Deadly Denial: Why Ignorance Is Most Definitely Not Bliss When It Comes To Your Health

August 14, 2019


We've all heard the saying that ignorance is bliss and, in some cases, it's true. Not knowing what your kids get up to when you aren't around, for instance, allows you to live without worry. When it comes to our health, though, ignorance is anything but bliss.

Most of us are guilty of ignoring at least one or two health complaints in our lives. These can vary in severity from small niggles to significant concerns. In some cases, we may even convince ourselves that we'll 'call the doctor tomorrow.' But, everyone knows that tomorrow never comes. The fact is that facing up to a health complaint can be scary. Many of us would rather ignore it altogether without any real knowledge of what's going on.

In some cases, we get lucky, and issues go away. But, there can come a time when a health niggle sticks around. When that happens, ignoring the issue can lead to all manner of trouble. And, to prove why you should always contact a healthcare professional sooner rather than later, we're going to consider what that trouble can entail.

Spiraling health complaints

Pain or disease may start in one part of your body, but it won't be long until it spreads elsewhere if you look the other way. A pain which started in just your lower back, for example, could soon cripple your entire spine if you didn’t do anything about it. Equally, an issue like cancer can spread in rapid time if you ignore a lump which is worrying you. The fact is that our bodies are one big connected mass. And, if a health complaint has had time to spread elsewhere, you can bet that treatment will be much harder and invasive. By comparison, heading to your doctor as soon as an issue arises could see it isolated and a whole lot easier to deal with for everyone concerned.



Making it harder to get the help you need
As well as making treatment harder, ignoring health issues can make it trickier to get the help you need when you're finally ready. Most commonly, this struggle centers around health insurance. Many policies won't cover an ongoing issue, especially if you were suffering in silence when you first took out your policy. If an insurance company can prove that you've let a health complaint advance, they may also be able to wriggle out of payment. That means you'd either have to continue suffering in silence or struggle to meet those now-escalated health bills.

Insurance claims aren't the only times this is applicable, either. Ignoring a health complaint from a trip or accident could also see you struggling to gain any compensation later on. That’s because, for the best chance at winning a claims case, it’s important to contact personal injury attorneys who understand the laws inside and out as soon as you possibly can after the incident occurs. When you let time pass, you lose evidence and, more importantly, make it look like you’re trying to hide something. Instead of ignoring issues as they arise, then, always take steps towards treatment as soon as you possibly can. Not only will your bills be less that way, but you should also be able to access the help you need to pay them.

Stress to top everything

Even when we ‘ignore’ health complaints, they have a habit of playing on our minds. You might not always be openly thinking about that recurrent abdominal cramp, but you can bet it’s stressing you out anyway. That’s because, ultimately, resisting treatment does little more than leave us to make up our minds. And, when a diagnosis is left to us in these ways, we always assume the worst. This can lead to stress, which can lead to further health complaints, such as anxiety and even high blood pressure. All that for an issue which, after a short doctor’s appointment, could turn out to be nothing at all. Rather than being blissful, then, ignorance like this is a form of self-torture. And, that in itself could see your health declining.




Longer to suffer

Everything else aside, ignoring a health complaint means that you have to suffer for longer. That pain is going to be with you until you finally bite the bullet and phone your doctor already. The more you attempt to ignore it, then, the more you’re making your life difficult. Don’t let it happen. Instead, face your health head-on for the best chance at a long and pain-free life.

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