5 Harmful lies you need to stop telling your doctor

Health Fibs: 5 Harmful lies you need to stop telling your doctor

MF editorial team

17 Jan 2018

Lying to the doctor is surprisingly common. Kick these common white lies to get the best of your healthcare this year.

1/5
Alcohol
This is an easy white lie to tell, because it's even more easy to lose track of. "Only drinking on the weekends" or "the odd drink" still counts as drinking. Shrugging this off as irrelevant during your consultation could result in inaccurate treatment. When asked this question, think back and count how often you truly have a tipple. No judgments, no stress; the chances are your doctors would have heard much worse before.
2/5
Smoking
Smoking: another common weekend vice. For many social butterflies, smoking often goes in hand with the drinking, and it's easy to count yourself as a non-smoker, even if you do 'socially smoke'.

Although you may class yourself as a non-smoker, you must fess up to the odd cigarette puff here and there (or more, no judgement there). If you're a full-time smoker however, it may be pretty easy to lose track of your daily count. Take a step back and try to track how many packs you run through in a week.
3/5
Taking medication properly
Granted, there's a certain pressure to sticking to your prescribed medication doses. This pressure to say the right thing to your doctor can often outweigh our honesty in consultation situations. It's okay to forget to take your meds, but be honest with your doctor about slip-ups and they'll be able to prescribe you more accurately in future. Even if they give you "the look," God knows your parents gave you those countless times!
4/5
Symptoms
There are two kinds of people: Those that underplay their symptoms, and those that exaggerate their symptoms. The 'under-player' often doesn't want to make a fuss. This leaves their illness not fully cured for a while.

And then you have the 'over-player'. These guys are concerned about making their trip to the doctors worthwhile - and they are not planning on coming again. They will play up their symptoms in the hopes of more treatment and faster recovery. This is also a no-no as over-medicating can in fact make you more sick. Meet halfway between these personas - be real about your symptoms and trust that your doctor knows best.
5/5
Sexual Activity
Taboo alert: this one's a universally tough question to discuss with your doctor about. Having a sex life is trouble enough without having to go through it all with your doctor too.

Asking intimate questions is a part a doctor's job, and although answering them is tough, it will definitely give you the treatment you need. Get your Sex-and-the-City Samantha on, and be fearless to reveal your details. They've heard it all before, and it will definitely save you trips to the gynae in future.

Well, look what the doctor ordered this 2018: a slice of honesty pie.

Doctors often express their frustrations at their patients’ not-so-little white lies. In 2015, The U.S News reported that a quarter of patients admit to lying to their doctor. Women faired slightly higher on this one, with 30 per cent of women admitting to lying at times, and 23 per cent of males admitting the same.

This year, start your relationship with your doctor on the right foot by kicking those embarrassing fibs. As they say, every relationship needs honesty.

Tip: If you find yourself frequently lying about these things, it’s time you break up with your doctor. Honesty is definitely the best policy when it comes to taking good care of your health, and if you find yourself too shy or embarrassed to give the correct information, so long doc!

The gallery above lists some of the most common, most avoidable, and most harmful lies that patients tell their doctors. Remember that to be honest about these things, you have to be honest with yourself; so really think about the answers to these typical taboos – it’s harder than it sounds.

Shelina Assomull

Photos: Getty Images

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