Typically any mention of the word “doctor” makes many people cringe! Most times we only visit the doctor when we are in search of a cure rather than to assist with prevention. This practise however, may do more harm than good, as cultivating a relationship with your primary physician is an important aspect of maintaining good health.
Monitoring your health through regular doctor visits can include yearly check-ups as well as a complete physical examination when recommended. Although these visits may seem time consuming, considering all of the benefits associated with this it’s definitely worth the time.
Still not convinced? Well here are top 3 reasons why you should see your doctor regularly to monitor your health.
1. Prevention is Better than Cure
One of the primary focus of general medicine is on preventing illnesses rather than trying to cure them. With regular visits, doctors may be able to identify silent conditions and developing patterns that can have a detrimental impact on our health. An example of this is High Blood Pressure.
High Blood Pressure is called the silent killer because it often has no warning signs, and is the leading cause of strokes, kidney disease, chronic heart failure and heart attacks. Other silent conditions include Glaucoma, Heart Disease and Melanoma (skin cancer).
The earlier these conditions are identified, the better chance they can be treated and reversed without long term damage.
2. You are Better Informed & More in Tune with Your Body
With the plethora of medical information available, regular conversations with your doctors can help you distinguish fact from fiction. This also helps you to become more in tune with your body as you regularly perform “self-checks” to determine if there are any changes, new symptoms or conditions that occurred since your last doctor’s visit. Being better informed helps in you to make better choices for you and your family.
3. You Build a Personal Medical History
Regular visits allow you to build a detailed medical history, which makes it much easier for your doctor to diagnose and treat future conditions, especially as you age. Additionally, health records such as blood type, allergies and pre-existing condition are available in the case of an emergency.
This patient information allows the attending physician to make better decisions on the best care to give you. This also assists in compiling a family medical history which will become useful for current or future relatives that need to review for genetic conditions of family predisposition.