How to Take Care of Your Health When Doctor's Appointments Are Harder to Get

Ah, Primary Care Practitioners (PCPs.) When was the last time you saw yours? Was anything solved? Are you on prescription drugs with side effects that are worse than the original problem? Just call in and make an appointment, although the next available may not be for 6 months or a year. Don’t be pissed at the doctor, though. This situation we are in is not the fault of medical practitioners themselves. An economic system in a downward spiral, worldwide pandemics, and a broken healthcare system have converged to create the perfect storm. There is a shortage of doctors and other medical practitioners (due to burnout, a larger population of those over 65, higher rates of high-maintenance diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and economic instability), Pfizer and the rest of Big Pharma are all about money (and not cures), COVID has caused a huge worldwide increase in autoimmune cases, and to top it off, so many of our devices are “smart”, which has caused an increase in sedentary behavior and outright laziness. What doesn’t help with our motivational lack, also, is the fact that everything is insanely expensive now and our money burns to ash the second the direct deposit hits our account, it seems. In France, emergency rooms have been dealing with over 20 million visits a year (compared to a mere 7 million visits in 1990, which is not proportionate to the population growth). These issues are happening worldwide. There is still room, though, inside this not-so-great situation, to empower ourselves and protect our own health while we are waiting a year for a specialist appointment.

Protect yourself.

The golden age where antibiotics were readily available and fixed everything are gone. There are now so many antibiotic and antifungal-resistant diseases out there that were easily treated just 10-20 years ago, and death rates in general have been rising as well. The worst thing that could have happened regarding us protecting ourselves in American public health (and some other 1st world countries) is that mask-wearing was made into a political issue. Masks are a great way to prevent the spread of disease, and there is nothing political about that.

Know your prescription drug alternatives.

This is a tricky one sometimes, but very doable. There are claims out there for almost every natural supplement saying that they treat a multitude of diseases. Unfortunately, a lot of those claims aren’t true, so it is important that you do your own research (start with PubMed, a huge database of research studies and publications or Medical News Today—do NOT just Google it or read the shoddy AI summary). For instance, Ceylon cinnamon has been shown in multiple studies to help balance blood sugar and blood pressure. Garlic has been used for centuries as a folk remedy and is now backed by decades of research to treat infections, prevent stroke, act as an anticoagulant, and more.

If you are taking prescription medications or have a serious health condition, do make sure that the herbs you take don't interact with the medication. Standard Process, a manufacturer of high-quality supplements for medical professionals, put together this guide to interactions, which is a great, but not complete, resource. Stonybrook Medicine has the entire book of Stockley's Herbal Medicine Interactions available as a PDF (linked below in the Resources section). Also, find out what may be a good alternative to your prescription medication, and consult with a doctor that knows about natural medicines so that you can safely wean yourself off the prescription drug, if possible. NDs and DOs are often the doctors to go to who will not usually dismiss natural treatment. Going the natural route can often be cheaper and safer, but keep in mind that stopping a prescription drug is a serious thing and may require a careful transition monitored by a physician.

Do functional fitness exercises.

Getting in optimal shape to walk, squat, bend and lift is one of the best ways to increase longevity, mobility and overall health. This doesn’t mean flipping a huge tire in a CrossFit studio, although that is a form of advanced functional fitness. I was a personal trainer for five years, and one of the things that really surprised me was the amount of people who couldn’t bend over and touch their toes. So, before you go and try to roll monster truck tires, start with the basics. That means working squatting, stretching, toe touching (or reaching), walking, and lifting into your everyday routine. Work at an office? Get in the habit of doing a few standing stretches when you get up from your chair and take the stairs instead of elevators. At home, do a deep squat to get something out of your lower cabinet and do a few bicep lifts with canned food or bags of flour. Make functional movement a part of how you live first—later on, you can move into things like push-ups, deep squat sets, and full functional workouts.

Travel by foot, bike, or bus.

