Rhonda D. Orin
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 Second Opinions
We reserve the right to require a second opinion for any surgical procedure. At the time of Precertification, you may be advised that a second opinion will be required in order for the services to be Covered. If a second opinion is required, we will refer you to a Network Provider for a second opinion.
In the event that the first and second opinions differ, a third opinion will be required. We will designate a new Network Provider. The third opinion will determine whether or not the surgery is Precertified. There will be no cost to you for either the second or third opinion. |
Ray D. Strand
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 Mark's mom and dad consulted me again, and I recommended that they seek a second opinion from a private pediatric gastroenterologist.
After seeing how well Mark was doing aside from Imuran's side effects, the private gastroenterologist felt that it would be well worth trying to get Mark off of all drugs, including the pain medication and Imuran. He was gradually taken off the Imuran, and with the help of a psychologist who taught Mark some relaxation techniques, he was finally able to stop taking all pain medication as well. |
Andreas Moritz
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 If your doctor insists on giving antibiotics to your child when he has one of the above illnesses or symptoms, try to find another doctor to give you a second opinion. In most cases, there is no need for drugs. In one large study published in 1987 in the British Medical Journal, 18,000 children received a homeopathic remedy against meningitis. None of the children got infected and not a single adverse effect developed from the treatment.
Elderberry has been used as a folk remedy for flu, colds, and coughs since the time of Hippocrates. |
| In order to get a second opinion and clear her doubts about possibly having a colonoscopy unnecessarily, Sarah asked her doctor to refer her to another gastroenterologist. After scheduling a new FOBT, her doctor handed her a list of things she needed to avoid for three to five days before the test in order to prevent a false positive result. |
Craig Pepin-Donat
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 If the illness is serious you should always get a second opinion and gather as much information as possible to ensure you are well informed. Ask questions. Do not simply accept what you are being told. I recommend that you find a doctor that you like and trust, one that takes the time to know who you are and who explains things in detailed yet simple terms. If at all possible, find natural alternatives for the synthetic drugs you are taking. But always do so after carefully reading the labels, doing your due diligence, and consulting with a health care professional. |
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.
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 He sought a second opinion from an eminent cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, who finally talked him into having a stent. The surgery was performed, but the stent was unsuccessful. The Pittsburgh doctor knew about my program, but declined to participate, fearing that it would cramp the active social life he and his wife enjoyed at home. He found that by reducing his activity, he could live within the limits of his angina.
Seven months later, I called to see how he was doing. Not surprisingly, he was still imprisoned by the chest pain. |
Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
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 As with all of the Chanel Micro Solutions products, this is labeled as a "dermatologist-based procedure," which is pure fiction; I have no idea what dermatologist would endorse this—and if yours does, it's time to seek a second opinion!
© Micro Solutions Wrinkle Neutralizing Treatment ($185 for 0.05 ounce) is a kit that comes with a wrinkle massaging tool and a gel-texture serum that's applied afterward, left on overnight, and rinsed in the morning. I don't quite know how to describe the absurdity of this "treatment," but I'll do my best. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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 If he or she wants to drill or pull teeth, however, you should get a second opinion first. I would suggest going to someone other than a dentist, perhaps a physician who specializes in FM or pain management.
For Unrelenting Chronic Pain
Speaking of pain management, if you suffer from unrelenting pain in your gut, head, or throughout your body, and this pain continues despite your doctor's best efforts, he or she may refer you to an expert in pain management. Managing pain often requires various approaches, so most specialists in pain management work in centers, with an entire team of experts. |
| To review, when you are seeking a second opinion or you need to see a specialist, look first for a female doctor, preferably one who is affiliated with a university medical center. Go to an infectious disease specialist if your illness is characterized mostly by a fever, a sore throat, and swollen glands; to a rheumatologist if your illness is characterized mostly by achy muscles and joints; or to a gastroenterologist if your illness is characterized mostly by stomach pain with constipation or diarrhea. If you suffer from chronic pain, go to a pain management center. |
David De Angelis
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 I expect alternatives (even difficult alternatives like prevention with a plus lens) to be discussed, with the issue of effective prevention clearly identified as the second opinion. Since my eyes legally belong to me, it would be up to me to go out and research the true effect that a minus lens has on the refractive status of the natural eye.
