How often you should go to the doctor is a fairly common question, and I can only assume the real question is whether or not you need a physical every year?
Do You Need a Physical Every Year?
These days, most of us have insurance, so money shouldn’t pose a problem, right? People aren’t usually sick when they show up for a yearly physical, so the time in the waiting room shouldn’t be a drag? So, there’s nothing to be lost by going to the doctor every year for a physical, and a lot to be gained.
Yearly physicals are you taking personal responsibility and making a commitment to your ongoing fitness, health, and well being.
Annual Physicals are Preventive Health
I like to think of yearly physicals as preventive health. It’s a time to see what condition my condition is in sort of thing. And it serves for early intervention, just in case anything is going on with my body that I didn’t know about.
If I only show up in a doctors’ office when I’m sick, I never get to talk about my overall health with a professional. An annual physical gives me the opportunity for an in-depth talk about my present, and future health and fitness goals.
Are You Proactive or Passive About Your Health?
It looks to me like there are two ways to get my body through this life. Most people choose what they think is the easy way. They take their health like it comes with no concern about how things like weight, exercise, diet or lifestyle affects their future.
I take a more proactive approach to my health and fitness level because I well know how they can affect my lifestyle. It just seems like a once a year trip to the doctor’s office for a complete going over is more important than my commitment to regular oil changes for my automobile.
The Benefits of Regular Doctor Visits
With this visit, both the physician and myself get a good look at my current health compared to my past visits. The two of us talk about what’s important and set fitness goals for the year. Without this time, I do not understand how my health is doing or what I could improve.
- A yearly physical means recording your height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and giving up a test tube of blood and a urine sample for deep analysis. This information establishes a baseline and discloses any meaningful changes that may have occurred.
- The visit gives your doctor a chance to go over any unhealthy choices you’ve been making, especially when it comes to diet, weight, exercise (or lack thereof) smoking?, or drinking habits. Depending on your age, there could be other scans and test.
When you’re healthy, it’s easy to go for long periods of time without seeing a doctor, and then because of common colds and viruses. You are never too young either. In fact, the younger you start, the more accurate the view of your overall health will be years down the road.
What Sort of Doctor Should I See?
I always recommend an Internal Medicine Physician, or Internist. These guys are a little different from your general family medicine physician. They are doctors specializing in internal organs such as heart, kidney, liver, and lungs.
Internest are sort of gatekeepers to your entire body. With regular visits they keep a keen eye on your total body systems and aid you in overall management. Even though a family doctor can provide annual exams and your health management, there is a difference.
Family Doctor vs Internist?
Family doctors serve a much broader range of health and serve children and often provide gynecological care. Whereas Internists are more highly trained on internal organs and processes and only with adults.
With my Internal Medicine Doctor, I can always trust that if anything serious comes up, he’s trained to spot it right away. I know he already has ongoing relationships with a wide range of specialists to consult or send me too if needed.
Go To The Doctor Every Year For A Physical
Don’t put off yearly physicals! Good health and fitness on purpose means staying committed to the process, and regular checkups are part of the attention your body and lifestyle deserves.
Being proactive is the key to the best life possible. Giving up an hour or two one times a year is a debt you owe to your long-term health and lifestyle.