When it comes to tody’s world, it is very difficult to go anywhere or listen to anyone who is not trying to claim that this diet or that diet will fix all of our troubles. Something that is clear, however, is that we are aware of two things abut ourselves that we haven’t always been aware of. First, we know more about the kinds of foods our body needs to function in a healthy manner. We know what foods make us unhealthy and what they can do to us. Namely, giving us diabetes, heart problems, and other conditions. Second, we have become more and more aware of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety disorders. Treatment for these conditions is not as shameful as it used to be. Many people have found help for mental illness issues through medication as well as remedies that stem from a sound scientific diet and other remedies that promote a healthier life.

But as many as there are who are coming to their doctors for help, many still go undiagnosed and therefore untreated. Anxiety disorders, for example, are very treatable, but two-thirds of those who suffer do not go in for any kind of treatment. Over 40 million Americans over the age of 18 suffer from an anxiety disorder of one kind or another, making anxiety disorder the most common mental illness in the country. And this is just the adults. many young people suffer in silence every day because they just don’t know what to do or where to go.

In addition to anxiety disorders, another mental illness that is plaguing our country today is migraine headaches. Migraines go untreated or undertreated in at least half of the patients who see a doctor for their discomfort. Less than 50% of people who suffer from severe migraines even see a doctor in the first place. Severe migraines are linked to sleep disorders but, perhaps even more importantly, they are linked to depression.

Someone who experiences severe migraines is three times more likely to experience bouts of depression than those who don’t. These bouts of the mind and body have become, at the very least, more recognized over the last few years. What doctors seem to be clear on is that what we put into our bodies for fuel has a direct impact on the kind of health we have.

For some, seeing your doctor right away is the best advice you can receive. You are tired of suffering and don’t know where to start? Make an appointment with your physician and do what the doctor says. If, like many, you’re rough around the middle and need to shed some of that dough so that you won’t feel like such a slug when trying to keep up with your four-year-old daughter who loves to have dance parties in your home office, there are many different diet plans out there that won’t insist on turning your breakfast into a green blob created in your kitchen blender.

At the same time, mixing up your diet might not be the worst thing in the world. You like to mix up other things in your world. You move around the furniture every once in a while. You go on a different vacation from time to time. Right? Well, even if you don’t do those things, hear me out for a second. What would happen if you stayed away from the Quarter Pounder for a week and ate something healthier for a change? You decide what sounds good. Good to a local restaurant and look at the salad section of the menu. Add some chicken to it of you don’t think you’d be full enough.

Making subtle changes in your diet and in you life in general could just be what the doctor would order anyway. Why not take the initiative?