Who else avoids the doctor?

The guy next door to me is 87 years old. Has not been to the dr in 40 yrs. He told me he has never taken an antibiotic in his entire life. I tend to take notes when goes into his story modes. The dude is a rock
 
I avoid going to the Dr. and I work in the medical profession. I have a number of friends who are physician...well residents right now.
I eat healthy and go to the gym regularly. im in darn good shape and dont smoke and rarely drink.

BUT if i did go to the Dr. i would probably make up some name and pay cash so as not to have in on my file if i were to up my life ins. Just incase they find something wrong with me.
 
You can't always fix cholesterol with diet and exercise. For me, it's genetic. I exercised 5 days a week and ate perfectly for a year. It didn't change my numbers one bit. I still exercise and eat right, but with Niacin and Crestor, my numbers are perfect.

Also, I got my first regular checkup when I was 35. This is when I found out about my Cholesterol problem. I also chose to have a stress test done before I got on a strenous workout program. I found out about a Plaque buildup starting in an artery in my neck. By addressing my cholesterol problem now, I won't be having a stroke in my 50's-60's. I'm 38 now.

Obviously, I disagree strongly with the opinion that regular checkups aren't important.
 
You realize that you can correct all that with your diet alone....

Absolutely, unequivocally not true. Some may be able to mitigate that, or even fully correct those ills, but it is completely untrue to state or imply that everyone can correct high-blood pressure and high cholesterol with "diet alone".

The body is a complex machine, and of course the better we take care of it through actions such as diet and exercise, the better the machine will perform. For some people diet, exercise, and losing weight will be all that is needed. But not all. This is another reason why one should see a doctor now and then to get a checkup. You don't know if you're one of the group that isn't helped (or cured) by improving your diet.
 
There is strong evidence that diet alone can. Studies have shown that people do not have heart attacks with cholesterol levels below 150. The "recommended" 200 will not prevent disease. Read the China Study. Powerful!
 
Huh. Well I'm having surgery soon to determine whether I have cancer. I have had no symptoms at all. I am in shape, eat well, am active, no family history, and have never had any real health issues. The mass was discovered during a routine checkup, the doc was palpating my abdomen. Don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather have a serious disease or condition caught and treated in its earlier stages than just assume I'm healthy, but kick off within a year or so if I'm wrong.
 
Sozial- und Präventivmedizin/Social and Preventive Medicine
Issue Volume 33, Numbers 4-5 / July, 1988

DICP, The Annals of Pharmacotherapy: Vol. 24, No. 9, pp. 817-821

Archives of Internal Medicine Vol 149 No 11

These are just a few articles in the literature for those who think seeing a doctor is the only way to know you are at risk for hypercholesterolemia. You can find abstracted evidence like this straight off of Google, without so much as one journal subscription or trip through Pubmed. All competent adults should take some responsibility for their healthcare and (1) learn about conditions for which they are at risk (including appropriate screens), (2) modify lifestyle (when appropriate) to reduce risks, and (3) see a physician when it is indicated. Doctors can sometimes do great things. Commitment to know and do what is necessary to promote one's health, though, is enormously important.
 
Texas Golf, it took the Cholestrol Med's to get me to 150.

Diet and Exercise only got me down to 196.
 
There is strong evidence that diet alone can.

You still miss the point.

It can for some people. It cannot for others.
 
I went for a physical this week after at least 5 years of no doctor visits. Mainly because my wife insisted. Good to know that my blood sugar, BP, and cholesterol levels were all doing fine.

My doc said that the #1 predictor of life expectancy is low blood pressure. High BP eventually leads to strokes, heart attacks and death. Low blood pressure leads to long life. This is true across cultures and continents, according to my doc. Therefore, we should all try to keep our BP as low as possible, by eating right, exercising, and taking meds if necessary.

Also, when my dad turned 45 I convinced him to start having an annual prostate exam. He'd be dead right now if he hadn't done that.

Annual checkups are not what is driving our health care costs, by the way.
 
I'm not really familiar with health care in the UK, but isn't it basically about stressing preventative care rather than waiting for a disease to manifest itself into something much more deadly and costly?

I think that's a big problem with our health care culture here. There's not enough emphasis on preventative care, rather we wait for the problem to arise, then treat it.
 
something that hasn't been mentioned, and may seem obvious to some, is to find a doctor you both like and trust. my wife and I found a doctor who has always taken the time to talk with us, explain anything that needs explaining, asks plenty of questions and shows a general concern for our well being. I've found that I'm much more likely to bring an ailment to her, than I would have with any other doctor I've had, and as a result have become much more aware of issues that I needed to deal with (and in some cases, things I could do to prevent latter problems).

if you don't want to see a doctor, that's fine. it seems that at least some of the people who are arguing its not necessary are at least very active in monitoring their health. ultimately, someone should be monitoring your health, and if it isn't you, it should be your doctor.
 
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