Have you grown weary of reminding your spouse or significant other to go for annual medical checkups? Take a look at what one woman had to do to get her husband’s attention on suspicious skin blemishes.
In the video titled Love is circling your mate’s moles which was shared on the Cable News Network, CNN, a wife was seen helping her husband through a problem with his skin. Before sending him to the dermatologist, she circled suspicious moles on his skin with ink. In return, the dermatologist also made notes for the wife next to the circles indicating which moles were harmless and which moles were suspicious. Since this video went viral, people have been encouraged to do same to help their significant others through skin complications.
Growing older could come with health complications that we did not even know existed when we were younger. The best place to be at this critical stage is to be married, or with a loved one. In fact, this publication on Harvard Health says married people are less likely to suffer from depression, strokes, and heart disease and they also tend to live longer than single people1.
When it comes to taking care of oneself, people can be careless with the warnings that the body gives.2 If you tend to observe these things more, why not keep an eye out for the health of your loved ones so you can all live healthily. Rather than letting your differences in behaviors affect the health of you and your significant other, you can help them live healthier.
What should you be watching for?
For many chronic conditions like strokes and heart diseases, they could have been avoided by changes in habits and lifestyle if spotted early. The CDC reports that many chronic diseases are caused by dangerous habits.3 Those dangerous habits that cause these health complications are things that someone who is really close to the person can identify. If your significant other is living an unhealthy lifestyle, you’re actually in the best place to notice.
Also, if your loved one is showing symptoms or has some dangerous habits that could lead to health complications, you should help ensure the symptoms are properly examined by a doctor and the bad habits are replaced with healthy ones. Research has shown that early diagnosis could help preserve the length and quality of your loved ones’ lives.4
Furthermore, if they already have an illness they’re battling with, you should give them support and show empathy5 while they are going through it. Also, make sure they use the right medication and avoid bad habits. The diet of a loved one battling chronic illnesses like diabetes6 or heart diseases7 goes a long way in preserving their lives. Simple caring acts like helping them maintain good diets can save them from advanced stages of illness and keep them alive.
You and your loved ones can all live happily and healthier together for longer, but you have to keep up with each other’s health. Whether it is by circling your mate’s moles or helping them overcome an addiction, do whatever it takes to help them live healthier.
1Robert H. Shmerling, M. D. (2016, November 30). The health advantages of marriage. Harvard Health. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-health-advantages-of-marriage-2016113010667
2Taber, J. M., Leyva, B., & Persoskie, A. (2015, March). Why do people avoid medical care? A qualitative study using national data. Journal of general internal medicine. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4351276/
3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 28). How you can prevent chronic diseases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/prevent/index.htm
4 Nelson, C. (n.d.). Chronic disease early detection and improved management in Primary Care Project (Chronic Disease Impact). Melbourne Medical School. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from https://medicine.unimelb.edu.au/research-groups/medicine-and-radiology-research/western-hospital/nephrology-department/chronic-disease-early-detection-and-improved-management-in-primary-care-project-chronic-disease-impact
5 Davidson, E. (2020, October 28). How you can support someone with a chronic illness (and some real advice on how *not* to). CreakyJoints. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from https://creakyjoints.org/support/how-to-support-someone-with-chronic-illness/
6Recipes & Nutrition: Eating right doesn’t have to be boring. Recipes & Nutrition | ADA. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2021, from https://www.diabetes.org/healthy-living/recipes-nutrition
7 American Heart Association healthy diet guidelines. American Heart Association Healthy Diet Guidelines | Michigan Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2021, from https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/ue4637