There is this saying: “Better safe than sorry”. This might as well be the first reason why we should create a routine in visiting the doctor’s office. There are many life-threatening diseases that might be manageable if discovered on time. But not only life-threatening diseases are important to be discovered and cured. Regular check-ups are a must when it comes to our health. We do not go to the doctor’s office to discover there is something wrong, but to make sure we can prevent that “something” from happening. There are some that claim that having regular check-ups can even ensure and improve our mental health. However, the most important thing we need to know is that there are many problems that can be prevented or cured by making sure we go to the doctors’ regularly.
So there you go. The first and most important reason and argument for visiting the doctor on a regular basis is to prevent.
But did you know that missing your regular general practitioner’s appointments, especially if you have an ongoing condition, is statistically associated with early death? In fact, according to a long term study performed on 500,000 subjects in Scotland, “patients with long term physical conditions who missed two or more appointments per year had a threefold increase in all-cause mortality compared with those who missed no appointments”. That is a huge statistical correlation and it may well mean that visiting your doctor regularly could save your life.
Routine appointments with a pediatric doctor
Routine visits to the doctor are even more important in the case of children. For one thing, babies and toddlers can’t really tell you that something is wrong, nor can they describe any symptoms, because they have not yet learned how to speak. Any health issue for them would have to be discovered during a regular check-up. If you have a child, you surely know that you have regular recommended timetables for visiting the doctor. At 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, etc. Pregnant women have similar recommendations.
Of course, these are categories at risk, along with elders and patients with chronic disease
Create a relationship with your doctor or your medical team
In order to create a better relationship with your doctor and to keep your peace of mind, it would be better to go for a check-up at least once a year. In order to feel free to talk openly to him/her about your medical condition, to ask him/her questions regarding prevention, or just to talk about your fears regarding your health status. It might as well help sharing each little symptom that creates any sort of discomfort.
Another reason on our list is to identify current health risks. Maybe you are already familiar with some of the first questions every doctor asks you: what diseases run in your family? Do your parents suffer from a chronic disease? This is, of course, the first stage in identifying the genetic health risks that might affect you at some point in your life. Thus, it would be easier to establish a prevention scheme together with your doctor. Furthermore, doing regular check-ups helps you establish a medical record. Your record will be available to other therapists whether you just go to regular check-ups or, for instance, you are in a car accident and they need to find out more data about you. Not to mention the fact that your doctor will be able to see your health evolution from a check-up to the next.
Gender-associated risks
If you are a woman, regular check-ups are a must, not a choice. There are many health problems that concern women directly. From reproductive problems to different types of cancer, women are a category at risk. If you are a woman, the gynecologist’s phone number should be at the top of your phone contacts.
On the other hand, men have their own issues and one of them is precisely the fact that they are usually more reluctant to regular doctor’s appointments. That may well have something to do with a misunderstood representation of masculinity.
To sum up, creating a routine in visiting your doctor would be beneficial for both your body and mind. Regular check-ups help patients prevent serious health problems, as well as ensuring their good state of mind. No matter you fit in a risk category or not, visiting your doctor’s office is always a good decision. And we take this decision in order to stay healthy.