Good Health Information is Critical

Health literacy can save your life, if the information you have is accurate. Heart disease is the most common cause of death among African American men of all ages. Yet, many

patients are unaware of their risk of experiencing a heart attack. The main reason for this lack of awareness, from my perspective, is that physicians often fail to share the information or there is a lack of understanding by the patient.

When dealing with your physician, always as for clarification on things that you don’t understand.  It coud save your life.

Last week, one of my patients made the right decision when he experienced chest pain and went, immediately, to the ER where he was told he needed additional treatment to

avoid having a heart attack. It was a sobering thought to learn that one of his close friends had identical symptoms that were ignored for several days.  His friend subsequently died from an acute heart attack. That friend had great insurance to cover his medical issues, although he didn’t utilize those benefits.