In a recent podcast, Julie Stevens and Jennie Smith, both cancer survivors and thrivers, shared their personal experiences and strategies for managing cancer. Here, we summarize their key points on the importance of research, self-advocacy, building a personalized healthcare team and learning how to negotiate with your healthcare providers to focus on and leverage their expertise.
Advocacy and Proactive Health Management
Patient advocacy is a critical component of any healing strategy. While there may be concerns about potential repercussions from healthcare providers for those who are reluctant to advocate for themselves, questioning medical advice and advocating assertively for one's health are worthy of your time and energy. Consequently, Julie and Jennie advocate for viewing self-investment in health as an act of self-preservation rather than selfishness. The common dynamic between patients and healthcare professionals is doctor driven, in that patients listen to and take a doctor's recommendations as the final decision. However, with mutual respect and understanding, the doctor and patient relationship can easily be turned into a partnership where asking questions and disagreeing is okay.
Listening and Negotiation: Essential Skills in Health Management
With a background in executive sales, Jennie highlights the significance of attentive listening, stressing its importance not only in sales but also in navigating life's challenges, which includes negotiating with doctors. This skill is particularly crucial in contexts such as managing a cancer diagnosis, where gathering specific information during medical visits plays a vital role in formulating an effective healing strategy. Developing these listening skills empowers individuals to engage more meaningfully with healthcare professionals and make informed decisions about their health. Julie suggests repeating the directions back to the healthcare provider in a form of a question. Hopefully, if more detail is needed, this is where the healthcare provider can elaborate. The goal is to take in and clearly understand what your doctor is telling you.
Empowering through Research and Knowledge
Julie and Jennie advocate for informed decision-making through comprehensive research. They stress the importance of gathering global perspectives and consulting reputable sources like PubMed and clinical studies. This advice to be a "Data G" is paramount to "The MOJO Way" of healing. Their advice encourages patients to challenge assumptions, explore alternative treatments, and actively engage with healthcare providers in collaborative decision-making. Further, patients should be aware of their healthcare provider’s education and expertise and try not to deviate into unknown territory. On a recent episode of MOJO Rising, Jennie Smith offers this insight:
“You would go to a nutritionist for nutrition…and an oncologist to know how to kill cancer…but you might go to a functional medicine doctor because you want to get to the root of why you developed cancer. Your oncologist wasn’t trained in how to do that. They were trained in how to kill cancer, but they weren’t trained in how to discover why…”
Knowing doctors' roles and limitations in modern healthcare allows the patient to understand the challenges doctors face in staying abreast of rapid advancements in research.
A Positive Approach to Healing
Amidst the challenges of cancer treatment, Julie and Jennie both advocate for maintaining a positive outlook. They recommend surrounding oneself with supportive information, engaging in open conversations with healthcare providers, and maintaining autonomy in treatment decisions. Jennie points out that while social media support groups can be helpful, it’s likely that those who have conquered disease and are now healthy are not the ones posting questions, concerns or complaints in these groups. It’s important to find more positive support through face to face interactions with friends and family and supportive communities such as MOJO Health. While cancer can be one of the most terrifying and difficult times in your life, it can often make you realize that resilience and inner strength are far more abundant than you ever imagined.
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