Many of us live a hectic life today be it tiring social engagements or pressing deadlines. However, in all this hustle-bustle we are more likely to neglect our health often. As good health helps us enjoy life and live well, there is a great need for preventive care.
The cause of most of the fatalities or deaths are due to chronic disease and half of these can be prevented by knowing early symptoms and risks with proper screening and regular check-ups. A regular check-up will not only assess your overall wellbeing but can also detect any disease or health risks before they strike. In fact, preventive health check-ups can actually be lifesaving, as they update us on how fit and healthy we are.
Preventive health check-up packages and wellness checks are generally tailored to prevent diseases and conditions that may be caused due to many factors including the individual’s genetic predisposition, environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and disease agents.
Why Should You Go for a Preventive Health Check?
The global burden for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) like Cancer,Coronary artery disease, High Blood Pressure, High Blood Sugar (Diabetes), Cancer, etc. has increased at a rapid stage. Currently, more than 38 million people lost their lives worldwide in a year owing to NCDs. In India alone, 17% of deaths are, unfortunately, related to NCDs.
People living, especially in the cities, are more exposed to NCDs. Fortunately, most of these diseases are preventable, if detected and treated in the early stages of development and /or can be managed easily if not treatable in a few cases.
Health checks help you identify a potential disease or condition even if you feel perfectly alright, without any symptoms. Timely detection with right management can result in better medical outcomes and lower your risk of serious complications.
How Can Regular Check-ups Benefit Health?
Regular wellness checks can help you find out if you have any serious disorder that you may not know of, and which needs treatment. Regular health check-ups can detect potentially serious illnesses in the early stages when you do not even show any symptoms. That is why they are so important.
When you schedule health check-ups regularly, you may have the chance of knowing any lurking condition that can be addressed and ensure that you maintain a healthy life. For example, if you have high blood sugar, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels, you may not know about it as their symptoms are not so visible in the early stages.
The earlier a doctor diagnoses the certain condition and starts providing treatment to it, the better are the chances of effective recovery. There are several tests you should undergo with every wellness check-up you schedule. Those tests include blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, mammogram, HIV test, Blood glucose testing, genetic testing for certain cancers (breastor ovarian cancer for some women), osteoporosis screening including many others a healthcare provider may recommend.
Why Should Preventive Health Check Be a Priority? – The Significance of Wellness Check-ups and Preventive Health Care
Most of us do not like going to a doctor, but it should be on the top of your priority list. Even if you think you are fine and are on the top condition leading a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet, regular workout, and no drinking and smoking habits, regular health check-ups are very, very important. Ensuring that you are up-to-date on preventive care is the most significant thing you can do to stay healthy.
Preventive wellness check-ups do just detect potential disease but can also help in avoiding the physical pain you may endure in case you have an underlying disease and it spreads. Please remember that most of the diseases can be prevented and also cured if detected early. In addition, it is no secret that health care is very expensive, regular wellness checkups can save a lot of money too.
It is better to pay for simple preventive health check-ups rather than ending-up spending a fortune on the treatment of a potentially serious disease that can become untreatable sometimes.
What screenings are right for you?
There are many preventive screenings geared toward all age groups. However, some tests are exactly geared toward certain types of individual. For instance, for women’s health, preventive care specialists usually recommend certain screening tests like a mammogram, an x-ray of breasts that can predict or detect cancer risk, every year or twice a year depending on the age. Women are also recommended to go for a Pap test, in which a doctor check the cervical cells for any abnormalities, to detect cervical cancer.
Men also have some preventive screening tests aimed at their health. If you have ever smoked or are still a smoker, you will be asked to undergo several tests that can detect any underlying conditions associated with smoking. Your doctor will also ask you to get screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm risks. The abdominal aorta is the abdomen’s largest artery that can get weakened by smoking.
For children, preventive care like immunization for whooping cough, measles, chicken pox, polio, etc. are the most significant in terms of saving costs and reducing mortality rates and disease burden. For children, health screenings are often recommended as the child grows, like for behavioral development, blood pressure and many more. Other screening tests are, especially for newborns, children and adolescents.
Conclusion
You should check with your health care provider on what preventive health check-ups are for you. Give yourself a gift of preventive health check-ups every year around your birthday. Schedule a visit or call your doctor to check if there are any important tests you should take. By investing an hour or two, you may probably be able to add more years to your life.
