By Kerr Street Medical Center | Oakville Medical Clinic

08/22/2011 By planning annual exams and check ups it is much easier to stay abreast of the state of your health. By getting routine blood work that scans for things like diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and other common maladies you are more equipped to deal with them in a timely manner before they cause life threatening danger to your health. By leaving things go unnoticed even when you clearly feel that something is just not right you risk turning a medical condition into one that may include surgical intervention or even long term hospitalization.

There are plenty of other reasons why you should see a doctor regularly as well. Basic care including a taking off the vitals can often reveal conditions that may need further testing or exploration. Many people may not realize that there blood pressure has started to rise steadily or that they have proteins or sugar in their urine without visiting a doctor. Even sinus infections, strep throat and other bacterial or viral illnesses can easily be overlooked when dealing with them at home. Most people figure that eventually they will get better. But what if they don’t? What if a skin infection that you felt was something minor turns into a major bacterial infection that leads to something like sepsis? What if a medication is needed in order to get your body to heal or work as designed? Perhaps this diagnosis and treatment could furtively avoid future issues of serious consequence.

Medical advances have come a long way in recent years. As more is being done to understand the genetic impact on our health there are more and more screenings that can be done to check for underlying conditions that we may not know about until it is too late. It is vital that a physician allow you to give a complete history and family background so that they can look for ways that may actually help you to prevent a disease you are genetically pre-disposed to. In many ways this is a gift to people living now. Years ago people waited until they were geriatric age to get treated for conditions and the results were often poor. By diagnosing an illness early on there is more hope that lifestyle change and medications can avoid complications. The only way to do this is to see your doctor. Of all the things that people do to protect their future seeing your doctor regularly is the most important.

Also interesting is that even though financial hard ships have prompted many people to forego annual visit the costs for waiting are much higher. For instance, having a mammogram and follow up visit is much less costly than paying deductibles and co-pays for treatments of breast cancer. In the long run putting forth a little money now can save some big money (not to mention heartache) in the future. This is a major reason why you should see a doctor regularly; especially if you are financially savvy. Additionally, there are plenty of opportunities that exist at public health facilities or through corporate screening programs that can allow you to see a doctor for routine check ups without breaking the bank. Participating in these events is a great way to ensure that you are staying well and following a routine schedule that includes age appropriate screenings that can detect the early signs of illness.

Why should you see a doctor regularly? Because investing the time in your physical body is the most precious gift that you can ever give yourself. No one knows just how long they will live and many of us don’t even know what sorts of illnesses we are predisposed to. But a doctor can find out. Knowing that you are healthy is also a great way to boost energy and make you feel as though you have something worth living for. In times that may be uncertain – this can take a lot of pressure off. When you receive clean bill of health it feels absolutely life changing and breathes new life into each and every day. If ever a doctor was to find an illness or condition you definitely want to hear them say that they caught it early which greatly increases your chance of survival. Early detection for things like cancer can mean the difference between life and death.

You should see your doctor regularly no matter what. Once or twice a year for a check up and update on blood work and conditions may be all the time you have to spend in a doctor’s office in order to maintain health. When you are ill for a length of time it is necessary to see a doctor to ensure that what is really going on is not something more serous than you think. Seeing a doctor is something that each and every person owes themselves and the family that they love!

-Professor House