A worthwhile investment in your health

We have a general understanding of how our bodies work, if we put our minds to think about it. We know that when we feel hungry we need to eat, when thirsty drink and when the bladder or bowel is screaming at you, you know where you need to go. That the body seems to be working well now does not always mean that all is well. In fact, most serious diseases begin gently and it is only until these conditions are quite advanced that we feel sick.

Wellness checks have mostly been considered good to have, but the truth, these checks are a must-have. The recommended frequency for annual checks increases as your age increases. In the twenties, a check every 3 years could be enough, in the thirties, the frequency increases to at least every other year and above forty, a yearly checkup is recommended. However, if you have high risk factors for disease, particularly lifestyle diseases and infectious diseases, you may require having more frequent checkups, sometimes as frequently as twice a year. Examples of these would be if you have hypertension, diabetes, and strong family history of cancer, a yearly medical checkup is essential. If you have these diseases and they are not well controlled, your doctor may recommend twice-yearly checkups or more.

Wellness checkup not only give the benefit of early detection of disease or disease monitoring, but it also helps you set your health goals. It is an opportunity to check your baseline and evaluate whether this is the ideal or there is need to put in some corrective interventions. The health goals would be determined by significant activities planned for the future, for example if you want to start a family, the doctor may advise on specific areas of improvement. Other plans include if you want to go mountain climbing, or will soon be working in a remote area with minimal access to healthcare, if you will be going away to study and might need a special diet request. The wellness check may also help determine where to lay emphasis when managing a known disease like incase of diabetes, if the doctor finds that the patient is overweight and has high cholesterol, they may lay more emphasis on weight reduction and diet management rather than lean towards increasing the doses and number of medications.

We must not forget the peace of mind that comes with a wellness checkup. It is truly comforting to know for sure that you are well with no major health risk, so a health checkup that returns all results normal is actually a good thing! On the other hand, if a disease is detected it is reassuring to know what the areas of concern are and this enables you to focus on correcting that area rather than worrying about all other possibilities. If you are known to have a certain health condition, the wellness check would help you know the extent of the condition like in the case of hypertension, you may determine that the hypertension is stable and the heart is not currently at risk and the kidneys are fine. This way, you would not worry about each new discomfort thinking the worst.

Wellness checks are important in many ways. They are not only good to have; they are a must have. Our greatest asset is our health. It is only when we are healthy that we can pursue or greatest potential in our areas of influence. It clears our mind to focus on our tasks. It gives us peace of mind so that we can invest our emotions and time to relationships. Awareness of your health status is an essential step to self-awareness and mindfulness. Do find time to have a wellness or medical checkup soon, it will be worth your time!