Myth #9: If It Worked For Them, It Should Work For Me

This mentality is I think one of the biggest reasons why patients take medications not prescribed by their physicians. If such a concept were true, there would be no more need for doctors, pharmacists, or drug companies since everyone can take what our ancestors have been taking for their symptoms since time immemorial.

What patients need to understand is that each disease is as unique as the person who has it. There are rules and guidelines but in the end the treatment has to be individualized.

That's because our bodies may react very differently to the same drugs, eliciting cure in some and triggering life-threatening allergic reactions in others. It is for this reason that your doctor obtains a detailed history, physical examination and laboratory work-up each time you present for consult.

The next time someone tells you to take something because it worked for them, just turn a deaf ear. It's your body, and not theirs, that you're putting at risk. Stay tuned.