Unless you have medical training, it can be hard to get true facts about medical issues or problems. There is a great dal of misinformation on the Internet and even in medical books. Sites such as the Mayo Clinic are usually good, but occasionally I find erroneous statements about subjects I know well. One day I found some wrong information on NORD, which is usually excellent, but when I told them about it they were good about letting me give them the correct information, so they could make changes.
I was amazed to find out that some X-rays are sent to far away countries for reading. My own daughter had an X-ray of her head at UC Medical Center in San Francisco that was reported as showing a tumor. I took the X-ray to an excellent radiologist I knew in another hospital and he said "there is nothing wrong with your daughter's head." She could have had surgery on her head had I not done that. A second opinion is always wise in a case like this.
I would always ask about any side effects from a medicine a doctor prescribes. If a non-M.D. prescribes a medication, I would not fill it until you check with an M.D. If you are taking multiple medications, you want to be sure there is no bad interaction between any of the medicines. You want to check also if an Rx should be taken with food or on an empty stomach.
There are substances being purchased at health food stores that are not checked by the FDA or Food and Drug administration. Protein powders and similar substances may contain ingredients that can cause harm.
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