By TobiasAre you not feeling well? Chances are good that you’re not feeling as good as you could, but it’s hard to really pinpoint what’s going on. Even if you’ve finally managed to master some lifestyle changes, you could be at a point where you’ve basically done everything that you can do. Maybe you’ve already worked out a diet that suits you. Maybe you’ve already worked out your sleeping habits and you’re now sleeping like a baby. Stress is something that’s part of the human existence, but you might have gotten to a point where you can actually rest a little more than you work. Those are all good things…but what if the problem is hiding in your blood?
Believe it or not, a regular blood test can actually catch a lot more than you think. Indeed, it’s really all about making sure that you’re feeling okay from the inside out. It can be tempting to skip the blood work issues because you don’t want to get pricked with a needle. That’s a very valid fear and we’re not making fun of you at all. It’s never a good time to be prodded with needles, but the results of the blood test are well worth the minimal pain. You don’t want to wait too long, because what if your blood work reveals deficiencies that you need to correct and you don’t know about them? That can cause serious health problems.
For example, if you’re a woman with low iron, you might be experiencing a lot of fatigue — even if you’ve been getting what would otherwise be a great diet! If you’ve been trying to figure out why you’ve been having so many problems, getting your blood checked can reveal a lot of things. Your doctor can run a lot of tests on one sample, so it’s not like you have to always get your blood drawn.
In order to make sure that you are prepared to get your blood drawn, you need to pay close attention to the doctor’s instructions. In many cases, you might have to go ahead and do a 24 hour fast in order to have “clean” results. It can be hard to give up food for 24 hours, but it’s really not that bad. Think of it this way — if you do it right the first time, you won’t have to do it multiple times just to get it done right.
If one doctor gives you attitude or doesn’t want to explain your test results properly to you, you might want to try to just get a second opinion. Keep in mind that the rise of the Internet has also made it a lot easier to get answers — you can look online and get other opinions. A lot of people are taking charge of their own health and looking up details to their own problems.
Overall, you have what it takes to improve your own health — go out and get your blood work done!