Whether we like it or not, we all get sick more often than we’d like. In fact, WebMD estimates the average adults gets two or three colds a year and the CDC Foundation estimates that anywhere from five to 20% of the U.S. population gets the flu each year.

For whatever illness you come down with, you’re going to need to see a doctor. When that time comes your best bet is to seek Primary Care. There are many benefits two primary care whether you’re dealing with the common cold or an ongoing chronic illness. Benefits of primary care include:

• Knowing you better: Regular visits to a primary care doctor can you establish and later build on your medical history. By knowing your health history and your family’s health history, your primary care doctor can keep better tabs on your health. For example, if you’ve got a family history of cancer or a particular disease, your primary care doctor can help you catch symptoms and assist with treatments.
• Lower health costs: Sometimes there’s nothing more tedious than sitting in a doctor’s office, waiting to see your doctor if you’ve scheduled an appointment. Making an appointment can seem like a chore sometimes, but it pays off in the long run. By making regularly scheduled visits to a primary care physician, you and your doctor will have a continuous record of your medical history, so hopefully you’ll only have to visit a doctor’s office if you’re sick or for some kind of annual appointment.
• Being comfortable: Let’s face it: no one really enjoys going to a doctor’s office, but if you do it definitely helps if you’re comfortable while you do it. Establishing a rapport with a primary care doctor can make you more comfortable in a medical setting and therefore you may be more forthcoming about whatever medical issues you’re dealing with. Establishing that trust can help your doctor help you in the long run. If you feel comfortable enough to tell them about sensitive medical issues you may be dealing with, he or she will know how to help you treat those issues.
• Dealing with pain: When it comes to dealing with chronic pain and chronic health issues, a primary care doctor can be very beneficial. A primary care doctor can help create a treatment plan for your chronic illness that you can stick to and they will also be able to help you understand how your illness is affecting and will affect your body.
• Improved communication: It’s often said that communication is a two-way street and the same thing is true when it comes to health. If you can be honest with your doctor about your concerns, questions and needs, then your doctor can be honest with you about the best ways to keep you healthy. Honesty is always the best policy with health and having an ongoing, open dialogue will be better for you and your doctor.
• Fewer trips for emergencies: Emergency rooms and urgent care facilities provide important and essential care for those in need. If you’re dealing with a medical emergency, a trip to the ER or to your local urgent care may be just what you need to get healthy. According to the Urgent Care Association, during 2016, more than 15,000 patient care visits occurred at urgent care centers in the United States.
  Regularly visiting a primary care physician can help the average person cut down on the number of trips he or she might have to make to ERs and urgent care centers. If you ignore symptoms or wait too long to deal with a medical issue, it may lead to prolonged hospitalization, which could mean bigger health issues and medical expenses.

When dealing with your health, you want to be able to share your concerns with someone you trust and who can help you stay healthy. Dealing with a primary care doctor can give you the rapport and trustworthiness you’re looking for as well having someone to have an ongoing, honest dialogue about your health.