It is advised to go to the doctor at least once a year to perform tests such as a blood or urine test to identify diseases before they manifest symptoms, facilitating their treatment. It is also important to go to the doctor when you have a habit of taking analgesics or laxatives more than 3 times a month to identify the cause and thus cure the disease quickly.
The 3 reasons to go to the doctor before you feel sick are:
1. To take regular exams
The urine and blood test that evaluates total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, blood count, and thyroid values, for example, serves to identify diseases that are silent and show only symptoms at an advanced stage.
Thus it is recommended that:
- Adults do this type of examination once a year;
- Seniors are tested every 6 months, and
- Chronic patients are screened every 3 months or according to medical advice.
2. If you take analgesic more than 2 times a week
Painkillers are useful for relieving pain and promoting well-being, but should not be used without medical knowledge because they can harm the liver and kidneys. However, they can also mask symptoms that need to be diagnosed for proper treatment, such as arthritis or tendinitis, for example.
So whoever takes more than 2 painkillers a week for headache, backache, bone or sleeping pills should go to the doctor to identify the source of the pain.
3. If there is a history of chronic illness in the family
In case of family members with high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol it is important to go to the doctor to diagnose the onset of the disease early as there are more chances of having the same disease.
In addition, in the case of relatives with cancer, it is essential to maintain vigilance in the doctor, so that, if it does occur, it is still possible to detect it at an early stage.
Major symptoms to go to the doctor
Some signs that may indicate a need to go to the doctor include:
| Symptom | Doctor |
Menstruation does not go down at the end of a week | Gynecologist |
| Feeling tired doing a little effort, like making the bed | Cardiologist |
| Being coughing for at least 15 days in a row | Pneumologist |
| Crying daily and having difficulty sleeping | Psychiatrist |
| Having spots or signs on the skin that increase in size, shape or color | Dermatologist |
| Can not read the subtitles of a movie | Ophthalmologist |
| Having to put the TV on high and speak very loudly | Otorrino |
| Having frequent back or knee pains | Orthopaedist |
| Drink plenty of water and be very thirsty | Endocrinologist |
In addition to these symptoms there are others that may indicate some alteration in the body and, therefore, one must be aware of any changes that occur and that is not frequent.
Which doctor to look for
Although the person is healthy it is very important to go every year at:
- General practitioner - to observe the patient and to indicate a blood, urine or stool test;
- Cardiologist - to assess pressure and perform an electrocardiogram to check for heart function and detect problems such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, or heart failure;
- Gynecologist: to perform a pap smear and gynecological ultrasound that serves to monitor the uterus and ovaries and detect the onset of cancer, in addition to performing a mammogram;
- Dentist : allows you to observe the dentition and quickly treat the development of cavities.
- Proctologist : From the age of 45 years it is important to take the PSA exam and prostate assessment.
In addition to consulting these doctors, in case you have symptoms and suspect some disease you should seek a specialist so that you can properly treat the disease. For example, in case of frequent diarrhea or stomach pain should go in the gastroenterologist. To know more read: Which doctor treats each disease.
