When Health Advice Changes, How Do You Make Good Choices?

Maybe your doctor told you to get a mammogram, but you weren’t expecting to need one for years. Or you just learned that bacterial vaginosis is a sexually transmitted infection, after all.

No, your doctor isn’t just making things up. As medical research advances, recommendations for testing and treatments change. That's good, because it ensures people get the best care. But it can also cause confusion when guidelines change suddenly — and when different doctors or medical organizations give different recommendations.  

So, what’s a health-conscious person to do?  

What are some recent changes in doctor’s recommendations?  

Screening tests, which are used to check for certain diseases or evaluate your risk for them before any symptoms would develop, are some of the more changeable offerings in the medical world. That’s because doctors are constantly reevaluating how effective the tests are, based on the most recent medical research.  

For example, in 2023, doctors at the American Urological Association reviewed two decades’ worth of research and determined that, when screening someone for prostate cancer, a rectal exam isn’t always the best first option. Instead, sometimes a better option for initial screening is a blood test that measures levels of a protein called prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. 

Meanwhile, breast cancer screening recommendations changed recently, with doctors recommending mammograms starting at age 40 instead of 50. And you can now mail in a poop sample to test for colon cancer (depending on your health history). Screening recs for cervical cancer changed not that long ago, too.

Outside of the disease realm, health and wellness advice also changes constantly (especially if you get a lot of your updates from the internet). Artificial sweeteners are suddenly bad for you. Tried-and-true asthma meds now pose a mental health risk. Eggs are actually good for your heart — and high cholesterol isn’t always bad for you. You get the gist.

“Medicine is an ever-evolving field; if you look at what was published a year ago, it could be completely different from what we see right now,” says Natalia Usoltseva, MD, clinic medical director at UW Medicine Primary & Urgent Care at Ballard. “We can now get better evidence in larger, higher-quality studies that can provide more accurate results that happen on a faster time frame. We no longer need 10 years to gather more data to understand a disease.”

Not to mention how much and how quickly medical technology advances these days, which also impacts how often recommendations change. 

Is there a benefit to changing medical guidelines?

All these changes can be considerably stressful for the person on the other end of the doctor-patient interaction. Maybe it feels like there’s too much uncertainty or that your doctor doesn’t really know what they’re doing — more on how to handle those feelings in a minute. But it’s also important to take a step back and try to recognize the good side of changing medical advice.

The only reason we have all the tests, vaccines and other preventive options we do today is because of medical research. And that research is ongoing, with experts looking into things like at-home saliva tests for ovarian cancer and opioid vaccines to prevent overdose. Not all of these efforts may prove effective at combating disease, but the ones that are? They will save lives. Which means all that uncertainty serves a greater purpose.

So yes, research is very much needed. Despite how far medicine has advanced, new issues emerge all the time. Why are people in their 40s and younger getting colon cancer at higher rates? Why are more young women getting lung cancer? Research helps doctors solve these types of medical mysteries and ultimately transform what they learn into strategies to help more people.  

How to cut through the noise and get what you need  

OK, but you’re not a medical researcher and making health-related decisions is hard enough without being overwhelmed by changing guidelines. Here are some ways to navigate the uncertainty of evolving health advice.  

Get annual checkups  

One thing that should always stay the same? Your doctor making recommendations specific to your unique situation.  

“Guidelines are written as generalized advice, but doctors need to take into account a patient’s family history, current medical conditions and medications, and more,” says Usoltseva.  

The best way to get these customized recs is to visit your doctor every year for a wellness exam — it can be difficult these days, for sure, but try to get one scheduled even if it’s for several months out. During your appointment, ask which tests and screenings they recommend for you. If you have any questions about their suggestions, this is a great time to ask them to explain more. 

Avoid relying on Dr. Google  

Information online, especially in AI chatbots and summaries and on social media, may not be accurate. If you really want to look information up on your own — it’s never wrong to seek knowledge and advocate for your own health — then stick to trusted sources like professional organizations and well-known hospital systems.

Know your history  

Keep track of not just your own medical history, but also the medical histories of close family members. If your parent or sibling was recently diagnosed with something, send your doctor a message to let them know. In some situations, they may recommend doing additional screening or tests or screening earlier than anticipated, or maybe even getting genetic testing.

Get a second opinion 

If your doctor won’t answer your questions about updated guidelines or dismisses your concerns, it might be time to find a new doctor or at least get a second opinion on whatever medical issue you’re worried about.

Accept some uncertainty 

Remember that learning how to better screen for diseases is a good thing, even if changes create stress in the moment.  

“You need to acknowledge that uncertainty will exist, and changes are going to happen,” says Usoltseva. “However, a good doctor should provide a reason for the changes, including evidence from reputable sources, and tailor their advice to your specific needs.”