Getting regular checkups prevents you from getting sick as much as possible. This helps you find potential life-threatening health problems before they even come, especially if you have a family history of diseases. It can be an early treatment for mild health conditions, monitoring them to keep them from getting worse. Regular checkups also mean being up-to-date with your essential vaccinations, such as influenza and hepatitis A and B.
Many working people have their health insurance from the company or organization their working for. If you’re an independent worker, this is a reminder to watch your health expenses as well. Unless you have an already existing health condition, you don’t have to get a checkup that often. If your health is in good condition, you should still get a checkup every two to three years, while adults 50 and above should have their checkups at least once a year.
Health Check for the Heart
There is a wide range that causes heart disease. Whether in the family history, stress, or diet, you may never know when a cardiac arrest is on you. If you usually have normal blood pressure, it’s still essential to have it checked every two years. Blood tests find out your cholesterol and sugar levels. High levels of these are signs of increased risks of different health problems aside from heart disease.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a medical test in which it finds out heart abnormalities—checking potential risks and treating them as early as possible. Being overweight is one of the most significant contributions to a poor heart condition. Doctors recommend checking your body mass index (BMI) at least every two years, considering you’re in good health condition.
Cancer Screening
Cancer is one untraceable foreign body that may affect anyone at any time. In this day and age, our environment may have the potential to cause cancer. Like the food we eat, the places we go to and stay in. Wherever we go, we’re exposed to pollution or ultraviolet rays and may cause lung or skin cancer.
Breast and cervical cancer are prevalent in women, while testicular and prostate cancer are common in men. This is why it’s important to get tests at least every other year, considering you’re in good health condition.
STI Screening
This is one of the crucial checkups that many people avoid because of embarrassment. If you’re sexually active, it’s imperative to get tested before it gets worse and infects other people as well. Some sexually transmitted diseases, like chlamydia, don’t always show symptoms, so it’s hard to tell. It’s also possible to have a risk of infections like herpes, HIV, or AIDS.
Bone and Muscle Health Check
As we age, our skeletal muscles can start to brittle, wither, and weaken. Joints become stiffer and less flexible. This can be accelerated at your old age, but it can begin in your 30s or 40s with less care and less movement of your body.
You can be tested as you reach the age of 50 or menopausal for women since they are more prone to bone weakening than men. Exercising regularly while you’re still young helps prevent this condition and other elderly disabilities.
Sensory Screening
Adults over 65 years old should have a yearly eye examination since eyesight deteriorates with age. Severe eye conditions can be developed, such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration.
Getting your hearing checked is just as important as well, especially if you’re noticing symptoms of hearing impairment. Earwax buildup can be excessive to some people, and it can be one cause of having trouble hearing. In that case, you can have your ears checked and undergo an ear microsuction procedure to remove foreign bodies from your ear canals.
Mental Health Check
Everybody needs to notice how they’re doing emotionally and mentally. Checking your mental health doesn’t necessarily mean seeing a professional right away, but it’s also essential to consider it, most especially if you’re having a difficult time.
Admitting and facing mental difficulties allows you to learn more about coping with your life situations as you grow stronger. You can always seek counseling, whichever type you need. You can also seek a therapist to help you in difficult times, such as in the experience of loss or other personal problems.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to taking good care of our health, we all know the basics: regular exercise, a healthy diet, regular eating, and proper hygiene. But in reality, we don’t bother much about how we get on with our lives and monitor everything we do. Most people have more priorities to worry about, like careers, expenses, and family, etc. With this, the least we can do is have a general health checkup every once in a while.
