Personal control… the ups and downs as illustrated by Dr. Oz advice

April 4, 2012

In the research I discussed in my last post, I noted that there are different styles, so to speak, for predicting how we might want to communicate about our health. The personal control folks believe that their personal behaviors determine how genes relate to health. The participants who fit this style did not want to much communicate about their health. In fact, they were least likely to want to talk about their conditions. Perhaps they believe they have everything under ‘their control’. But what if not talking means that they miss a chance to prevent a poor health outcome?

Here is an example. On Dr. Oz today, he was giving advice about reducing fat in various parts of the body. He advised in one case to use red clover tea. He did not add that it should NOT be used if you are taking Coumadin/Warfarin–a blood-thinning medication. It interacts with the medication and can cause excessive bleeding. Someone in the facebook exchange about the advice noted this important fact.

Others noted that no one should take anything suggested by Dr. Oz without  first consulting a physician. And so, the idea of personal control does not mean we should NOT talk about our health. In fact, in trying to have control over our health, we need to be sure that the advice we think makes sense for us fits based on our pesonal health history and current medications and therapies.

Author: Roxanne

I have always loved to learn. After years of trying to pick a major as an undergraduate, I met a professor who guided me to graduate school. And from graduate school, I learned that I could always go to school and keep on learning. And so I have... View all posts by Roxanne