Leaving the house when you’re in need of care can be made particularly difficult by certain afflictions or circumstances. The pandemic kept most people at home for a while, but unfortunately that didn’t mean their medical needs took a backseat. While the option for remote medical treatment existed beforehand, the need for social distancing brought it into the mainstream.
Now more than ever, you can get tested or treated for any number of health issues or concerns at home. Here are some of the treatments you can access from home thanks to the internet:
1. Prescription Skincare
Skincare products have long been available online, but there are only so many options and so few are verified. You wouldn’t be able to truly know how well a product works until you’ve tried it for yourself after purchase. If you needed something you knew would be effective, you’d have to visit a doctor and pharmacy for a prescription. Now, instead of waiting for an appointment, there are online services available to go through this process much faster.
These prescription skincare services can cut the waiting time down by weeks and eliminate the need for mutual availability with your doctor. They often only require that you have a virtual consultation and share details about your condition to get an accurate diagnosis. Then you can be prescribed something (like an acne treatment) and have it sent right to your door.
2. Mental Health Counseling
The importance of mental health is being recognized more and more as time goes on. The pandemic has been difficult for the world at large, and more people have sought out treatment as a result.
Where in-person sessions aren’t possible or appointments are booked up, alternative online solutions provide similar help. Virtual therapy appointments have become much more popular as they save time and ensure safety for everyone involved.
Another solution that has popped up in recent years is therapy apps designed around broad/general treatment plans. Apps centered around guided meditation have also seen an increase in popularity due to the lack of distraction they provide. Less-specific general mindfulness apps can help to bring just a little bit more happiness to your day. While these options usually have varying degrees of success, their availability makes it easier to find one suited to you.
3. Sexual Health Testing
Personal sexual health needs are often a point of embarrassment or stress for those who seek treatments of any sort. Thankfully, awareness is rising every day as people realize that there is no need for shame around this topic.
It is still, however, a profoundly personal topic around which many people will certainly desire to preserve their privacy. The increasing availability of online services for STI testing, treatment, and prevention provides the much-needed comfort you may lack otherwise.
If you decide you need an STI test, for example, you can instantly order one straight from the internet. You can do it from your own home and send it in without interacting with anybody else. Even if you aren’t worried, a test that can be sent straight to your house and back is much more convenient.
4. General Checkups and Exams
In the old days of house calls, doctors would come to you if you got too sick to visit the office. House calls have sadly phased out over the years, but with telehealth options, they have effectively (and safely) returned! If you wake up unable to get out of bed, you no longer have to drag yourself out the door. This is great for you and great for preventing unnecessary contact with those to whom you could spread your sickness.
Even for less-specific appointments like exams and checkups, you can call in remotely for the most part. Some medical services provide those with disabilities or other needs tools to evaluate themselves or send data for these calls. It saves patients from having to put themselves at risk, and it keeps the doctor’s schedule moving for other patients.
5. COVID Testing and Consultation
In a similar vein, COVID testing is vastly safer when done over the internet without any interpersonal interaction. At the moment, such testing is likely the most accessible offering on this list because of the pandemic. You can order a test from a number of test kit providers, receive it in a short time, and have resulted in 15 minutes.
If you do test positive, there is no better way to tackle an initial consult than through a virtual appointment with your doctor. Given the high focus on virtual solutions to COVID care, it’s no surprise that such telehealth visits are now quite streamlined. With a pulse oximeter to keep tabs on your oxygen levels, you can likely ride out the illness at home.
It’s almost hard to find things that you can’t get online, but testing and treatments are only just becoming widespread. This is likely a positive result of the world’s reaction to COVID-19, as we realize how important medical accessibility is. In time, it will only become more convenient to get tested and prescribed treatments for all sorts of conditions. As for now, these five types are at the head of the movement.
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