The Gift of Knowing

Most people do not enjoy going to the doctor’s office.  The thought of sitting in a waiting room, listening to a chorus of coughing, thumbing through 2 year old copies of Time Magazine is not appealing.  Having someone poke and prod you before telling you something is wrong never feels like fun.  Maybe the only thing worse is going to see the dentist.

We tend to follow the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality of healthcare.  We try to avoid seeing the doctor unless something is actually wrong.  Unless we are bleeding, broken, or running a temperature, we think we don’t need do be cared for by a physician.  But if this is our attitude toward healthcare, we are missing a crucial element to healthy living… the gift of knowing.

All too often, we can be surprised by an unplanned health event in our lives.  It can seem like something out of left field.  We ask ourselves, “How did this happen?”  In many cases, going to see the doctor when you feel healthy can prevent these kinds of health events.  While the doctor cannot foresee every potential problem, he or she can catch many of them.  Your doctor can also help you chart a course toward greater health. 

Children go through regular check ups for school or to play sports.  But adults rarely have to go through the same kind of examination unless they are taking out some life insurance.  While this may be the case in much of our culture, wellness checks are KEY to prevention of many conditions.  The good news is that many health insurance plans actually cover an annual wellness check-up with the doctor.

So do yourself a favor that could impact your future health and wellbeing.  Give yourself the gift of knowing what is going on with your body and potential hazards that could arise.  Schedule a check-up with your doctor.  You are not a hypochondriac if you do.  You are simply being proactive about one of the most important things we are blessed to own… our health.