If you haven’t been to your primary care physician, or even just one of your area’s local doctors for a check up, you definitely should. Here’s why.

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. – The entire reason to go to a check up is to, well, get checked up on. Your doctor will do tests, and take measurements of the current state of your health, and compare them to your medical history to see if there are any health issues surfacing. This is vital. Catching problems early allows medical professionals to treat them more successfully.

Check ups can help you reduce healthcare costs. – Going to the doctor’s isn’t cheap for many, even just for a checkup. However, getting long treatments is even more expensive, no matter how you look at it. If you bite the bullet and get your annual checkup, you’ll pay far less than you would to treat a medical issue when it gets to a more advanced stage.

It’s your time to get some advice. – Your checkup is your time to get some counseling from your physician. He or she will be able to offer you helpful tips, advice, and solutions to any issue you may want to deal with. For example, he or she can offer you help with weight management, smoking cessation, sexuality, alcohol consumption, and a myriad of other issues you may be facing.

If it’s been awhile since your last checkup, you’d be wise to go see your primary care physician, or schedule an appointment at one of your area’s clinics. After all, an ounce of prevention is far better than a pound of cure, and it’s cheaper, too. If you have any questions about going to the doctor’s for a checkup, feel free to share in the comments.