I haven't had a checkup or been to a doctor in over 10 years. I know I need to but I don't know where to start. I don't have insurance and picking a doctor out of the yellow pages just seems so random.

Do you get checkups and how often? What do they check for? Do you know the general cost? Are there good alternative type of doctors that will do more alternative type of tests? I'm very nervous and squeamish about needles and blood!

Assuming you are in the U.S., most counties have a hospital or clinic that charge a "sliding scale." In other words, you are charged based on your monthly income. A county clinic or public health clinic is a good place to start. You should be able to find them listed in your local phone book.

Unless you feel there is something wrong with you why bother with a check up?

Well that's how I've felt about it all these years, obviously. But how do I really know if there is anything wrong with me or not if I don't get any tests? If you can just go by feeling, there would be no point to tests. A lot of things don't have symptoms unless they are at an extreme advanced stage, and if you are interested in prevention, waiting for things to get to a beyond the point of prevention stage doesn't really help. I mean there are all kinds of things wrong with me, I just don't know what the causes are for them. Mental problems, sexual problems, dry skin, nail problems, general fatigue and concentration problems, underweight, near sighted etc.

I really don't want to go to a public clinic or hospital though. It's hard enough to get myself to do this with my OCD, I won't step in a hospital. I'm looking for a private clinic, but if there is a holistic doctor I can find that will do all the same tests and exams, even better. I just don't even know what they look at or test, or what I should even ask them to test.

i would like to do it just as a baseline...to keep track of my numbers as i embark on a new lifestyle. i monitor my cholesterol by donating blood...its a win win situation so far it`s dropped about 50 points.
google holistic/natural practitioners in your area and start calling that way you get a feel of what they`re all about and if they`re right for you
patty

There are ways that you can check your own blood, a clinic that's affiliated with an online blood testing site will draw the blood and send it to a lab and the results are available to you online! Be your own doctor.

There are lot's of sites that do this, so shop around: Here is one, just so you know what I'm talking about.
[www.healthcheckusa.com]