When you're sick : see the doctor or self-medicate?

Is it free for you and the taxpayers are paying for it then? Because it's never really "free" Anyway, if you're sick for more than a certain amount of time then you should see a doctor. Two weeks is a long time to be sick. I don't know what eating chocolate has to do with getting sick again unless you're allergic to it because chocolate isn't going to matter. What you should be doing is getting a lot of rest and drinking lots of liquids and eating right. A lot of people just stop eating during a cold or flu and stop getting their vitamins and minerals which is bad. Eat soup with lots of chicken broth and colorful veggies. If you have a cold or another virus then taking antibiotics is actually not a good thing because viruses just evolve. If bacteria has settled and you've become infected then the antibiotics will usually work if you get the right kind for what you're infected with. Unfortunately, sometimes they play Russian Roulette with the antibiotics until the right one is found which is bad for your body and good for any evolving bacteria or viruses. Viruses evolve very quickly. Bacteria does evolve, but slowly over time so it's still bad to just knee jerk to the doctor every time someone gets an ear or throat infection.

Most of the time, I am only just a bit sick and not certainly not sick enough to go to the doctor. I think that I am perfectly fine most of the time and therefore just rest, relaxation, and plenty of hot foods and liquids tends to be the best medicine. Also putting a lot of blankets on me and heavy clothing to sweat out the illness. If it seems to be anything more serious, I will grudgingly go to the doctor. But its something that my wallet yells at me for. Still I think that I am blessed not to be sick enough to really worry, other then a cold here and the cold there. And with that statement, I might have just jinxed myself. Still as long as you take care of yourself well enough, there should not be many problems. Still germs are in the air and in every which direction, no matter how clean or how many steps you take to avoid them.

I usually self-medicate. If I remember it right, I only visited the doctor once since I started working. I've been working for almost three years already.

Getting sick is a very unhappy situation. From my experience with doctors, I prefer to take my natural medication. But this is only in case there is not a very serious health problem such as high fever or very bad general state. And I've learned a lesson: all the secret with getting sick is the immune system. Try to strengthen your immune system by natural medication such as echinacea and sickness will stay away. I did it. This plant is very effective for respiratory health problems. I no longer take antibiotics for several years.

I am curious: how often do you exercise? I hardly get sick and I've hardly been to a doctor. I prefer more natural ways of healing - still depends on what I would get. Regular or common sickness like cold, headache, and minor sickness would go away by itself. G.

hi,for me i would not go to the doctor first especially if its only cold and cough or fever.i self meditate also for my kids and family.i will just buy medicine for it and im lucky that i do that every time and i get well soon.if i feel something strange pain in my body i will be alarmed but im lucky that my family can not get sick easily and just common cold and flu and fever. thanks god..

I do take self medication, unless it is normal cold/ fever (bcoz i am pharmacist). But the symptom persists for a long time (more than 2 days) i do visit doctor. Its always better to consult the pharmacist or the doctor near by, because now a day's people are becoming highly educated illiterates. And thinks they know everything. But, playing with medication is like playing with a double edged knife.

It depends. If I can take I just drink water and medicine for my sickness. But if it so much then I will see my doctor. Like you do I have my health card so I can use it any time when necessary.

Personally, I am a bit scared of the hospitals or doctors though most of my family members have stayed there for sometime... I am always on the other side of the fence - their aid when needed. If it is just a 'regular' type of sickness, I do self-medicate but when it becomes a bit serious, I do consult a doctor. Hope you are feeling better :)

When I'm sick I self medicate for 2 days and if after 2 days nothing happened then I go to the doctor the next day. I try not to just go to the doctor and ask for medicine or antibiotic. If I'm sick I drink a lot of water and eat healthy food and some fruits.

I will self medicate. I don't like to see doctors unless it's really necessary. I want my health and body to be as natural as possible while not be complicated with those medicines. It's not good for our body if we are taking too much antibiotics. Once our body is immuned to those antibodies, it will only spell trouble for us. Therefore, I will prefer to self medicate and prevent myself from falling sick easily by eating right together with exercises. Fruits and vegetables are must have for my daily meals because they boost my immune system.

It depends on the kind of sickness that I have. If it's not that terrible like flu, I just rest and eat plenty of fruits. But if that lasts for already 2 weeks and above, maybe it's better and BEST to see your doctor already. Just like now here in our country, dengue fever is already a trending disease here.

when i get sick ,, i never see a doctor cause we don't have enough money to spend,,,,so i am just using a self medication,,, cause in our house we have a lots of herbal medicine,,,.,.,.

I never go to the doctor when I am sick, which is very rare anyway, unless it lasts a long time and or it is really effecting me. I know when to go to a doctor and when not too. Like I had my first kidney stone a week and a half ago, at first I thought my appendix was going to need to be removed, I woke up in pain, nauseated, etc, I knew it was not the flu but felt sick to my stomach, the pain was bad, I woke my wife and told her she had to take me to emergency, on the drive there it was holy smokes painful.. they had to give me morphene in the emergency room. That was a fun morning. By the way your consulting your doctor was not free, I am figuring you have health insurance, which you pay for.. so many folks think that their visit to a doc and or perscriptions are free when they pay for insurance, folks need to get the bill even if they dont have to pay just so they can see what gets billed to their insurance company. So many folks walk out the door not even know what their bill would be if they did not have insurance.

It depends on the situation, if I am sick which will count day 1 and lasts to day 3, I only give myself a treatment at home which for sure is obvious that those illness would be like simple coughs or colds, flu, headache or body ache, and not any serious diseases. But if I still am not feeling well after 3 days of self medication and I have flu or fever, then there's no doubt and question about it, we need a doctor to check us what is really wrong. Never ever self medicate in serious illness.

Hi, Sweet_pea. :) Sorry to hear that you have been sick. I hope that everything is ok with you now... I am the type of a person who doesn't patronize a physician. I'm not really a sickly person. The most common illness I am often having is just a fever, cough and cold. Other than that I am pretty healthy. These illnesses do not require a physician except for a high fever. But on the first sign of fever, I submerge myself in a cold bath (sometimes with ice on it). The moment I step out of the shower, I feel better and I'm pretty sure that fever will not persist. Of course a little help of paracetamol seal the deal to recovering faster.You see, I'm not a see -the -doctor -when- sick person. Be always well, dear.:)

I have to consider the way I am feeling and the symptoms i may have. i will usually try to take care of the situation by myself first. if i feel i can not handle it on my own, i will call the doctor for some help.

For me self medication because I love to drink herbal only then after it I will be cure so less expenses.

It depends on what it is. If it's something I have had before and I know how to cure (like a cold or a headache), I might try self medicating. If it is a completely new condition I know nothing of, I would probably go to the doc. So it very much depends on the situation for me (I don't have kids yet, so I have no idea what I would do if I did)

I self-medicate for 3 days, if the medicine doesn't work and I don't feel any better at all I run to the doctor for some antibiotics (as it always need prescription). However, if the kids are sick, I don't wait, I take them to their pediatrician right away.