Getting Up the Courage to See the Doctor or Dentist

Until recently, I was a terrible procrastinator when it came to making doctors' appointments. I would wait and see, hoping that I could cure whatever was wrong with me through diet, yoga, or rest. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I was big into the self healing movement.

 As children, my mother used to take us to the doctor as soon as we had any symptoms or pain. "Why do we always have to run to the doctor?" my father would ask. "Just wait a few days," was his advice. That approach always made sense to me. I thought it was kind of funny the way  he called it "running to the doctor." He felt the same way about taking the dog to the vet. Quite often, our dog would get better on his own. Sometimes it seemed like he would limp on purpose, for attention. It was like a trick. We would all make a big deal over him and he liked the sympathy. I saw the parallel with people.

I always  liked the folk remedies. I still do. Gargling with warm salt water for a sore throat is one of my favorites. I am amazed at the power of salt. Rinsing with heated salt water after having dental work  gives such immediate relief. You feel an instant sensation of healing in the gums. No wonder salt was so valuable in ancient times.

At some point in my life I really took the do it yourself method  too far. One example was not seeing a dentist out of fear. I had experienced a lot of trauma in the dentist's chair as a child. As an adult, I became very avoidant.  It backfired. By the time I would finally visit  the dentist, I  needed a root canal or a crown. It was always expensive, especially for a dance teacher. Since several years had passed,  it usually  involved weeks of appointments to fix numerous cavities. It was also embarrassing. Once I discovered a preventive program by Dr. Ellie, I began to enjoy going to the dentist. Her system of using zylitol and mouth rinses completely changed my life. Now I rarely get cavities and I go to the dentist at least once a year. It's such a relief to be out of that cycle of fear and dread.

As I've gotten older, I've made a conscious choice to take the reins. I address health problems while they are a whisper, instead of waiting until my body is screaming at me for relief.  By the time I saw a doctor about my hips, they were bone on bone and had reached the stage of deformity. In retrospect, I see how sad it was that I waited until my joints were so painful and damaged. Now that I have new, pain free hips, I really want to take care of them. I never knew it was possible for my hips to feel so good. It's just incredible.

The other day I had an earache. I am normally perfectly healthy. I have always been very fortunate that way. I rarely, if ever, "catch" colds or the flu. I waited a few days, but it didn't improve, (in spite of my salt water gargling and eating fresh garlic.) I went to see the doctor. He diagnosed it as swimmer's ear. He prescribed ear drops and antibiotics. Since artificial joints can't fight infection, I have a lot at risk. I am very protective of these hips, and they've made me more responsible.   

The doctor asked me if I had been swimming. I had been working out and doing hydrotherapy at my local gym. I probably contacted it in the jacuzzi. It's ironic, because I've always loved water therapy. I guess being in other people's water is not the greatest idea. You never know what kind of bacteria is lurking in the pool or the hot tub. One can only imagine...

A simple thing that  I've learned as I've gotten older is that it's better to find out what's wrong right away  than to wait. I used to pretend that the symptoms I had weren't there. I tried to heal osteoarthritis with exercise. I was in denial. We are fortunate to live in an age where we have so many solutions and medical advancements. Although I try to cure most things with diet, garlic, and herbs, sometimes a professional is really what's needed.