It’s quite common for health issues to exacerbate over the colder months. It’s not that surprising to see that many common health concerns are more visible these days as the blizzard season is upon us. Usually, we wouldn’t really care too much about being tested for things like the flu, or infections in our lungs or our gut health. However, as we have seen, life is precious and we should do everything we can to protect it. The pandemic has made it abundantly clear that no matter how strong and or young you are, you’re not invincible. This is why we believe you should take some tests in the season we’re in.
Eye Test
During the winter, your eyes dry up and it can be really irritating. It’s good to carry a few drops with you to use while on the go. However, during the cold, our eye conditions become worse. There is less blood flowing to our eyeballs, so our vision becomes far more blurry. Your eyes will strain and this can bring on levels of stress and fatigue that would otherwise play no role at all in your normal life. So we recommend that you go to get your eyes tested during the winter, if you are struggling to see. It’s not uncommon to be given a pair of glasses for the winter. We have reading glasses not just for fine print reading, but because our eyes are tired at the end of the day and the reading glasses provide us with a clear vision but with less of the sharp focus of light in our eyes. A winter pair of glasses is designed for colder months in mind and achieves much the same results.
Bowel Health
Digestive discomfort from time to time is normal. Our bodies are not merely robotic machines but they are living things that from time to time, go wrong. Haven’t you ever felt a sharp pain in your gut out of nowhere? Sometimes it’s just gas, other times it’s a bad chemical reaction. During the winter our bowels are particularly sensitive as more and more harmful germs tend to want to enter our system. This includes things like the flu, winter stomach bugs and others. It’s quite common to feel ill and be sick during the winter because our immune systems are weakened. We believe that if you feel like you can’t keep food down, find it hard to maintain a good gut balance, then you should go for gut health check-up. It’s pretty simple, as the doctor will have you monitor your gut for about 1-2 weeks and also do urine tests to find any anomalies. They may give you antibiotics or they could ask you to change your eating habits.
Sexual Health
As mentioned, during the winter, our immune systems are very weak. It’s because our body temperature is lower, we need more calories for energy, and we tend to not drink enough water. All of this just makes our sexual health concerns a lot more prominent. We believe that during the winter, issues like HIV should be taken even more seriously. If you do feel that you would like to know if you are safe because you have been feeling slightly down and your immune system isn’t fighting back as well as you’d hoped, then go to http://www.tarrantcounty.com/en/public-health/clinical-services0/adult-health-services/hiv-aids/hiv-testing.htmland book yourself an HIV test. This is how the condition harms you. It will weaken your immune system until you can’t even fight off the common cold. Get tested, be safe and listen to your body.
Aches and Pains
You might think that during the winter, aches and pains are just normal. Granted, your body isn’t pumping its hot blood everywhere it should, as circulation during colder months tends to shoot downward. Yet, you should not really be feeling joint pain or muscle aches. Poor posture, slipping and falling or twisting your ankle on the ice, all play a factor in your aches and pains. If you feel like you can’t shake off a certain pain, speak with your doctor. It could be that you need to do exercises during the winter to help your body stay fit. This is especially true if you are older.
The winter is a harsh and unforgiving season. It’s cold, blustery, and it makes normal health issues become bigger concerns. Go and get tested for things like the common cold, HIV, or bowel health, and you might have just prevented further harm to yourself.
Thank you for reading!
