Waiting Room Blues

Question: Every time I go to the doctor, I have to wait forever to get in to see him. What can I do?--John

Going to the doctor can be frustrating, particularly if you're waiting longer to see the doctor than the actual time it takes to meet with the doctor. Unfortunately, there is no magical answer to decreasing the waiting time. However, here are some suggestions on how you can help take some time off the wait to see your doctor:

• Arrive on time for scheduled visits. Sometimes it helps to get to the doctor’s office 15 minutes before the scheduled visit if you know paperwork is to be filled out.
  
  
• Try to schedule your visit for the first appointment in the morning or the first appointment in the afternoon (after lunch). You have less of a chance of arriving in the middle of a crisis in the doctor’s office.
  
  
• Be prepared. If you are going to see a specialist, make sure all your paperwork or authorizations are completed before the visit.
  
  
• Make an appointment. Try to never walk in as this will usually guarantee you a longer wait.

I hope this helps!

In good health,

Dr. Rhonique Harris

High Blood Pressure--Help!

Question: My doctor told me I have high blood pressure and that I need to eat less salt. How do I cut back?--Mary K

When you're diagnosed with high blood pressure (or "pressure," as some people call it), it means your heart (which is a muscle) is working harder than usual to pump blood to various parts of your body. As with any muscle, if the heart works hard for a longer period of time, it may tire out and the body may not get all the blood it needs. That may lead to heart attacks and strokes.

One simple way to lighten the load on your heart is to limit the amount of salt you eat. The more salt we take in, the more water the body stores and the harder the heart has to work to supply blood to the body.

Limiting the amount of salt intake means reading labels and looking at the sodium (Na) content. Salt content of foods is related to the amount of Na in the foods. Many frozen foods and canned foods have high salt content because salt helps keep food fresh. One quick and easy way to cut back on salt is to decrease the amount of frozen and canned foods you eat. That means eating more fresh foods (fruits and vegetables).

Plus, if you need to season your food with salt, you can use salt substitutes. They taste like salt but don't have as much sodium in them.

In good health,

Dr. Rhonique Harris