T.J. Samson | Destination Health | December 2017

When you make a big purchase or have an important decision to make, you’re likely to seek others’ opinions. You might ask, “What are the pros and cons of this choice or that?” Or you might read up on the topic so that you feel informed. The same process is im- portant when it comes to your health care. When people are involved in their health care decisions and talk them through with their doctor—a process called shared decision-making—the benefits can be big. Research shows, for example, that people often feel less anxious when their treatment plan reflects their personal preferences.They also tend to have a quicker recovery and are more likely to comply with their treatment. HOW IT WORKS AND WHEN IT HELPS With shared decision-making, the conver- sation goes two ways. Your doctor explains your choices—such as for a treatment, test or procedure—plus the risks and benefits of each. (You might also talk about the option of not having any treatment.) And you share your questions, goals and concerns. You might benefit from a shared decision- making conversation if your medical care includes: ●  ● Taking a medicine for the rest of your life. ●  ● Having a major surgery. ●  ● Getting genetic or cancer screening tests. Shared decision-making is especially im- portant when there are several options that are reasonable or when no one choice has a clear advantage. To help you further, your doctor might also point you to written material, websites or videos that can help you decide what’s right for you. You can bring your friends or fam- ily in on the discussion, too, if you think they can help. The goal of shared decision-making is to help you make the best treatment choice for you. Sources: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; American Cancer Society; HealthIT.gov; National Institutes of Health Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health In kids with asthma, colds are the most common trigger of wheezing. Colds are typically spread when people touch something contaminated by droplets of fluid that contain a cold virus. But you can also in- hale these droplets. Call your doctor if you have trouble breathing when you have a cold, your symptoms get worse or you don’t feel bet- ter in 10 days. Cough and sneeze into a tissue, then throw it away if you have a cold. Or sneeze into your upper shirt sleeve, covering your mouth and nose completely. You can’t make colds go away faster with over-the-counter cold medicine. But they may ease symptoms. Don’t give any child under age 6 an over-the-counter cold medicine. They can have serious side effects. HOLIDAY FIRES Choose a fresh tree. Look for green needles that are hard to pull from branches and don’t break when bent. The trunk should be sticky. Take the tree down after 2 weeks. Don’t burn it in a replace or stove. Keep the tree away from replaces, radiators and other heat sources. Heat can dry out a tree and make it more ammable. Water the tree daily. Sources: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; U.S. Fire Administration HOME FIRES involving Christmas trees occur each year. 210 TO AVOID FIRE: Common facts about the common cold Your health, your decision Sha red de c i s i on-mak i ng wi th your doc t o r c an he l p you choos e a t rea tment tha t ’s r i ght f o r you . People are most contagious for the first two to three days of a cold. After the first week, colds often aren’t contagious. Kids and adults in the U.S. sneeze their way through more than 1 billion colds every year. December 2017 7