If I decided that effective prevention was not in my future, or for any other reason, then I would transfer legal control to the optometrist and accept the long-term effect and consequences of using a minus lens on my eyes constantly. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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| When to Seek a second opinion and When to See a Specialist
\/ou are a twenty-eight-year-old mother of a five-year-old son, JL and you work as a dental hygienist. Your days are incredibly busy: you send your boy off to all-day kindergarten, put in a full day's work, and then come home and do what has to be done to keep your house and family in order. Your plate is full. Then, all of a sudden, you become ill. You feel like you have the flu. You're bleary eyed and totally wiped out with a fever, a bad sore throat, and swollen glands the size of golf balls in your neck. |
Ray D. Strand
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| Do you get a second opinion? If you do see another medical doctor, chances are good that he will not find anything wrong either. Anxiety and disappointment with the health-care system begin to peak.
On the one hand you are happy that no one has found anything serious; but on the other, you're angry because no one has answers. In fact you begin to feel like an annoyance and are intimidated about going back. This is when a close friend or family member tells you about an alternative health-care practitioner who was really able to help him with the same problem. |
John E. Sarno, M.D.
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 When I called to remind her to come, however, she stated she was getting a second opinion from another orthopedic surgeon. I accepted this and wished her well with her second opinion.
I subsequently found out through a mutual friend that her new orthopedic surgeon performed shoulder and "tennis elbow" injections. While the injections seemed to produce nice improvement initially, the symptoms recurred within a couple of weeks. I subsequently discovered that she was in the process of finding yet another orthopedic surgeon for yet another opinion. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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| If Your Doctor Is a Family Doctor
You should find an internist for a second opinion if your doctor is a family practitioner. The difference between these two types of doctors lies in the breadth of their training. Family doctors have very broad training that prepares them to help patients with common conditions such as lacerations, colds, and pregnancy. Internists, in contrast, receive a more focused education in medical problems with no further training in surgery or obstetrics at all. Finding a good internist is simple. |
Bottom Line Health
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| For a more impartial view, get a second opinion from an optometrist (a health-care provider licensed to provide a broad range of eye-care services), rather than a surgical ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who specializes in eye disease).
•Gallbladder removal. Since the late 1980s, the number of gallbladder surgeries has increased by 40%. The reason is the advent of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. This procedure can be done in an outpatient setting —conventional surgery typically requires three days in the hospital—is more convenient and more profitable for doctors. |
| To protect yourself, any time a dentist recommends having your wisdom teeth removed, get a second opinion from another dentist. If wisdom teeth are impacted, infected or are causing other teeth to shift, surgery may be necessary. But many times they will not cause any problems, and you can save yourself a lot of time, money and pain. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 If the science doesn't scare you off, it's worth a visit to get a "second opinion." (Also worth checking out: Ravnskov's "The Cholesterol Myths," available both as a book and online at http://www.ravnskov.nu/mythl.htm).
Lowering cholesterol is big business. In 2005, the two top-selling drugs on Forbes magazine's list of pharmaceutical juggernauts were Lipitor and Zocor, both cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Together, they did a combined business of more than $13 billion. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 In need of a second opinion, she came to see me.
Since depression, fatigue, and hair loss can be due to low thyroid, I tested her and sure enough, she was hypothyroid, or low thyroid. I prescribed thyroid hormone and checked her other hormones, which showed that she was perimenopausal. To help her achieve balance, I prescribed bio-identical hormones, which are female hormones that have the same structure as those made by our bodies. She was also low in vitamins needed to maintain a positive mood—specifically, the B vitamins and vitamin D. |
Shannon Brownlee
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 They decided to adopt a system of seeking a second opinion when they thought a child needed his tonsils removed. This simple change led the doctors of Morrisville to perform two-thirds fewer tonsillectomies over the next five years.
