Before I even get into it, I perhaps need to come out with a disclaimer that if you’re ever in doubt and you’re worried about a health condition you may have being serious, then you should indeed go to your doctor. Otherwise running to your GP for every little thing isn’t always necessary, particularly if every subsequent visit has him or her asking something like “What is it this time, Sally?”
Every family has contact with a general practitioner from a reputed primary care clinic who provides regular health assessments and advice, manages ongoing health issues, and refers patients to other healthcare professionals when necessary. GPs are often the first points of contact for medical needs. Let’s say you have poor vision, and you visit your general practitioner regarding the ailment. They will likely give you all the necessary information about the doctor that you need to consult, along with how much procedures like laser eye surgery melbourne cost (if that is the treatment you need). In other cases, it might get to the point where, after visiting your doctor, you know what treatment will be administered for whatever ailment you think you are suffering from, and that turns out to be the case – they prescribe the medication you know by name and can trust!
All of these are indications that you’re perhaps worrying just a tad bit too much about phantom illnesses, something which often comes with some symptoms that are only really fuelled by your body transitioning through its various phases of development.
I mean although medical professionals generally abide by the strict professional conduct regulations imposed on them, the truth is it costs money to get specialized medical treatment and if you’re occupying the time of a medical professional who could otherwise have allocated that time to treating more serious issues, naturally you’ll only really be made to pay a bit more for that time.
On the other hand, if you are dealing with a severe health issue that requires specialized medical attention, your general practitioner will usually refer you to an appropriate expert. The following scenario will help us to understand this. Suppose you suffer from chronic headaches that do not respond to treatment; your physician may refer you to a neurologist, such as Dr Timothy Steel, to diagnose and treat you further. Therefore, it is critical to note that your general practitioner is a key component of your healthcare routine. They can provide helpful referrals to specialized medical professionals when necessary.
Apart from serious health concerns, there are lots of issues that don’t require a consultation with your doctor, for example if your doctor once recommended a specific treatment for your hair-loss, you could perhaps get those same hair loss treatment tablets online and not have to go through the entire process of first booking an appointment for a consultation of which the outcome you already know.
Another way of sorting out minor issues such as these is that of going straight to the pharmacy and talking to the pharmacists about the symptoms you’re worried about. These medical professionals harbour a lot more knowledge than what the average person may believe – and the best part is they can’t and won’t charge you for what is essentially a symptomatic-level “consultation.”
It gets even better – pharmacists’ gateway knowledge of the field of medicine has them adequately skilled to identify those signs which are symptomatic of those health issues and illnesses which are a lot more serious than those which can be solved with some over-the-counter medications and so they’ll advise you accordingly if it would be better for you to visit your GP.