|
|
|
Don’t Cut Back on Your Healthcare
John Bonavia, MD, Family Medicine, Port Washington Family Medical Clinic
Posted: April 1, 2009
More than 133 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, arthritis and heart disease. Often defined as an ongoing illness that affects your health over a long period of time, chronic conditions generally have no known cure.
In the midst of this economic crisis, people may be tempted to cut back on their prescriptions or skip doctor appointments. But not properly managing a chronic illness will ultimately lead to more serious health problems, additional healthcare expenses or even death.
Consequences of uncontrolled chronic illness
Whether it’s daily insulin injections to control diabetes, using an inhaler for asthma or monitoring your blood pressure, the key to treating a chronic illness is to effectively control the disease. If you don’t follow the treatment recommendations suggested by your doctor, you run the risk of your health deteriorating further.
If your current financial situation is threatening to compromise your healthcare needs, have an open and honest discussion with your doctor. There may be more affordable treatment options available to you, such as setting up a payment plan, switching to generic prescription medications or having prescriptions filled at retailers with lower prices. Your physician is your partner in healthcare and can work with you during difficult times.
Managing chronic illness
It’s also important to talk to your doctor about ongoing or new symptoms so that together you can determine the course of treatment that is right for you.
Your overall treatment plan might include:
- Regularly taking prescription medicine to control or relieve your symptoms
- Modifying your diet to reach a healthy weight, eliminate foods that may negatively impact the illness or add foods that may help improve your health
- Modifying your alcohol intake – standard guidelines for patients without an alcohol problem suggest women limit themselves to one alcoholic drink per day or less, and men limit themselves to two alcoholic drinks per day or less
- Eliminating the use of all tobacco products
- Getting regular exercise to help improve strength and energy levels
- Undergoing therapy to learn how to cope with the physical or psychological challenges of your condition
Learn all you can about a diagnosed condition from your doctor, community resources and national support organizations like the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society. Taking a more active role in managing a chronic illness helps you control the condition and make healthier lifestyle choices.
Preventing chronic illness
Not surprisingly, the same lifestyle changes used to manage chronic illness can go a long way in preventing chronic illness. Drinking in moderation, following a nutritious diet, not using tobacco products and getting moderate exercise are all healthy lifestyle habits, which adopted early can have a positive impact on your overall long-term health.
Along with adopting healthy lifestyle habits, there are other ways to help prevent the onset of chronic illnesses. Regular physical exams and health screening evaluations are an important part of preventive healthcare.
Talk with your doctor to understand the screening schedule for serious health conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers such as breast, colon, cervical and prostate. Disclosing personal risk factors and your family medical history will help your doctor make the best recommendations on when to begin certain health screenings and how often to undergo the tests.
Preventive healthcare should start as early as possible. For children, this means following the recommended immunization guidelines to help prevent serious illnesses during childhood that could negatively impact their health when they reach adulthood. As an adult, it’s just as important to follow through on recommended vaccinations. If you take responsibility for your health, you’ll be better able to cope with your chronic illness and improve your physical well-being in general.
John Bonavia, MD
Family Medicine, Port Washington Family Medical Clinic
414-326-1745
We Have Answers
Do you have medical questions or need help finding a doctor? The experts at Columbia St.Mary’s can help. Click here.
|
Get the Facts
