Visiting the doctor and other medical professionals is a practice that starts from the day you're born and should continue throughout your lifetime. Unfortunately, many people reach adulthood and stop making appointments. Some people continue this behavior due to poor habits taught in childhood, while others allow life and personal obligations to overshadow their medical needs.
Whether you skip doctor's appointments due to your upbringing, a past traumatic experience, the cost of healthcare, or hectic schedules, it's detrimental to your health and wellness. Healthcare professionals are educated, trained, and experienced in evaluating patient health to provide preventative care and treatment to enhance their quality of life. Ultimately, without their assistance, managing your health is challenging.
Which Doctors Should You See?
Diet and exercise only take you so far in your health and wellness journey. Here's a list of doctors you must see regularly and why.
Primary Care Physicians
Primary care physicians are doctors that specialize in general health. They are a patient's first point of contact. These doctors provide examinations, conduct tests, and make informed decisions on a patient's health status.
Their services can prevent or reduce a person's risk of developing diseases and illnesses. Primary care physicians also make suggestions, write prescriptions, and recommend referrals to treat or manage an existing medical problem.
Patients should visit their primary care physician at least once a year for an annual physical and vaccinations. Primary doctors appointments should also be made if a patient is sick, injured, dealing with an existing medical condition, or pregnant for regular care and treatment.
Dentists
Oral health is commonly overlooked. Most dental patients don't visit the dentist until something goes wrong, like a broken tooth, sore gums, or cavities. Although you should see the dentist for these reasons, going regularly is highly recommended as your oral health is tied to your physical and emotional well-being. Unresolved dental problems can lead to trouble with vital organs and cause mental health problems.
Dentists offer preventative services like x-rays, cleanings, and scaling to prevent serious oral problems like cavities, gingivitis, and oral cancer. Other services like caps, fillings, dental extractions, and implants, are necessary to keep gums and teeth intact.
Whether you see a Winnetka dentist or a Manhattan dentist, you should schedule appointments for preventative care at least twice a year. If you have oral health problems, you should visit the dentist regularly for further treatment.
Gynecologists
When it comes to female reproductive health, a gynecologist is the medical expert to see. From the onset of a menstrual cycle, every woman should get checked out. A woman's hormones, sexual health, and reproductive organs impact other areas of their health and wellness. Gynecologists have preventative and treatment services to reduce or eliminate severe illness and disease.
Preventative measures like PAP smears, pelvic evaluations, and breast checks help screen for conditions ranging from STDs to cervical or breast cancer. Treatments like lifestyle changes, medications, hormone therapy, and reproductive surgeries work to keep minor problems from getting worse. Women should make a gynecologist appointment for preventative services at least once a year (or every three years, depending on their age and condition). If you're experiencing issues, visiting a gynecologist frequently is advised.
Eye Doctor
Vision is taken for granted until something goes wrong. When you have trouble seeing, it impacts your everyday life. That's why patients need to visit the eye doctor. Eye examinations help to identify and correct vision issues before things get out of hand.
Corrective services like eye drops, prescription medications, glasses, eye contacts, and surgeries help improve vision for a better quality of life. Patients should visit the eye doctor at least once a year. As you get older, the number of visits may increase. You should also see the eye doctor the moment you experience a problem with your vision.
Going to the doctor may be scary, expensive, and even seem unnecessary to someone whose health is in good standing; however, it's a practice you should continue throughout your life. Each of the medical experts listed above provides a series of preventative and treatment services to ensure that you live the best life possible.
