Let’s be totally honest; no one likes a trip to the doctor. It can be a frustrating, boring, and even frightening experience for a lot of people. Of course, we all also know that, if you’re ill, it’s incredibly important that you deal with it quickly by seeing a medical professional as quickly as possible. In a perfect world, you’d be healthy all the time, and you’d be able to avoid a trip to the doctor often.
Of course, it should be pretty obvious that we don’t live in a perfect world and, no matter what you to, a trip to the doctor is going to be something you’ll have to deal with eventually. But that doesn’t mean that it’s something that you have to put up that often.
In fact, there are actually a whole bunch of things that you can do in order to greatly reduce the number of visits to the doctor that you take throughout the year. This is not only a good thing for you, but it also means that your doctor is able to treat more patients who really need their help.
And don’t worry if you’re afraid that they will involve all kinds of pills and potions. The vast majority of medicines are things that you should only take under instructions from your doctor, and all of the things in this list are completely natural.
Healthy eating
Your diet can be one of, if not the biggest factor to your general health. It’s also plays a key role in keeping healthy, which in turns helps you avoid a trip to the doctor. And the wonderful thing about that is that it’s something that is entirely under your control. There are a lot of things that factor into your health that you can’t change, but diet is certainly not one of them. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s always going to be easy, after all, if it was then people wouldn’t be coming up with new, quick-fix fad diets every few months.
The key is to find a diet that is balanced properly. It’s not just a matter of cutting out carbs or fats or anything else. Your body needs those things; it just can’t handle them if you go completely overboard. By keeping your diet healthy and balanced you increase your immune system with greatly reduces the chance that you’ll get sick and need to take a trip to your local GP.
The kinds of things that you need to do in order to improve your diet are hardly going to shock that many people. Avoid excess amounts of salt, sugar, and things like trans fats. All while increasing the amount of fresh food, protein and healthy fats that you eat. It’s hardly rocket science but it can make a huge difference.
Regular exercise
The number of times that doctors will see a patient who is complaining that they feel sick, tired, or run-down only to tell them that they need to be more active is, frankly, staggering. In fact, a lack of exercise leading to health problems is one of many reasons that doctors are finding themselves getting busier and busier every year.
Exercise is one of the most important aspects of daily life. It’s also one of the best ways to avoid a trip to the doctor. It’s especially important now since the vast majority of people work in offices and spend pretty much the entire day sat behind a desk. If you’re not getting out and being active in your free time, then there’s a pretty good chance that you’re spending ninety-nine percent of your time sitting around doing absolutely nothing. This is not only going to lead to weight gain, especially when paired with an unhealthy diet, but can also lead to a weakness in your muscles and bones, and even low moods.
Exercise releases endorphins and is often encouraged by doctors as part of the treatment for depression and other mental illness. The best thing that you can do is find a regular source of exercise that you enjoy and that fits around your life, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a trip to the gym or just a walk around the block and stick to it as regularly as possible.
Moderate your drinking
Everyone likes to have a good time now and then; there’s nothing wrong with that. It does become something of an issue, however, when now and then becomes every single day, and a good time turns into drinking so much that you black out. Moderation is a great way to avoid a trip to the doctor
Many doctor and nurse jobs are made far more difficult these days than they need to be. Nurses and doctors in emergency rooms are there to help people who really need it and their jobs are made much harder when they are taken up purely with dealing with people who drank too much on a Friday night and are now in need of medical treatment. This not only distracts medical professionals from other patients but can also lead to genuine, long-term health risks as well.
It might seem as though the worst result of a night of drinking is just a nasty hangover, but if you find yourself drinking that much every single weekend, then a hangover is likely to be the very least of your worries. Alcohol poisoning is not only dangerous in the short-term but can do serious, long-term damage to your internal organs, particularly your liver.
Do your research and find out what the recommended number of units per day that you should be limiting yourself to is. That way you have a clear indicator of when it’s time to stop drinking.
Not only can the drinking itself cause problems but excessive drinking often comes with other lifestyle problems like a severe lack of sleep. If you’re able to stay sober, then you’re much more likely to make smart decisions about whether or not it’s time for you to call it a night. There’s no harm in a couple of drinks here and there, but make sure that you’re always balancing it out with plenty of water.
Not only will you save medical professionals a lot of hassle having to deal with you when you’ve had too much to drink, but your overall health will improve significantly, reducing the need for a visit to the doctor.
Use technology
Another way to avoid a trip to the doctor is to use tech. There was a time when, if you wanted a diagnosis that something was wrong, you needed to see a doctor straight away. Now there is a whole host of modern technology available that makes life far easier.
Whether it’s something as simple as a thermometer to check if you’re running a fever or more advanced devices that allow you to measure things like your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. You can even buy tests that allow you to check your cholesterol levels and conduct blood and urine tests in the comfort of your own home.
There are also plenty of online databases that allow you to look up your symptoms. Of course, you should never rely on these websites for a diagnosis, but they allow you narrow down what your symptoms might mean so that you can more clearly explain them to your doctor, helping them to figure out exactly what they can do to make you feel better.
If you test yourself and all of your vitals are within normal range, but you just feel a little under the weather then there’s a pretty good chance that a visit to a professional isn’t going to be necessary but if your vitals go outside that range, even if you’re not feeling too bad, it’s a good idea to get them checked out.
Remember, even if it’s not the most pleasant experience in the world, going to the doctor is a necessary and important part of life. These things will help you avoid any doctors appointments that you don’t necessarily need, but none of them should ever be treated as an alternative to seeking professional medical help. They can all be used alongside any treatments but, if you find yourself feeling genuinely sick, then the best thing to do is, and always will be, to seek the help of a qualified medical professional.