Is an "It depends..." answer from your health care provider a cop-out or a clinical pearl?

You ask your health care provider a question about your health.

They answer, “It depends.”

Is it time to find a new provider or thank this one for their honesty?

The answer…”It depends.”

Our brain likes efficiency, clarity, and logic. It prefers “left” or “right” and “correct” or “wrong” to the murky gray area of “it depends,” but sometimes “it depends” is the right answer.

When it comes to the following health issues, I think the answers are clear. Should I…

• eat more whole foods and less processed food?

• get 7-8 hours of quality sleep?

• move my body every day?

• spend time in nature?

• engage in activities with other people (preferably ones who really get me)?

  YES. The answer (with rare exceptions) is a resounding YES.

However, the “it depends” answer is more appropriate for the following questions (which are all from real-life clients). Should I…

• start taking an anti-depressant?

• leave my marriage?

• have a baby at this age?

• try anti-obesity medication?

• have back surgery?

It depends. We all have unique genetics, environments, patterns of thinking, life experience, resources, and support systems. Because of those factors, a nuanced, caveated answer is appropriate. Sometimes we want a yes or no because it feels easier, it’s one less thing we have to consider, and that means we are human. But allowing yourself to feel the emotions that come up when an answer is “it depends” can be enlightening and can allow you to engage in discussions, research, and with your own intuition to find an answer that feels right for this moment.

Remember that each moment is a new opportunity for a new decision.