Getting to know Dr. Hunt
F
arron Hunt, MD, was raised in Port Arthur and is
proud to return to Southeast Texas. She joins How-
ard D. Wilcox, MD, MPH, at Preventive Medicine of
Southeast Texas and the growing family of CHRISTUS
St. Elizabeth Medical Group providers.
Dr. Hunt has a special interest in childhood and ad-
olescent health, especially as it pertains to obesity. In
fact, she served as a research assistant from 2010 to 2012
for the Baylor College of Medicine childhood obesity project in Houston.
The special project focused on an educational survey and intervention
of fifth-graders near Northwest Clinic, an underserved community health
center, concerning knowledge of healthy weight, healthy lifestyle modifica-
tions such as diet and exercise, and consequences of obesity.
She also enjoys baking, traveling, reading, movie-going, and fellowship
with friends and family.
YoUR healTh
is
precious – and so is your
time. That’s why you want
to get the most out of
every visit to your primary
care physician, or personal
doctor.
Here are five ways to see
that all of your appointments
are productive. They’re courtesy of
someone in the know – Farron Hunt,
MD, a family medicine physician on staff
at CHRISTUS Hospital – St. Elizabeth and
St. Mary.
1.
Prioritize.
Before each visit, it pays
to make a list of what you want to dis-
cuss. Is there a new symptom you want to
bring to your doctor’s attention? Are you
bothered by a side effect from a medicine?
“
Put your concerns in order, and bring
up the most important ones first,” says
Dr. Hunt. You’ll avoid returning home
with an important question still
unanswered.
2.
Don’t show up empty handed.
If this is your first visit, you’ll
want to bring along your medical
records so that your doctor fully
understands your medical history. It’s also
a good idea to put all the medicines (even
over-the-counter ones), vitamins and
herbal remedies you take in a bag and let
the doctor see them.
3.
Be honest.
You’re only human, which
means it may be tempting to tell the doc-
tor what you think he or she wants to hear –
for example, that you smoke less than
you really do. “But this isn’t in your best
interest,” cautions Dr. Hunt. To help you
stay as healthy as possible, your doctor
needs to know what’s really going on in
your life.
4.
Ask questions.
Are you unclear – even
a little – about what the doctor is saying?
“
That’s your cue to speak up and ask the
doctor to explain,” Dr. Hunt emphasizes.
To follow your doctor’s advice, you need to
understand completely.
5.
Let the doctor know about any major
changes or stresses in your life.
These
might include a divorce, death in the fam-
ily or loss of a job. Changes like these can
affect you physically as well as emotion-
ally, which means your doctor needs to be
aware of them to give you the best possible
care.
ways to get the most out
of every doctor’s visit
Farron Hunt, MD
6
HouseCall • Find a physician: 866-683-DOCS
For a primary
care physician
you can trust,
visit our web
site at
www.
christushospital.
org
.
Or call the
CHRISTUS
find-a-physician
referral line at
866-683-
DOCS
(3627).