OBSERVATION:

You may have heard the old maxim “If your mom is a good cook, you are likely one too.” Or “Tell me your friends and I will tell you who you are”. Well here is a new one to add “If your doctor is healthy, you are likely to be one too”

THE STUDY:

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and in Israel studied health records of 1,488 doctors and nearly 1.9 million patients who were part of Israel’s largest health maintenance organization, Clalit Health Services, which insures over 50% of Israel’s population. They looked at the frequency with which both doctors and their patients engaged in preventative practices

THE SURPRISING RESULT:

Doctors who regularly got their check-ups and vaccinations — and passed along this information to their patients — were more likely to have patients who did the same.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU?

if doctors were more vigilant about their own health, that might go a long way toward improving the health of their patients

People usually preach what they practice. Personal adoption of a practice suggests that the doctors are sufficiently convinced of the importance of the intervention that they are motivated enough to even do it themselves.

1. Pick a doctor who has kids of his/her own. There is no substitute to real-life test-of-fire.

2. Checkout if your doctor looks healthy. Ask if he/she follows preventive approach.

3. Specifically ask if she has firsthand knowledge of what he/she is recommending

For more information, read: http://healthland.time.com/2013/04/09/if-your-doctor-is-healthy-you-probably-are-too/