In this moment in history, taking anything for granted is dangerous, and that goes for public transportation (and other car-less forms of transport) as well. Not only would using alternative travel methods to get around save you money (sometimes thousands per year) on gas and car payments/maintenance, but it would also be a huge boost for your health. I am the kind of person that does better while exercising as a means to get somewhere rather than on a treadmill staring at a gym wall. I like the exercise to come as a result of me doing something I simply needed to do (like grocery shopping or work). Getting your exercise this way means that you don’t have to think about it or plan too much. if gas gets to $6 or $7 a gallon (which is totally feasible) and car shops are charging more because of parts inflation/tariffs and higher costs of operating a business (already happening), it is great to know that you won’t be affected too much by it. In addition, bike riding has been shown to make knee arthritis feel better and be less painful, all forms of exercise lower stress, and walking has innumerable health benefits as well. If you need to, start off small by leaving your car at work or at a friend or family members’ house for one day a week and walk, ride the bike, or take the bus combined to work or errands. Healthy for you, healthy for your wallet, and healthier for the planet.

Optimize your diet (Even on a tight budget)

Organic and unprocessed foods are the best as a rule, but we all know that. The average person living in America or another first world country, though, can’t afford to buy all organic, and can’t imagine non-processed food tasting all that great. Try to limit most of your grocery shopping to things like veggies, fruits, meat (grassfed or free-range if you can), nuts, seeds, beans, and only lightly processed foods. Keep an eye on local grocery prices—Kroger owns probably most of the food chains in American cities, and Kroger's stores (Fry's, Fred Meyer, Ralph's, King Soopers, etc.) are becoming notorious for marking up their items way higher than even local specialty or natural food stores. Find out where the best prices are for most of what you get and go there. Grocery Outlet and Winco are local stores that tend to have great deals on food.

Learn to put your health above the desire to fit in.

It’s not a great time to be an outwardly health-conscious person. Even if you aren’t a health nut, simply trying not to get sick or having to abide by a certain diet because of an illness can rub some people the wrong way. Things in general are difficult and chaotic right now, and many people don't want to be reminded of that (especially if they have no plans to work on their own health). But health is life—and leading an unhealthy lifestyle because anything else would make the people around you feel uncomfortable is ridiculous—and frankly, not worth it.

Have an emergency medical plan in place.

There have been multiple widespread prescription drug shortages in the last few years, and this is going to keep happening more often as the economy becomes more chaotic and the resources dwindle. What would you do if you have type II diabetes and you can’t get medication to balance your glucose levels? What about the medication that lowers your stroke risk, or antibiotics? You might even find that the hospitals and medical facilities may have no reserve stashes, so it is good to have a backup plan. See if you can get a few weeks’ doses prescribed “just in case” or discover alternatives by researching what herbal or over the counter medications could be used for your condition in a pinch.

Change your sources for medical news and information.

Your main sources for medical news, for the most part, should not be your source for other types of news. No matter what your favorite news outlet is, what get reported is picked through, often censored, and published according to what is “trending” or who is footing the bill for the news company. You will have much better luck reading medical studies and journals with up-to-date information on the latest and greatest in medicine. The WHO's Disease Outbreak page is a great source of unfiltered news about infectious diseases and outbreaks, MedicineNet and Medical News Today are both good sources, as well as the Mayo Clinic News Network.

All in all, there are still good, knowledgeable caring doctors, nurses and other health practitioners out there, and even if you have to wait six months for an appointment, you will be glad when you can get some good health care. But until then, do what you can for yourself.

References/Links:

Pubmed: A .gov database of research studies and publications [Update, Oct. 2025: This database has been compromised by our current government, so it may not be the best source for up-to-date and complete information]

Medical News Today: A source for medical information and current news.

Mayo Clinic News Network: A source for medical information and current news.

WHO's Disease Outbreak page: Updated information on current disease outbreaks from the World Health Organization.

Stockley's Herbal Medicine Interactions: A resource to find out what drugs interact with certain herbal medicines and supplements.

Standard Process Guide to Herb-Drug Interactions:  A resource to find out what drugs interact with certain herbal medicines and supplements.

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