Your Healthcare Should be Black and White

This article is written by Adrian Rawlinson, MD and VP Medical Affairs, hims/hers

When it comes to health and wellness, not all answers are created equal. We want to help you find the answers you need based on science and medicine. Our singular mission at hims and hers is to remove and eliminate stigmas around health and wellness and break down barriers when it comes to accessibility and obtaining quality healthcare and wellness products. You should never feel ashamed or that you can’t ask a question about your health, treatment options, and how to feel like your best self.

At hims and hers, we believe the fundamentals of good healthcare and feeling good are black and white: you and your doctor are the only two people who should decide what’s best for you. Period. End of story. Not hims or hers. Not the media. And certainly not whatever you found during your last internet search.

hims and hers provides the platform for you to speak with a doctor about treatments that are best for you. Only a licensed physician is in the best position to know the risks and benefits of a certain medication and whether it's the best option available for you.There are many prescription medications on the market your doctor might prescribe that you had no idea existed or was an option for your issue. Every patient should have the ability to make health and wellness decisions with a doctor free of judgment or misinformation.

There are a number of areas where doctors have seen medicines provide proven benefits to patients even if sometimes it wasn’t the original intention of why the medicine was developed. The industry calls this “off-label,” and while that might sound perplexing, there’s nearly half a century of science behind the practice. Here are some examples to better explain this:

• Ending Migraines and Debilitating Headaches
  From the American Academy of Neurology to the Mayo Clinic, research has been done showing that medications used to treat depression can be incredibly beneficial to patients suffering from debilitating migraines and headaches. Sometimes, even more successful than the medications marketed to treat these issues.
• Smoking Cessation
  The American Cancer Society, and MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Tobacco Treatment Program have utilized medicines traditionally prescribed to lower blood pressure and another medicine that can help curb seizures to effectively help smokers quit. Especially when traditional options haven’t worked.
• Sleep Disorders & Insomnia
  Studies published in medical journals like Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience and The British Journal of General Practice: The Journal Of The Royal College Of General Practitioners have shown medications generally prescribed to help treat depression can be beneficial to patients suffering from sleep disorders and insomnia.

So all that is to say, while the terminology may be off-putting , hims and hers were built to help you get the best answers and solutions you need based on science and under the guidance of a licensed physician.

The physician network on the hims and hers platforms is designed with safeguards to ensure that the physicians exercise independent medical judgment and do not make prescribing decisions based upon financial or other motives. The decisions these doctors make when using the platform are driven only by how to best treat patients like you.

Remember, your doctor is there to answer any questions you have. And only a licensed doctor is best positioned to help you make the most informed decisions about your treatment options.

At hims and hers our commitment to your health and wellness is our number one priority. We’ll continue to help make sure you and your doctor are empowered to help you feel your best.