research so they can review it.3. You are allowed to disagree. If your doctor is opposed to a given treatment, but you are still interested in trying it,its okay to express that. For a medical treatment, your doctor will likely recommendyou get a second opinion from another professional. For a complementary treatment,you can probe further with questions like, Is it safe? or Is there any harm in tryingit? If you decide to try the treatment, be clear about your decision so your doctor isaware of your complete regimen.10'