When it comes to your health, it can be easy to overlook the little niggles that become part and parcel of who you are. From everyday aches and sprains to coughs, colds, and fevers, reaching for OTC medications and getting on with life is easier than seeking medical advice. After all, if it’s not that bad, then what is the point?
But in an ever-increasingly busy way of life, stopping and looking after your health is vital. With nearly 1 in 4 people failing to have regular doctor appointments, more people risk becoming seriously ill or issuing the warning signs of a more severe condition.
Read on for some health issues you should get checked out sooner rather than later.
Hearing Loss
With approximately 48 million people in the US alone experiencing some form of hearing loss, getting your hearing checked is vital. A hearing check can determine the cause and level of hearing loss you are experiencing. You can work towards getting the treatment you need, be it removing excessive wax blocking your ears or having hearing aids fitted for age-related hearing loss. If you don’t get to the root cause of your hearing loss, it can have a detrimental effect on your whole lifestyle, including affecting your social life, enjoyment of music and TV, and impacting your working life due to your decreased hearing.
Tinnitus
Contrary to popular belief, tinnitus is not a condition but more a symptom of a condition. Be it from damage to the ear, neurological disorders, or hearing loss, for example. Tinnitus is a constant or frequent noise in the ears that isn’t audible to anyone else, just the person exercising it. The noises can range from ringing to buzzing, humming, or whistling sounds, to name a few. Getting this checked out can help you learn more about the different types of tinnitus and how you can adjust to this disruptive symptom to reduce its impact on your life.
Breathlessness
Many different things can cause breathlessness. It could be a cold making you feel more exhausted from basic activities, a lung condition, heart problems, or being overweight. If your breathlessness is accompanied by wheezing, for example, it could be adult onset asthma – most commonly associated with pregnancy, but anyone at any age can develop this condition.
Seeing your doctor determine the cause of your breathlessness can help you to identify the proper treatment for you and any adjustments you might need to make to help you get back to full health.
Chest Pain
Lastly, if you experience any type of chest pain, you need to get medical advice as quickly as possible. In many cases, chest pain doesn’t always mean a heart attack, but getting to the root cause is vital to avoid complications or worsening symptoms. Chest pain can often be due to an injury in the upper body, pulled or strained muscles, heartburn, pneumonia, or heart problems and conditions such as angina. Depending on the severity of the pain, you can see your doctor or visit the emergency room to have this investigated further.
While many health issues can be treated without seeing a doctor, listening to your body and seeking medical advice for things that seem out of the ordinary or are affecting your life for a longer period can help you get back on the road to recovery.
