Many people know what a family doctor is and even why they are important, but still few people are making a decision on a family doctor and instead try to see urgent care or other “quick fix” facilities. There are some key reasons to choose a family doctor and here are three primary ones.
- They will treat the whole you
Family doctors are generalists instead of specialists. Instead of specializing on the heart, brain, or joints they specialize in you. The entire you. Family doctors build their practice around treating a wide variety of symptoms and concerns you have. They are focused on ensuring that all of your current and future needs are understood and taken care of, so that you know exactly where you are and where you are going in respect to your health.
- They can guide you to your perfect health future
Family doctors are crucial in making long-term health goals. Whether that is running a marathon, preventing a family illness, or even just losing weight. Your family doctor will work with you at every step to educate you about your current health circumstances and the implications of your future goals. For example, if your goal is to run a marathon, they can help you understand the burden that will place on your body and the key areas of your body or lifestyle that may need adjusting in order to make that goal a reality.
- They know you
Healthcare is one business where the customers can really benefit from seeing the same individual for many years, instead of the typical chasing after lowest prices or greatest convenience. A family physician can help you with medical needs, and track your overall health level through annual physicals over years. Many primary care doctor offices, like Treasure Valley Family Medicine, offer a wide enough variety of services to comprehensively treat patients and really get to know them because they can be somewhat of a one-stop-shop for common medical needs. These type of practices often advocate for getting annual exams because they can help detect some illnesses that a typical examination may not show. Some illnesses will present symptoms as subtle lifestyle adjustments, gaining or losing of weight for example, and without a doctor regularly building up data on your body through annual exams you may not be able to see them before they are serious.
