Three Proactive Steps That Keep Your Physical Health In Focus
Because your medical health is part of self-care too….
Self-care is all the rage right now, emphasizing the importance of meditation, massage, essential oils, and journaling. While all of those tips are indeed beneficial to your wellness, your physical health should be included in your self-care regimen.
You aren’t helping yourself by only being reactive with your health; taking action once something has gone wrong. Get involved with your medical and physical health; it should be a partnership between you and your doctor.
Consistently taking these three steps will help you become proactive:
1. Take the time to review your test results
You get your annual physical; a few days later, you get a call or email telling you your labs look good. So you naturally think, ok, great — nothing to worry about till next year.
But have you actually reviewed your lab results and looked up what the tests are for and what results should be?
No?
Then you are missing a crucial step in your healthcare, my friend.
Not only do your labs reveal what is currently going on with your health, but they also help you to follow your results over time. If specific test values drastically change between visits (yet perhaps still within acceptable ranges), that may be your body trying to tell you something.
If you are actively monitoring your history, the changes will stand out to you, allowing you to discuss them with your physician.
Don’t let your physical health be on autopilot
Monitoring your results is especially helpful if your insurance tends to change, causing you to switch doctors every year or so. Discuss your concerns with your doctor, as they can give you suggestions on how to stop the progress before it’s too late.
Why wait until you have a medical condition to treat it? There may be time to change your diet and exercise habits that can reverse the progress it’s been making, or better yet, prevent it from developing in the first place?
2. Educate yourself about your health conditions
If you have a condition/disease/illness, it’s crucial that you do your homework and become your own expert. Your knowledge lets you know what to expect as far as what is normal or abnormal, as well as what food/supplements to avoid.
Don’t be blind to it.
Advances in medications and alternative treatments are continually being made, so it’s important to keep abreast consistently.
Be proactive; your doctor will appreciate your involvement, as it can open up valuable discussions during your visits.
Take notes of things you may have questions about for your next medical appointment:
- Ask about new options if you don’t feel your current treatment is helping.
- Discuss alternative treatments; many doctors now are aware that natural remedies can be a great complement to your current treatment plan, such as acupuncture to help reduce certain types of chronic pain, rather than depending on painkillers as your only option.
- Mention articles or studies you’ve read regarding your condition and the treatment methods involved.
3. Pay attention to signs and new symptoms
And lastly-don’t ignore changes in your health, no matter how insignificant that may seem. Don’t self-diagnose or chalk it up to getting older.
For example, did you know thyroid disorders can cause a plethora of seemingly non-serious symptoms that you may blow off? You may not be concerned as the signs may appear to be part of the normal aging process or not taking care of yourself.
The Mayo Clinic lists some of the following signs for an underactive thyroid:
- Dizziness
- Weight Gain
- Dry Skin
- Constipation
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Confusion/Trouble Concentrating
- Missed Periods
- Low Heart Rate (Your fitness tracker most likey monitors this. Pay attention to it.)
Looking at that list-you may understand why having a few of these symptoms may seem ordinary and easily explained away as being due to poor nutrition, inactivity, or getting older.
Don’t self-diagnose changes you see in your day-to-day life. Keep notes, so you don’t forget to mention things that are changing, such as:
- Headaches
- Stiff Joints
- Missed Periods
- Weight Loss/Gain without trying
Warning-don’t dive down a rabbit hole on WebMD and decide that you have ten diseases all of a sudden.
Instead, be mindful of changes you may have previously glossed over. A combination of new symptoms that you’ve noticed may alert your doctor to possible concerns, spurring them to run more tests or refer you to a specialist.
It’s essential to recognize that taking care of your medical health is part of that self-care regimen! Don’t let your healthcare be on autopilot.
