Whom Can You Trust?

Everywhere you look you see reports of fake medicines, foods like baby milk contaminated by toxic materials, baby toys and other items with toxic paint, fake research done by supposedly ethical medical research but who slant their findings to paint pharmaceutical companies in the best light. This list could go on and on; this is just the top of that old iceberg.

For instance how many persons have bought insurance policies that were supposed to protect only to find out that when an emergency did arise the policy contained loopholes that enabled the insurance company to deprive them of expected coverage?

How many times have consumers bought health food supplements or organic foods on the basis of what was promised on the labels only to find out later that the label was lying?

How many times have you gone back to your family physician or psychiatrist because the medication he or she prescribed was causing adverse reactions – only to be told something to the affect that, "You are a troublesome patient who does not want to get well! You have to take more of the pills you are taking – and finish them all! If you don't listen to me I am going to drop you."

While most of the people you deal with are going to be honest and ethical not all of them are. All of these situations arise because you or somebody else initially trusted the word of the person they were dealing with. Unfortunately, in today's world such blind trust can lead to traffic problems: Like the case of investors being defrauded of their life savings; like a mother watching her son die in a hospital because of fake medicine or contaminated food; or like patients who die because their doctor forced them to continue taking medication that they were allergic to.

All of this could easily make you very paranoid, but fortunately there is a relatively simple to thwart the efforts of the occasional unethical person you deal with by learning to ask questions. Remember the reporter's "Five W's" – who, what, why, where, when" Don't forget the "how" either !.

For instance when you are talking to your doctor about some health problem ask questions about what he or she is telling you concerning test results and suggested treatment with questions such as: "How accurate is that test? What have been the results with other patients? Who designed the test? If I take this medication you suggestion and I find that it does not work with me what are you going to do – are you going to be willing for me to try something else –even some type of complementary treatment?"

This type of interview with the person you are dealing with -- whether it is a doctor or insurance agent, or any other person you are dealing with -- can avoid a lot of problems later. If they object to you asking questions you should drop them right away.

 

Remember that such effective questions (that the person can not just answer with a "yes" or "no" valuable tools not just for reporters or legal investigators but –everyone s—to protect yourself from fraudsters. And remember too to be diplomatic and friendly. You do not want to sour potentially beneficial relationships by being aggressive or antagonistic to start with.