5 Regular Health Check-Ups You Shouldn’t Be Skipping
Eating our vegetables, exercising weekly and drinking enough water are all things we know we should be doing for our overall health and wellness. Some of us even remember to do them regularly! Living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of our bodies is super important, this is true, but it’s also not a get out of jail free card. No matter how well we eat or how fast we can jog, there are certain things that healthy food and good sleep alone can’t fix or manage. That’s why we have healthcare professionals available to us – to help us identify and deal with underlying problems or problems that aren’t solvable without intervention and help. Here are some health check-up appointments you should be scheduling every year (or at least when you remember to).
Optometrist
Healthy vision is something we all need to function optimally in daily life. It may not be something you think about too often, but the health of your eyes is something you should consider. It’s recommended that you pay a visit to your optometrist or ophthalmologist around once every two years. For those who already wear glasses or contact lenses, getting your prescription updated every now and then is an important part of taking care of your eyes and ensuring that you’re not damaging them. However, these check-ups do more than just test your vision – they’re crucial for detecting eye diseases (which could lead to blindness) and can even detect other serious health problems including high blood pressure and diabetes. If you’re in the area, click here to find a great eye doctor, Salt Lake City to make an appointment as soon as possible.
Hearing Health
This one typically only applies to those of us who are slightly older. After the age of 50, an annual hearing check is recommended. After this age, gradual loss of hearing is a common problem, so having it checked out each year can help detect any issues early on. If you think that you or a loved one might be experiencing hearing loss, these tests are usually free, so it’s a good idea to have it checked out and discuss whether a hearing aid is a good option for you.
Dentist
This is one we all know – and dread. Visiting the dentist is rarely an enjoyable experience but it’s important for our dental and overall health, nonetheless. While some recommend visiting your dentist once a year, others believe that every six months is a better option – this is up to you, so long as you’re going regularly. Dental checks are crucial for a few reasons. It’s important for your dentist to be able to check that your teeth are clean and healthy and to be able to identify any problems (like cavities) that you may not have noticed. Proper dental cleaning is also a good treatment to receive every once in a while – this helps to thoroughly remove plaque and stains, and keep your teeth white and shiny. These checks are also preventative and can help deal with small issues before they develop into something major.
Gynaecologist
Many women are unsure about how regularly they should be visiting the gynaecologist. Though it’s not a very comfortable experience, it’s important for women to check up on their reproductive health too. As a general rule, it’s a good idea to start visiting a gynecologist regularly once you become sexually active or once you turn 21. Of course, any vaginal or menstruation issues warrant a visit to the gynaecologist, but other than that it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment about once a year – and naturally more often if you are pregnant or trying to conceive. Like with most other health professionals, visiting your gynaecologist regularly will enable you to identify any potential health risks early on in order to manage them or even prevent them.
Annual General Check-Up
This one is probably the most important one. Visiting your general practitioner or family physician about once a year (or every 1-3 years) is a very important part of living a healthy lifestyle and is crucial for checking up on various aspects of your health. These check-ups allow for your doctor to identify diseases that might not be presenting symptoms, identify risk factors for common diseases and take notice of any hereditary diseases that you may be concerned about. More than this, these checks can be used as preventative and to identify issues before they become a serious problem.
Your doctor will most likely check up on things like your weight, heart, lungs, as well as your hair skin and nails. Your skin is an important aspect to check up on regularly, especially if any spots or marks have appeared or changed in any way. They will likely also check your eyes, ears, and nose, and ask you some general questions about your health and lifestyle. In these cases, it’s important to be honest with your doctor about your lifestyle habits such as diet, sleep, and exercise, so that they’re able to make an accurate assessment of your health.
Final Thoughts
As you can tell, there are a lot of health obligations that you need to consider throughout the year. Some people choose to schedule all their check-ups around the same time of year (perhaps all in one month) to get it all over with and know that they are free to go for the next year. This is a good tactic, unless you feel it might be overwhelming to deal with all at once, or if you need to space out your medical bills. Either way, so long as you’re making the effort to get yourself checked in all aspects regularly, you can rest assured that you’re taking good care of your health and you can move your focus back to your daily lifestyle. You should be sure to follow any advice that you receive from any of these health practitioners and make an effort to correct any behaviours that they may have identified as harmful.
