Don’t Sell Out Your Health

At the risk of being a bit self-serving, given that I’m a health care provider who earns a living helping people regain and maintain their health, I’m going to say it anyway…

Don’t sell out your health!

I had a patient the other day who lamented the cost of a particular medication that she needs to take and probably will need to take indefinitely. She wasn’t happy about spending the money on something like that, when there are so many more interesting and more fun things to spend it on. I think most of us can relate to that, especially with the cost of seemingly everything being quite a bit higher than it was just a few years ago, and the resulting hit most of us have had to our “discretionary” income.

When expenses seem high as compared to income, there’s a natural tendency to try to cut back and be more frugal. And while health-related expenses can seem like a good place to reduce expenses, in my experience and opinion, it’s usually not a good idea.

If you ever watched the television show, The Simpsons, perhaps you saw the episode in which Homer has a heart attack and needs coronary artery bypass surgery. Because of the cost, he resorts to discount surgeon Dr. Nick - who will do any sugery for $129.95! Ultimately, between Dr. Nick viewing a somehwhat damaged videotape (the episode aired in 1992) and getting some instructions shouted down from the surgical gallery by Lisa (who studied up on the procedure herself), Homer was fine, but...

There are just certain things for which going cheap is not a great idea!

As a wise old acquaintance put it so eloquently recently, “Without your health, nothing else is worth a crap!” He might have used a slightly stronger word, but you get the idea!

The longer you skip taking care of your health to try to save a few bucks, the more likely an even bigger bill is going to come due eventually. That bill might be in the form of actual dollars (because the condition has worsened from neglect and requires more expensive treatment), in the form of pain and suffering, or both.

Even relatively minor health issues can rob you of your productivity and the full enjoyment of life and the things you want to do in it.

So, while cutting back on things like gym memberships, healthy food, medications and/or supplements, and visits to health care providers may reduce your costs somewhat in the short term, I think it’s important to consider what the costs of neglecting your health will be in the long term.

Now, it’s one thing if you are actually forced to reduce costs somewhere to maintain the basics you need to live, but thankfully most of us are not in the position of having to choose between health expenses and paying the rent and being able to buy groceries.

If you’re in a financial crisis, you obviously have to deal with the crisis first.

But it’s very easy to get caught up imagining a crisis that doesn’t actually exist when we see money leaving our wallets faster than it used to.

In the long run, spending money on your health is one of the more reliable investments you can make, so if you’ve been putting off getting back to the gym, buying less healthy food, suffering through with symptoms you could get medication for that helps, procrastinating on your medical or dental check-up, or skipping that massage or chiropractic appointment, I encourage you to reconsider (especially on that last one)!

We live in stressful, demanding times and you need to be as healthy as possible to withstand them and live a productive and enjoyable life. There’s nothing wrong with being frugal, but choose carefully where you cut costs!

Until next time…

George F. Best, D.C.