Regular physicals are important steps in preventing major health problems that cannot be detected through self-care or basic doctor visits, and they can even save lives if caught early enough.
Annual checkups include various tests depending on the patient's age, gender, and current state of health; everything from regular blood pressure measurements to visual acuity is usually covered in this type of exam.
Some Of The Physicals Include:
Hearing Checkup
Your sense of hearing is something that you shouldn't take for granted. You can learn more about this test on your own time. But to sum it up, it takes just 75 minutes per year to monitor your ears' health through an audiometric test, which involves wearing headphones that play specific sounds at different pitches while testing your ability to hear them. After that, the results will be sent to your doctor so he/she can recommend any further course of action if needed.
Blood Sugar Level Checkup
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases nowadays that affects many people around the world.
Therefore, you should regularly check your blood sugar level because uncontrolled diabetes can lead to various health complications such as tissue damage, heart disease, blindness, and kidney problems.
Unfortunately, testing your blood sugar level at home isn't very accurate because it only provides an estimate of what your levels are at that moment, as opposed to a professional who will measure the levels in your blood.
Eye Checkup
Just like hearing, vision should also be monitored by professionals annually because problems with eyesight may not be noticeable to the average person.
This Checkup Mainly Includes Checking Your:
Refractive Error
This is done with an eye chart, which contains a series of letters and numbers that you will be asked to read. The optometrist will then provide you with corrective lenses depending on what type of refractive errors you have;
Visual Acuity
Your eyesight can improve or worsen as time goes by, so it's important to make sure it remains stable. Your optometrist might ask you to read lines on a wall from a set distance;
Eye health conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts; ophthalmologists are specialized physicians who deal specifically with eye diseases. They use equipment such as tonometers and slit lamps to diagnose any problems;
Ability to Perceive Colors
Color blindness, for instance, can be identified through a test containing specific colors and symbols. First, the optometrist will ask you to identify the colors and symbols. If you aren't able to do so, it could indicate a problem with either your color perception or visual acuity.
Cholesterol Checkup
Cholesterol is produced by the liver and dietary intake of saturated fats, but it's also possible for cholesterol levels to increase due to other factors such as high stress or bad eating habits, so monitoring these levels periodically is essential for heart health.
If there are any irregularities detected during this checkup, your doctor might recommend further actions such as lifestyle changes or medication, depending on the severity of the case.
Blood Pressure Checkup
Blood pressure is the force that blood applies on the walls of your arteries, which makes your heart work twice as hard to pump blood throughout your body. Hypertension or high blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular disease if not managed, but it's quite manageable through changes in diet and exercise.
Dental Checkup
According to studies, gum disease is one of the leading causes of death in America despite being completely preventable with the right dental care.
By only visiting a dentist twice per year for checkups, you might be delaying treatment until it's too late because problems related to gum disease are usually painless in the beginning.
This yearly exam includes checking for gum inflammation in order to diagnose periodontitis which is an infection in the gums that has already progressed to the bone.
In Conclusion
Even though most types of health screening aren't mandatory, it doesn't hurt to be informed about what you're entitled to if you need certain tests done regularly in order to track your progress and ensure your well-being.
Your doctor can give you suggestions according to your age, lifestyle, and environment you live in; the best strategy for early detection is to be aware of what changes are taking place in your body so you don't miss anything.
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