New Year’s Health Resolutions for You and Your Doctor

If you are like millions of others around the world, you may find the New Year to be a perfect time to focus on health resolutions as a means to self-improvement. Or, maybe New Year’s health resolutions are not your thing … But what if I told you that there are some very simple, practical steps you can take in 2017 that will have a drastic impact on your health and well-being? Sounds good? Great!

4 New Year’s Health Resolutions Everyone Should Make

Get an Annual Physical

No matter how healthy you are (or think you are), an annual physical is a crucial preventative measure to ensure that you enjoy your good health for years to come. In addition to clueing you into any potential risk factors you may have for certain illnesses, this annual visit is crucial to establishing baselines for your health to empower you and your physician to make important health decisions later on. And not only will you save plenty of money (not to mention, potentially your life) if your doctor is able to detect an illness early on, but it will also help ensure you remain up-to-date on your vaccinations and give you the time to build a relationship with your doctor. Should you ever face a serious health crisis—or have to ask an uncomfortable health question—you will be glad to have taken the time to establish a connection and trust with the physician.

Get a Flu Shot

The holidays may be coming to an end, but we are still in the full swings of flu season. Getting a flu shot is one of the quickest, easiest and most affordable things you can do to protect your health. Not only is the flu a serious illness, but getting vaccinated will also help ensure that you do not spread the sickness to very young infants or other family members who may not have the option of getting the flu shot. The best time to get the flu shot was yesterday (well, a couple of months ago) … the next best time is now!

Cut Back on Soda and Sugar`

Most people know that too much sugar is bad for you. Yet, we continue to eat massive amounts of it every day. While we certainly understand all of the temptation that probably came along with the holidays, resolving to cut back on your sugar intake in 2017 will have impressive effects on your well-being. One of the simplest and most significant ways you can cut back on sugar is to reduce or eliminate soda from your diet. In addition to all soda’s association with tooth decay and bone thinning, non-diet soda is packed with 150-200 calories and they come almost exclusively from sugar. This means it has zero nutritional value. And diet soda drinkers are not off the hook, either. Although diet soda does not contain sugar like its non-diet counterpart, the artificial sweeteners in diet soda have been linked to numerous scary health conditions like heart disease and depression. The next time you need a healthy beverage, resolve to reach for something healthier. If you are addicted to soda and can not figure out how to live without the carbonation, ease yourself into it by first cutting back and then switching to sparkling water.

Get Checked for Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s Disease affects people of all ages and the cause if unknown. It is a disease of the intestine but can vary in severity and even in its location within the intestine. Crohn’s Disease can be tricky to detect because of the range of symptoms patients can suffer as a result—they are not familiar with the disease, to begin with, and may not find definitive descriptions of what they are experiencing in any of their personal research. Symptoms may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, intestinal inflammation, fever and weight loss. Furthermore, the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease increase very gradually, which means many patients may go undiagnosed for years. To avoid waiting until it is a full-blown problem to find out you have Crohn’s Disease, talk to your doctor to see if you might be a candidate for testing. Early detection is key to successfully managing and treating the disease. There are multiple diagnostic tests for Crohn’s Disease and, if it turns out you do not have it, you will be able to rest easier knowing that it has been ruled out and it will give your doctor another opportunity to further understand your overall health. Hopefully, this list has given you a good idea of practical steps you can take to fulfill your New Year’s health resolutions for a healthier year (sure beats spending hours in the gym every day). The key to successful New Year’s health resolutions, and to health, in general, is making sure that your plan of action is one that is manageable and that doesn’t overwhelm. What do you plan on doing to improve your health in 2017? As always, be sure to be in touch if we can offer any advice or support. Save Save