Why Is Important To Have An Annual Physical Exam Every Year?
Our health is such a precious good that we cannot neglect or waist it if we want to have a normal life. Unfortunately, the ones that appreciate the true value of health are the sick ones, because we only appreciate it when we lose it. The same happens with other things in our life, such as people.
Health, just as any precious thing in our lives, must be taken care of and monitorise periodically or from time to time at least, if we do not want any unpleasant surprises. Diseases like diabetics, arterial tension or cancer do not have any beginning symptoms that would alarm us and make us pay a visit to our doctor. We could be sick and we would not even know until it is too late.
Prevention is better than treating a disease and can help us cure or ameliorate it if we intervene from the beginning. That is why a periodic medical control must be done, even if we do not feel sick. There are several medical exams common to both men and women, and some separate ones for each gender included in the annual physical exam.
The blood test should be taken once at every two years, not only when we want to change our job or we have any health problems. Especially if we have an ill-regulated way of life and we do not have a healthy diet, we smoke and drink excessively or if we do not rest enough, a blood test can indicate the things we need to change in order to have a healthy body. If we take this test after the age of 40, we can find if we have serious diseases like diabetics, anemia, and excess of cholesterol or severe infections in our body.
The oral hygiene must be checked annually in order to find out if we have any caries, gum affections or for removing the tophus. If we treat the caries in their incipient phase, we will prevent new caries and save ourselves from the pain too.
The cardiologic exam and the pulmonary one must be done once at 3 or 5 years especially in the case of heavy smokers or persons with a restless way of life. It includes the arterial tension measurement, the electrocardiogram, and it is compulsory after than age of 40, when cardiac diseases and cerebral vascular strokes may occur.
The eye exam is very important, even if you do not wear glasses, to find out if you have the glaucoma. It is estimated that one person from two ignores the fact that he has glaucoma. This affection appears due to the increase of the ocular pressure, which diminishes the visual area, and the power of seeing. Although the glaucoma is not removable, its development can be slowed down or stopped, if treated on time.
There are some regular medical exams that all women should do, including mammography (for tracking breast cancer, especially when in the family there are antecedents) and gynecologic exam (because the incidence of ovarian cists diseases and uterus phibromas has increased). Men aged 45 or more must have their prostate examined, as at their age specific, problems may occur, like the prostate cancer or the adenomas.
The extraordinary progress of medicine and the best technologies offer us today the newest tools for investigating and treating the most various diseases. The annual physical exam is a matter of education. Having no fear to be considered hypochondriacs, we will say just that we are cautious. No disease should take us by surprise now, in the informational age, with the condition that we take full advantage of this modern world wonders.
