Role of communication in Physical need?

I actually have this question on a test in...oh...8 hours or so. We need to communicate our most fundamental needs. Example: Communicating to the doctor about health, or communicating our need for food, sufficient air, and rest. My text says, "Personal communication is essential to our well being. To paraphrase an old song, 'People who need people' aren't the luckiest people in the world...they're the only people."