Alumni physicians offer the one piece of advice they wish their patients would take to heart.
1. Talk to your physician.
You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.—Thom Liffick ’73
2. I am your advocate and teammate, not your parent.
Good health care is a partnership between a doctor and his or her patient. All of my training, experience, continued education, and intuition are focused for your best possible outcome. But I will not come to your home to make sure you are taking your medicine or following your diet.—John Panozzo ’89
3. Take control of your own life.
Take a more active role. Lose weight. Quit smoking. Don’t look for a medicine to cure a problem you can cure yourself. The solution isn’t always “take this pill.” —Pat Healey ’76
4. Fearlessly do what’s best for you.
I have transplanted many hearts in my life as a heart surgeon. I have operated on many young men who, for whatever reason, got caught up in alcohol or other drugs. I have often wondered, as they lay there with a surgical team cutting them open to harvest their heart, liver, bowel, skin, eyes, and bones, if they had it to do all over again, would they have taken the chance? We only get one body and one shot at life, so fearlessly do what’s best for you and your long-term goals. It’s always the right time to do the right thing.—Hilton Hudson ’80
5. Exercise.
It’s the closest thing we have to a fountain of youth. It keeps blood pressure down, decreases risk of diabetes, lowers cholesterol, decreases risk of cardiovascular disease, decreases depression and anxiety, and improves quality of sleep.—Scott Douglas ’84
6. Use common sense when it comes to health care.
It’s not always necessary to utilize high-tech medicine; Grandma’s advice was usually right on the money.—John Roberts ’83
