The Importance of Early Screenings and Medical Checkups

Shots: Preventative medicine From avlxyz

If you’re feeling good, now is one of the best times to go to the doctor. Why? Early disease detection is a combination of medical exams and self exams to find a disease early on in its development. Routine medical checkups and screenings are the best way to catch health issues early, or even prevent them in the first place.

Waiting to get medical care until symptoms appear means there’s already a problem. Symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. People can be frightened by the idea of what could be causing their pain, so they avoid the doctor to avoid hearing bad news. But most of the time there is treatment or even a cure available for your aches and pains. Managing a disease from the start can lessen symptoms. Why wait to feel better?

Why You Should Go to the Doctor Now

Many diseases do not present symptoms until the disease is in advanced stages. A primary care doctor can monitor patterns in your health that you might miss if you only go to the doctor when you’re ill. Rising blood pressure, blood sugar or cholesterol may be a fluke occurrence. But if they continue to happen over time, your doctor can suggest changes in your diet and lifestyle or prescribe medication before the condition becomes serious.

Immunizations are another good reason to head to the doctor. Shots only hurt for a little while! Many illnesses like hepatitis are entirely preventable by getting a vaccination. Vaccines work by supplying you with antibodies necessary to fight off illness. Depending on your age and lifestyle, you may benefit from the following vaccines:

• Flu
• Tetanus
• Whooping cough
• HPV (Human papillomavirus vaccination)
• Shingles or chickenpox
• Hepatitis

Making your health your priority means understanding your family history. If your parents have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, breast cancer or colon cancer for example, those are health concerns that should be monitored. Men are more likely than women to avoid going to the doctor.

Here are some basic guidelines on screenings to talk over with your doctor. He or she may suggest more, depending on your age and lifestyle.

• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol
• Colon cancer (over the age of 50)
• Mammogram (starting at age 40, unless there are risk factors)
• Osteoporosis (even if you’re under 65, get tested if there are risk factors)
• Pelvic exam for women
• Basic physical exam

A primary care physician is also one of your best resources when you actually are sick. In a true emergency, the hospital ER is well-equipped to handle medical emergencies like a broken leg or bad burn. But waiting hours in an emergency room or walk-in clinic with a bad sore throat is a painful experience. You’ll be relieved to be able to call your family doctor to schedule an appointment or just get advice over the phone when you don’t feel well.

Sources:

CDC

AskMen

Medline Plus

WebMD