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Why It Is Important To Keep Up With Medical Checks During The COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has affected almost every aspect of life. Everyone’s day to day life has changed in ways that we could never have dreamed of, and with this being an unprecedented situation, there is no handbook to living through a pandemic that we can consult. We all know what we should be doing to help prevent the spread of this novel coronavirus – keeping our distance from people, wearing a mask, and washing our hands regularly – but what about when we still need to see our primary care doctor?
Staying healthy is more important than ever. Health care systems, wherever you are in the world, are struggling to cope with everything that is going on, and the last thing that they need is an influx of people who are ill with something that could have easily been prevented.
Staying in touch with your primary care doctor and other medical professionals that look after you is vital to make sure that your health is on the right track. Here, we look at a few reasons why.
Managing Chronic Conditions
Those who have underlying and chronic health conditions are more vulnerable than the average person when it comes to contracting COVID-19, and are also more likely to be more ill with it. Identifying them and managing them is more important than ever before.
Your primary care doctor will know which questions to ask and which tests to undertake to help to determine the cause of any symptoms that you are experiencing and take steps to manage them.
Some easy to treat conditions can be irreversible without treatment
Obviously, we know that with diseases and illnesses such as cancer, time is of the essence, and the faster you can get treatment started, the more successful it can be. However, there are other conditions that are less serious but easy to treat – but without identification and treatment, they can be more severe. Problems with hearing, for example – a simple hearing test can pick up hearing loss before it gets to a point where nothing can be done about it.
If you are healthy, your immune system is more likely to be healthy
Alongside good hygiene, social distancing, and wearing a mask, one of your best defences against this strain of coronavirus, and indeed seasonal illnesses such as influenza is a healthy immune system. To have a healthy immune system needs you to look after various aspects of your health. Your primary care doctor can help you to maintain and manage your overall wellness. Other things you can do to help yourself have a robust immune system include stop smoking, eating a balanced and healthy diet, and regular physical activity.
The COVID-19 pandemic is turning lives all over the world completely upside down. However, where possible, stick to your routine healthcare appointments and checkups because it is one less thing for you and the healthcare system to have to deal with further down the line.
