When you aren’t feeling well or something doesn’t seem quite right, it’s a good idea to go to the doctor. Although that’s an important way to figure out what’s gone wrong, you don’t have to wait until you’re diagnosed with a condition or a disease to get help. There are things you can do to stay healthy in the first place.

Take a Statin To Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

Your cholesterol matters, as it can contribute to heart disease. If you have bad cholesterol, your doctor may recommend that you take a statin. This drug helps lower bad cholesterol, drawing it out of plaque, which is a waxy substance that can build up on the walls of arteries, affecting blood flow.

The way doctors prescribe statins has changed. Doctors now consider your overall health and risk factors when prescribing the drug, instead of only recommending a daily dosage when cholesterol levels are high. Although this has the potential to help prevent more people from experiencing a heart attack or stroke, statins don’t come without risks.

It’s important to talk to your doctor before you take any medication, especially statins, to make sure your risk is high enough to warrant the possible side effects you may experience.

Take Aspirin To Prevent Another Heart Attack or Stroke

If you are worried about having a heart attack or stroke, you may want to consider taking Aspirin every day. This medication interferes with your body’s ability to clot blood, preventing the buildup of fatty deposits inside already narrow blood vessels in the heart.

Aspirin is an easy way to help prevent heart attacks and stroke, but this treatment isn’t for everyone. Doctors only recommend a daily Aspirin regimen if:

• You have already experienced a heart attack or stroke
• You have had a stent, coronary bypass surgery, or coronary artery disease
• You are at a high risk of having a heart attack
• You have diabetes and at least one other risk factor for a heart attack

Although taking Aspirin every once in a while for pain is safe, taking it every day could result in some serious side effects, so it’s important to consider this option very carefully.

Take Allergy Meds To Prevent Indoor and Outdoor Allergies

If you struggle with allergies, you know how debilitating it can be. There’s nothing worse than dealing with a runny nose, itchy eyes, and uncontrollable sneezing. Instead of dealing with your symptoms when they show up, take allergy medications before your symptoms strike.

There’s no need to go to the doctor, although that is an option if your allergies are severe. There are many over the counter medications you can take to manage your allergy symptoms before they appear.

You can find pills, eye drops, nasal spray, and more with ingredients that target different kinds of allergies and different levels of symptoms. If the first one you try doesn’t work, keep trying until you find one that does.

Take Migraine Supplements To Prevent a Headache

Allergies can be very annoying, but headaches can be downright debilitating. If you sometimes get migraines that force you to stop whatever you’re doing, you may want to consider a migraine supplement.

Most medications address migraines when they have already begun. With an over the counter migraine supplement or vitamin, you may be able to prevent one from occurring in the first place.

A few supplements you may want to try include:

• Vitamin B-2, which can affect the way cells metabolize energy
• Magnesium, as a deficiency is sometimes the cause of migraines
• Coenzyme Q10, which can help generate energy in cells and protect them from oxidative damage

Eat and Exercise Well

It’s always important to mention the importance of eating well and exercising if you’re looking for ways to prevent illness and disease, as the things you eat and the way you move your body can profoundly affect your health.

Eating well and exercising doesn’t mean you have to eat salads and go for long runs every single day. It just means eating more vegetables and moving your body. Even if you indulge in a piece of cake or decide you love to walk instead of run, what matters is that you’re fueling and exercising your body in ways that support good health.

Get Vaccinated

There has been a lot of talk in the last few years about vaccinations. Although some people believe their ingredients cause disease, the research does not back up this claim. Instead, research has shown time and time again that vaccinations can prevent illness and disease.

Getting vaccinated means making sure you have the basic vaccinations for things like polio and measles, but it also means getting your flu shot every year. If you do, you can greatly decrease your chances of getting sick. If you do happen to get the flu, you’ll find that your symptoms are much less severe.

It also means getting the COVID-19 vaccine when you are able. It will prevent you from getting the disease, but it will also prevent you from spreading the disease to others who may be more susceptible to its symptoms.

Go To the Doctor Regularly

Going to the doctor isn’t very much fun, but it is a great way to maintain your health and prolong your life. Visiting a doctor regularly gives them the opportunity to get to know you and notice when something might be wrong, but it also gives them the chance to recommend important tests when you’re ready to take them.

Just a few of the medical tests you will need to take include:

• Skin exam by a dermatologist to look for skin cancer
• Pap smear to screen for cervical cancer
• Mammogram if you’re over the age of 50
• Cholesterol check to prevent stroke and heart disease
• Colonoscopy to look for colon cancer

We all want to be as healthy as possible. If you’re serious about getting the most out of your health and life, follow the tips on this list!