Why Transgender Healthcare Is Important

Do you have:

• Back problems?
• Digestive Problems?
• Headaches or Migraines?
• Injuries?
• Muscle issues?

If you are experiencing any of these situations, then you might want to consider seeing a chiropractor.

Transgender Discrimination

Going to get a routine checkup from either the doctor or the dentist is stressful enough for individuals. For transgender individuals, going to get a routine checkup is even more stressful for them as they are more often getting mistreated or even denied care that they needed. In a 2009 survey, around 70% of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals have reported experience the following:

• Refusal of health care
• Healthcare professional refusing to touch or use precautions to individuals
• Healthcare professionals using unnecessary abusive language
• Blamed for their own health wellness
• Healthcare professionals being abusive to the patients

Additional surveys also revealed that transgender health care is discriminated and has kept at least one-third of transgender individuals from seeking medical help for any illnesses or injuries that they may have encountered. It is especially startling that many transgender patients have educated their doctors about transgender health.

Transgender is defined as “an individual who feels that their gender identity does not match their physical body and is different from the gender they are born in.” A 2016 data analysis by The Williams Institute, found out that about 1.4 million American individuals that identify as transgender.

Transgender individuals are beginning to speak about their problems and issues. They talk about the concerns about how office staff are feeling betrayed during their transitional status, all the way to others discriminating in the health care they are receiving. Transgender individuals are providing medical professionals what they can and should do to make sure that they feel safe in the medical professional’s care. Without awareness and education, the healthcare providers are not doing; these issues are more likely to escalate with the growing transgender population.

What Practitioners Need To Do

In March 2019, two individuals Emma Vosicky and Jaime Pagano, addressed to the students and faculty at the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) Pride Medical Alliance (PMA) club about the challenges they faced. These two individuals were worried about how they would be treated differently by the office staff and were in fear of those who would betray them by sharing their information. These transgender speakers went ahead and discussed the difficult challenges that went beyond the physical transformations that they and many others have faced when seeking medical care.

Vosicky went ahead and discussed how necessary it was to “out” herself to a medical professional when they were asking her about the medication she was taking or discussing the previous medical history that did not match her appearance. Both speakers suggested that healthcare providers should consider different ways that they can let their patients know that they are non-discriminatory to them.

Pagano discussed how he felt much safer when he sees an intake form that included different sex options in a doctor’s lobby. Terms that are in the intake form includes gender non-conforming, non-binary, trans-female, and trans male, alongside with male and female. He said that this feels helpful to the provider he was seeing to be aware and cognizant that everyone is not living in a male/female only world. Pagano also mentioned that he feels more confident that his provider will be more clinically aware of his needs.

The NUHS faculty member Jamine Blesoff, ND, has worked with transgender youth and stressed that it is vital for physicians to ensure that their patients’ care is essential throughout each stage of their transitions.  Dr. Blesoff noted that health practitioners still must provide a PAP test for men who are transitioning from being female as well as a prostate exam for pre-surgical women. Dr. Blesoff expresses concern that some doctors will not provide any type of service to transgender patients.

“It is a universal requirement that healthcare practitioners adhere to HIPAA laws and to make sure that their transgender patients are treated with dignity, respect, and above all else, ensuring that they receive the needed medical care that they deserve like everyone else.”-Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight

Being Gender Neutral

Healthcare professionals should always build trust with any patients that walks through the door. Healthcare providers have to make sure that the intake forms provide space for patient’s gender identity. In addition to the patient’s physical status, transgender patients can indicate their preferred identity, and healthcare professionals can ask what pronouns the patients preferred like he/she/they and uses them throughout their visit.

Speak Respectfully

Doctors should consider using their patient’s chosen name instead of their “real” name if it does not show up in their records and ask the patient if a different name is listed. Healthcare professionals should politely apologize if they use the individual’s wrong name or identity. Even though it may be a bit challenging for long-time patients, but as long as healthcare professionals are making an effort, it will become a way of demonstrating respect not only to the patient but to the doctors as well.

“I always believe that intent matters more than words,” Sam Brinton said, who is the Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. Brinton also mentioned, “There is a difference between ‘I cannot’ and ‘I am trying.’ If you intend to hurt me by not using my pronouns, that matters more than any words you say.”

Recognize the Physical Discomfort

For transgender patients to feel safe and that they are getting the medical care that they need, doctors should take care of them and be respectful to their patient’s needs. For transgender patients, it is already stressful enough for them to get a routine check. When doctors are respectful of their patient’s needs and not to continue procedures to them, that will cause them shame and physical discomfort.

Treat the Ailments Only

Healthcare professionals should consider what kind of information or examination that they are giving to their patients the care they needed. So providing necessary medical care like back pains, stomach problems, immune disorders, or a general checkup is essential.

Educate the Staff

All medical staff that interacts with patients must educate themselves on how to provide comfort and care when they are dealing with transgender patients. Medical providers and medical staff must apply the knowledge of interacting with patients on a day to day basis.

Conclusion

Transgender healthcare is a necessity for these individuals that are trying to get the same benefits that everyone else is getting. Healthcare professionals must be respectful and provide the best care to offer for patients with different identities and backgrounds. Educating and being aware of what the patient is going through is part of the doctor’s job to assist not only themselves better but also inform the patient a solution while making them feel comfortable. Some products are here to support anyone’s ailments and provide support to the intestines, gastrointestinal function, and muscular system.

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, and nervous health issues or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

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References:

Flores, Andrew R., et al. “How Many Adults Identify As Transgender In The United States?” The William Institute, June 2016, williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/How-Many-Adults-Identify-as-Transgender-in-the-United-States.pdf.

Marshall, Tari. “Transgender Health Care: How to Meet Their Needs.” Transgender Health Care: How to Meet Their Needs, 20 Nov. 2019, blog.nuhs.edu/the-future-of-integrative-health/transgender-health-care-how-to-meet-their-needs.

Marshall, Tari. “When He/She May Be They/Them.” LinkedIn, 13 Feb. 2018, www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-heshe-may-theythem-tari-marshall?trk=portfolio_article-card_title.

Team, Lambda. “Lambda Legal Releases Health Care Discrimination Survey Results; More Than Half of LGBT and HIV Positive Respondents Report Discrimination.” Lambda Legal, 4 Feb. 2010, www.lambdalegal.org/news/ny_20100204_lambda-releases-health.

Team, NUHS. “Pride Club Program Addresses Transgender Experiences with Medical Professionals: National University of Health Sciences Illinois & Florida.” Earn a Degree Chiropractic, Naturopathy, and Acupuncture Medicine | National University of Health Sciences, 13 Mar. 2019, www.nuhs.edu/news/2019/3/pride-club-program-addresses-transgender-experiences-with-medical-professionals/.

Team, The Trevor Project. “Saving Young LGBTQ Lives.” The Trevor Project, 2019, www.thetrevorproject.org/#sm.00013irq131dh2e6qpejz1qoa103y.