Preventative Care, an Important Part of Your Family"s Wellness

 

By Ryan

 

Just as it’s important for you to be extra diligent when choosing a family doctor, so should you be extra diligent in using your doctor’s services. If you have small children, you probably take them for regular checkups. You might even get reminders at the beginning of the school year to update their immunization records, and make sure they’re in good shape to return to school. However, chances are you don’t get as many regular checkups yourself, and if you have teens, they are probably not going as regularly either. In fact, one-third of teens do not get regular checkups.

 

Even if you all seem healthy, it’s important to have regular preventative checkups. Thanks to recent healthcare reform, all insurance plans must cover 100 percent of the cost of preventative checkups, without charging you copay. If you are currently not insured, you can purchase a plan through your state’s marketplace or from an independent broker for companies like USHealth Group Private.

 

 

Why Preventative Care is Important

 

Preventative care, also known as wellness visits, can help your doctor detect potential problems before they become serious.

 

For example, hypertension is known as the silent killer because it often has no signs or symptoms but, if left untreated, could cause heart disease or stroke. In fact, many patients don’t realize they have high blood pressure until their doctor detects it during an exam.

 

 

Types of Preventative Screening

 

The type of preventative screening you should get depends on your age and gender.

 

Teens

Kid’s Health recommends your teen have yearly meetings with his doctor to track any physical or mental changes in your child and to provide information on issues that teens might face including:

 

·  Sex and sexually transmitted diseases;

·  Diet and nutrition;

·  Smoking, drinking and other unhealthy behaviors.

 

They also recommend that your teen should have at least three complete physical examinations between the ages of 11 and 21. If he has a medical condition, such as juvenile diabetes, he should have a complete physical more often. A complete physical could include:

 

·  A physical examination including checking the lymph nodes and reflexes;

·  Vital sign screening including breathing, blood pressure, and heart;

·  A standard blood panel, including cholesterol and blood sugar screening;

·  Urinalysis to screen for possible medical issues;

·  A tuberculin test;

·  Scoliosis screening; and,

·  Screening for obesity and eating disorders.

 

In addition to regular medical checkups, your teen should also have regular dental visits to check for tooth decay, normal tooth development, and any other dental issues, as well as regular vision and hearing screening.

 

After puberty, teen girls should also have regular gynecological examinations.

 

 

Adults

Adults should have many of the same screening tests as teens including:

 

·  A physical examination including checking the lymph nodes and reflexes;

·  Vital sign screening including breathing, blood pressure, and heart;

·  A standard blood panel, including cholesterol and blood sugar screening;

·  Urinalysis to screen for possible medical issues; and,

·  Gynecological examinations for women.

 

However, as we age, there are additional tests that need to be done. Not only are these tests age specific, they are also gender specific.

 

Men

After age 50, the yearly physical should include screening for prostate cancer and colorectal cancer. If you have a strong family history of either type of cancer, your doctor could recommend that you start younger.

 

Everyday Health also recommends that smokers, or former smokers, get screened for abdominal aneurisms. If you have a family history of aneurisms, or blood vessel anomalies, consider getting screened sooner.

 

Women

You should have your first mammogram at age 40, and continue having them every one to two years. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, your doctor could recommend that you start younger.

 

Like the men, you should start colorectal cancer screening at age 50, unless you have a strong family history – in which case you would start earlier.

 

At age 65 you should also have a bone density test, which will screen for osteoporosis. If you have more than one risk factor for osteoporosis, you doctor could recommend that you start younger.

 

Categories: family's wellness, important, preventive care

5 Reasons Your Wellness Is Important For Your Wellbeing

In this contemporary era, the wellness industries are thriving as more and more people seek information and advice regarding how to obtain or maintain optimal health. The fact that there exists a rising interest in wellness is a great thing given that wellness can contribute to general well-being in a variety of important ways. Here are five:

 

Saves Money

As many people know, debilitating diseases and conditions necessitate treatment that often comes in the form of medical help. This medical help translates into medical bills that often leave people scrambling for money they don’t have. Yet when individuals practice preventive care and thereby prevent themselves from becoming sick, much of these medical bills can be avoided. If you’re interested in saving money this way, practice great preventive care by doing things such as eating well and attending your annual medical appointments consistently. If you need to set up a dental appointment, The Dental Plaza can provide you with the quality care you need and deserve.

 

Promotes Longer Life

When we live a life guided by continual wellness, we often find ourselves living longer. This is a great thing as it affords us the opportunity to continue learning and growing as spiritual, intellectual, and emotional beings. On the other hand, neglecting our health can result in a premature end to our lives that precludes us from experiencing and enjoying the fullness of human existence.

Prevents Disease

Keeping our bodies in a state of wellness functions as a great way to prevent the onset of disease. The ability to prevent disease by maintaining wellness is wonderful because it precludes us from encountering the challenges that result from having illnesses such as physical pain and isolation from others.

 

Improves Mood

When we exist in a state of continual wellness in which disease is entirely absent and we are thriving, we are less subject to the mood swings that often result from living in a diseased state. Moreover, we often find ourselves having very positive moods when we live in a state of wellness. Indeed, engaging in activities that are conducive to wellness such as exercising results in the production of serotonin, the “happy hormone” responsible for inducing feelings of calm and joy.

 

Decreases Time Off From Work

Individuals who fall prey to illness often find themselves having to take time off from work to recover from their condition. Yet when we remain in a state of wellness, we are less likely to have to take this time off. Over time, the ability to work more can translate into greater well-being that comes to fruition as a result of things like being able to make more money, climb the socioeconomic ladder, and engage in activities that leave one feeling personally and professionally fulfilled.

 

As made plain by the information listed above, maintaining your wellness can play an integral role in keeping you mentally, physically, and spiritually fit. When you walk in this great well-being, your world is likely to be rife with the productivity and positivity that makes life the rich and rewarding thing we want it to be. Good luck!

Categories: continual wellness, Longer Life, Medical, medical bills, money, nbsp, preventive care, state, Wellbeing, Wellness