These Are the Very Important Health Tips Doctors Wish Everyone Knew
A viral Reddit thread has revealed essential health and fitness commandments from actual doctors.
Let’s be honest: we all need to be taking care of ourselves better, and everyone knows it. Thankfully, an intrepid Reddit user asked this extremely important question: Doctors of Reddit, what is something that you wish everyone knew about their body? The thread absolutely blew up with over 55,000 comments, and here’s a choice selection of advice to help you live your healthiest life.
1. “You often will feel normal even with high blood pressure. It’s often found incidentally. So don’t wait until it gives you symptoms you don’t want to go through.”
–doctor_d9
2. “Not exercising is worse than smoking, diabetes, or coronary artery disease.”
–z3roTO60
3. “Please sleep more. 7 hours minimum, preferably 7.5-8. Sleep deprivation affects damn near everything head to toe: cardiovascular issues, mood dysfunction, dementia, cognitive slowing, and much more. I tell my patients that sleep is life.”
–MTV_WasMyBabysitter
4. “Your mental health is just as important as your physical health.”
–_Kofiko
5. “Prevention is becoming more and more important in medicine, and treating a disease in its early stages is a lot better than catching it late.”
–manlikerealities
6. “Your kidneys and liver cheerfully do all the toxin elimination you’ll ever need. Cleanses and other ‘detoxifying’ products are bullshit and a waste of money. The people who sell them are predators who only care about your money becoming theirs.”
–taRxheel
7. “Type 2 Diabetes is more serious than most people realize. I work as a doctor in hemodialysis and most of them are due to diabetic nephropathy. It also affects your eyes nerves immune system etc. Simple life changes can help you but no one seems to care. I even lost 9 kg myself because I had a family history of diabetes and to be healthy.”
–kingofneverland
8. “That they only have one life and their behavior now (drinking, smoking, not taking medicines, or whatever…) will impact their life quality and expectancy… sounds logical, but very few patients really realize it…”
–Clamoxyl
9. “Drink water.”
–Black_parader115
10. “The frequency of bowel movements can range from every 3 days to 3 times per day and be considered normal. Having 3 soft stools per day does not mean you have chronic diarrhea.”
–HarbingerKing
11. “Take care of your feet….check your feet regularly to make sure they’re clean, dry, and haven’t started developing any sores. Even small sores and go straight to the bone. If the infection goes to the bone, chances are we are going to cut your foot off. I have helped prep about half a dozen people just this week for foot amputations.”
–stahpgoaway
12. “Many simpler diseases in the body can be compared to a car. When you don’t get regular checkups and take regular care, it’s not like you’ll notice something bad happening right away. Just like how you won’t notice a missed oil change a couple thousand miles later. But diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, alcohol dependence, etc, they all sneak up on you. Just like how eventually, that engine won’t run as smooth.”
–z3roTO60
13. “There is a wide range of ‘normal’. Don’t be embarrassed by your body….We have generally heard it all before, and trust me, we have (nearly always) seen it all before. Maybe you have something that has been bothering you for ages, but you were too scared or embarrassed to ask about it … Just ask!…There are no stupid questions, so ask away.”
–frangipani_c
14. “Ejaculating blood happens to most people at least once in their lives and in 99% of cases it resolves without taking any action within a week. It doesn’t even warrant a doctor visit. Peeing blood (for both sexes) is a serious medical emergency and you should immediately go to the ER. People think it’s the other way around.”
15. “How to check for skin cancer. If you see any moles or anything that are:
A – asymmetrical B – border (odd borders, like they’re jagged or something) C – Colour (different colours) D – Diameter (grows) E – Evolve (Well, evolves).
“Go get it checked out. It might be skin cancer.”
–evgueni72
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