Slowly, Wennberg came to an unsettling conclusion. Medicine had wrapped itself in the mantle of science, yet much of what doctors were doing was based more on hunches than good research. There were gaping holes in medical knowledge even when it came to something as seemingly mundane as a tonsillectomy. |
| The managed care company wanted Daniel to get a second opinion from one of its medical consultants before the surgery. Even though Daniel's surgeon had warned that any delay could cost the eight-year-old his sight, his mother did as she was asked. The medical consultant quickly confirmed that Daniel needed surgery, but by the time he went to the hospital, it was too late. Without admitting guilt, the company settled the malpractice suit brought by the Bohnens for $ i. 2 million.
The subtext of such stories carried a powerful message of good versus evil, of greed crushing hope. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
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 If your doctor recommends a costly or controversial treatment or procedure and you don't feel quite comfortable about it, express your desire to seek a second opinion. If you encounter hostility or impatience, chances are a second opinion might reveal that you may not even require the treatment. In any case, the type of health insurance policy you have may require a second opinion, depending on the procedure in question.
If you seek a second opinion, it's also important to consult someone who has no financial incentive bearing on the decision. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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| Barring that, I'll show you what you'll need to know and do to get a second opinion.
Part two is the heart of the book. I start with the issue of depression, an illness that makes all symptoms worse and can produce fatigue and pain by itself. Then I discuss what we know about stress—another factor that makes symptoms worse—and what you can do to cope with it. Next, I talk about sleep so you can understand what your sleep issues are in order to attack them. Allowing your body the rest it needs to work toward wellness is critical. |
Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George
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 For a second opinion, she went to see a prominent MCI physician at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, who also told her that her condition did not warrant an MCI diagnosis, and that in fact the MCI label was in transition. Though comforted by both our words, the woman was troubled by bright objects that appeared on an MRI scan that had been taken at the Mayo Clinic. My colleague assured her that the objects were of unclear significance?unidentified bright objects" as neurologists call them, which can occur in normal aging, vascular disease, or degenerative disease. |
| If you are displeased with what the doctor tells you, it may be prudent to seek a second opinion and discuss your health with another medical professional. If you happen to be in a teaching hospital, doctors-in-training, medical students, interns, residents, or fellows may also examine you. These trainees have a wealth of knowledge and may actually have more time to talk to you. In the case of your health-related decisions, it is best to ask more questions rather than fewer. |
James H. Wheeler and James A. Peterson
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 Figure 3-19 Myelogram
GETTING A SECOND OPINION
"Get a second opinion" is advice that is often easier given than acted upon. Whether or not you decide to pursue this course of action is entirely up to you. Whether or not you should feel the need to consider getting a second opinion depends on any number of factors. Do you have confidence in your doctor? Would a second opinion enhance your confidence in your doctor's advice? What are the risk factors involved in your doctor's advice? |
Hyla Cass
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| In need of a second opinion, she came to see me.
Since depression, fatigue, and hair loss can be due to low thyroid, I tested her and sure enough, she was hypothyroid, or low thyroid. I prescribed thyroid hormone and checked her other hormones, which showed that she was perimenopausal. To help her achieve balance, I prescribed bio-identical hormones, which are female hormones that have the same structure as those made by our bodies. She was also low in vitamins needed to maintain a positive mood—specifically, the B vitamins and vitamin D. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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| In chapter 4, you'll learn how to determine whether your doctor is right for you and how to get a second opinion, if either you or your doctor deems this worth while. Chapter 5 focuses on depression, which makes every illness worse. Depression is also relevant because many doctors mistake its symptoms for those of the symptoms we've been discussing in this chapter. Even if you think depression is not a problem for you, I would urge you to skim through chapter 5. |
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