4 Diseases Doctors Get Wrong
Doubting your diagnosis? Read on to find out what you might really have.
- The doctor says it's: Vertigo, migraines, or an inner-ear disorder
- It could be: Stroke
- Why the confusion? Research shows that 14 percent of stroke cases in people under 45 are misdiagnosed. When patients are young and otherwise healthy, ER staff might point to milder problems first. But if you leave the ER with an undiagnosed stroke, you could suffer another one. You may also miss the chance to reverse impaired speech or vision, paralysis, and brain damage.
- Red flags: If one side is numb or you have any combination of the listed symptoms, rush to the ER, especially if symptoms persist more than an hour.
Headaches and/or ringing or aching ears, plus aching back, neck and/or teeth
- The doctor says it's: Migraines or an ear disorder
- It could be: Temporomandibular joint syndrome
- Why the confusion? When the joint connecting your jaw and skull becomes inflamed, the pain radiates and causes headaches or ear problems. TMJ is best treated by a dentist, but the symptoms will likely send you to an M.D., who might diagnose you with something else. The price you'll pay? Serious pain that could easily have been alleviated.
- Red flags: If your doctor gives a tentative diagnosis without conducting any tests or prescribes meds that don't do the trick, head to a dentist.
- The doctor says it's: Stress or panic attack
- It could be: Heart attack or heart disease
- Why the confusion? Heart attacks tend to be more subtle in women than in men: Fatigue or shortness of breath might be your only sign of a problem. In fact, up to half of female heart attack victims are initially misdiagnosed—and heart disease remains the top killer of women in America.
- Red flags: If your doc's recommended treatment doesn't help, see a cardiologist, pronto.
- The doctor says it's: Depression
- It could be: Hypothyroidism
- Why the confusion? Doctors tend to link persistent sadness with depression and might not think to test for hypothyroidism, a condition in which your thyroid gland fails to produce enough hormones. Left untreated, hypothyroidism can cause high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and (ironically) clinical depression.
- Red flags: If the meds your doctor prescribes don't lift your mood, request a TSH blood test to check for hypothyroidism. Better yet, ask for the test during your initial visit.
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
Most thyroid tests show a level contraindicative of the true requirement. Synthroid is usually prescribed, though I have found it totally ineffective. Many of my friends have experienced the same.
Go to the health food store or a homeopathic or naturopathic doctor. Kinesiology tests will show the true requirement of the body..........far more reliable than any lab test.
As an example, my daughter was a "health food" baby.......but, she had headaches until she was twelve. A friend had me take her to an osteopath in Houston who practiced kinesiology. I had never heard of it, but took her anyway.
In about two minutes, he said, "It's very simple. Her gall bladder does not assimilate fats. So, keep her off of all fried foods, and she'll be fine".
She ate her last Mickey D's hamburger and fries on the way home.....and no more headaches. I am a believer.
Another note....she got her degrees at U of H, and worked in the computer field....set up systems in major companies and was with Andersen when Enron went down. She has gone back to school and receives her PhD. in Kinesiology at U of H next spring. She already has a nutritional practice and will help humanity and the world. Money is not her goal. But, giving true solutions to problems is.
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