Why Seeing Your Doctor Every 6 Months Can Save Your Life

As a well-experienced registered nurse who has worked in pediatrics, OB/GYN, internal medicine, HIV care, and more, my friends often come to me for advice about their health. They know my experience didn’t come easy — years of practice, study, and seeing the unexpected have taught me just how much we all tend to take our bodies for granted.

One afternoon, my best friend Fidel pulled me aside to talk about something that had been on his mind.

“I have insurance,” he said, “but I don’t feel like going to the doctor. They take too long, and it feels like a waste of time.”

Then he went on to explain how he handles things instead.

“When I get a headache, I figure it’s my blood pressure, so I eat some garlic. If I feel dizzy, I figure it’s my sugar, so I eat something sweet. Why spend hours in a waiting room when I already know what’s wrong?”

Now, don’t get me wrong — Fidel isn’t completely wrong. Paying attention to your body and noticing how you feel is important. But I couldn’t resist asking him:

"How do you know you’re right?"

He shot back confidently: “I know my body!”

And to some degree, he is right — but here’s the thing: the body is an incredibly complicated machine. You can’t always diagnose yourself based on symptoms alone. A headache might just be dehydration, stress, or high blood pressure — but it could also be something much more serious. Dizziness might not be your sugar at all; it could signal a completely different condition.

So I sat down with Fidel and walked him through why regular doctor visits are so important. Whether you believe in doctors or not, whether you feel healthy or already live with a condition, everyone should see their primary care provider at least every six months.

Why? Because a primary care doctor doesn’t just treat you when you’re sick. They help prevent illnesses before they even happen, catch small problems before they become serious, and help you stay on track to live a longer, healthier life.

What happened next really drove this lesson home.

A few weeks later, Fidel called me after finally going to see his doctor. He admitted he almost skipped the appointment but remembered what I told him about prevention. During his visit, they ran some routine bloodwork — and the results revealed a life-threatening condition he never would have known about otherwise.

For obvious privacy reasons, I won’t share the exact diagnosis, but it was a condition that could have cost him his life if left untreated. Thanks to that visit, they caught it early and started him on the right treatment plan before it was too late.

When he told me the news, all I could say was, “I’m just happy you went.”

That’s what I tell all my friends now: get yourself checked first — then we can talk about anything else.

Many people think medicine is only about treatment. But the truth is, medicine is also about prevention. Those routine visits that seem like an inconvenience could save your life, or at least spare you from bigger, more painful problems in the future.

Fidel doesn’t rely on garlic and guesswork anymore — and neither should you.

Your health is worth more than convenience. Don’t wait until your body forces you to pay attention.

And if you’d like, let me know in the comments if you’d like me to explain more about why seeing your primary care provider every six months is so important — I’d be happy to write about it next.

Stay healthy,

Oliver Rosario, RN