How to Honor Doctors' Day on March 30th by Optimizing Your Health

Doctors' Day, celebrated nationally on March 30th, is a special time to celebrate and acknowledge the vital role of physicians who dedicate their lives to serving communities. With 25,000 care team members providing care for patients at 15 hospitals, MUSC Health has many reasons to celebrate this Doctors' Day. 

While recognizing and uplifting MUSC Health’s physicians and care team members is not limited to a certain day, Doctors' Day presents an opportunity to evaluate how you can help honor and thank these dedicated professionals through daily decisions to live your healthiest life. Vanessa Diaz, M.D., MSCR, is here with advice on how you can do just that. 

Regular Wellness Visits

A healthy lifestyle starts with primary care. Primary care physicians are your first line of defense for various health concerns. An annual wellness visit with a trusted primary care physician will ensure you build a valuable medical history, manage chronic conditions and provide lifesaving disease prevention and early detection. These physicians also know when to escalate a health issue and can guide you through difficult health decisions or refer you to a trusted specialist.

MUSC Health primary care providers across South Carolina — Charleston, Lancaster, Florence, and the Midlands — are here to guide and refer you to other medical professionals and specialists who can help manage any health concerns that come your way.

Stay up to date on screenings and vaccines

Regular screenings and preventive care can help keep you out of the doctor’s office and save your life. These screenings can catch cancer early. When you detect cancer early, it is easier to treat.

Are you up to date on your care? Talk to your primary care provider about what tests you and your family need based on your family history, symptoms, age and other factors. Routine preventive care and screenings include:

• Wellness visits
• Blood pressure screenings
• A1C testing
• Vaccines
• Cancer screenings, like mammograms and colonoscopies
• Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings
• HIV screening
• Hepatitis B screening
• Depression screening

Mental Health and Wellness

Managing your mental health and wellness is equally important as managing your physical health. Prioritizing this aspect of self-care often has preventive benefits and helps your provider by proactively tackling health issues and increasing the quality of life. Healthy lifestyle habits include a diet that is mostly plant-based; physical activity; not smoking; good sleep habits; and minimizing stress.

From your primary care doctor to the MUSC Health & Wellness Institute, there are resources available to help set goals and develop a plan to achieve a healthier physical and mental state. The MUSC Health & Wellness Institute offers a variety of health, wellness and human performance offerings for the community, both in-person and virtual, and is grounded in nutrition, exercise and inner health. 

Spreading Health Awareness

Being a health care advocate within your social network and community is another way to show your appreciation to physicians. While the evaluation, diagnosis and care should be left to the professionals, here are a few ways to help champion healthy habits.

• Understand the resources available in your community and encourage friends and family to take control of their health care by scheduling routine appointments and speaking to physicians.
• Recommend your health care team to friends and family and leave reviews for positive care experiences.
• Educate yourself on health care innovations and options. MUSC Health offers a library of relevant and credible articles and podcasts available to the public to help you stay up to date on the latest news.
• Share your experiences with those around you to help destigmatize health care needs and combat misinformation.
• Say THANK YOU, now more than ever; sharing your appreciation with your care team members is the best way to honor their service. You can do that by filling out our Doctors' Day 2023 Questionnaire here! 

Do you have your routine primary care appointment in place for the upcoming year?

MUSC Health primary care providers in Charleston, Lancaster, Florence and the Midlands are accepting patients now. For more information on our primary care services, to find a provider, or to schedule an appointment today, call 843-792-7000 or view our primary care services here.

Vanessa Diaz, M.D., M.S.C.R., is interested in Latino health, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and women's health issues. A native of Panama, Dr. Diaz is fluent in Spanish.