Just because you feel healthy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit the doctor.
Wellness check-ups — also known as annual physicals or well visits — are vital to one’s health and well-being. They can help identify health issues early on or even prevent them, resulting in better treatment protocols and improved patient outcomes. Sometimes, preventative measures addressed during wellness check-ups can even help prolong life.
Checking off wellness check-ups can be a good check-in on your health as they can:
- Help identify health issues before they possibly morph into something serious
- Provide tips on important preventative measures for pinpointing potential conditions
- Afford patients the chance to address concerns, lifestyle changes and even stressors — all in an effort to improve overall health
- Aid in monitoring and managing chronic conditions for those patients that fall into this category
- Prevent disease; after all prevention is far more cost-effective than treatments … in every way
What you can expect at your annual wellness check-up:
- Discussion about your medical, surgical and social histories and those of your close family members
- Review of any current health concerns or problems
- Checking of all your vital signs as they can be indicators for possible conditions, such as:
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
- Height
- Weight
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Recap of any current medications
- Assessment of health risks to ascertain potential threat of certain diseases
- Undergo diagnostics, such as blood tests, cholesterol checks, cancer screenings and immunizations
Checking those tasks off the list once per year has the potential to sharpen your wellness practices, improve overall health, prevent diseases and leave you with peace of mind.
Perhaps most importantly, a wellness visit provides one-one-one private time with your provider where you can speak openly and confidentially about your concerns, needs or care.
It is always better to be safe than sorry — that’s particularly relevant when it comes to wellness check-ups.
The frequency of one’s own personal check-ups depends on many factors, including your specific doctor’s recommendation, age, health, family history and lifestyle choices. Your physician can guide you on expectations for your wellness visits as well as timing and wellness steps to take to ensure your own good health.
When it comes to wellness visits, the old saying … ”An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” … is worth remembering.