Health checkups are designed so as to help check for any illness or disease that has gone unchecked in the body. Let’s face it, when it comes to your health, prevention is always a better option than cure.

This is the express purpose of health checkup camps that we conduct at the Regency Medical Centre. The two biggest and most dangerous diseases that these health checkups screen for are cancer and heart disease. Given the insidious nature of these two diseases, it is important to get regularly screened if you have even the smallest proclivity towards them.

There are many that believe an annual physical is about all that they require to know what is going on with their bodies. While that may be true in most cases, there are definitely certain outliers that may need more regular screening.

There is also the other end of the spectrum. The individuals that only go visit a doctor when they are suffering from an illness often find themselves getting the short end of the stick. For doctors and patients alike, finding out the disease is often key to healing faster and with more efficiency.

There are certain basic schedules among doctors for regular health checkups. These schedules are created based on the ages of the patients. They may vary.

For those between the ages of 19 to 21, getting a physical once every 2 to 3 years should be okay.

Those that are between the ages of 22 to 64, a regular physical once every 1 or 2 years is advisable.

For those that are over 65, a yearly physical is considered a necessity.

Why go for a physical?

While going for a physical might seem moot considering that you are in the pink of health right now, it might just prove necessary in the long run. A complete physical checkup does not only check you for the probably diseases that might be lurking beneath the surface, but also ensure that you get a clear picture of how your health is progressing.

If you smoke or have other lifestyle-related issues, for example, if you lead a largely sedentary life, then it might become all the more necessary for you to get a regular physical. It is important to note that regular physicals also help establish a rapport with your doctor. What is normal for you may not be normal for others. Having regular physicals helps the doctor establish your baseline and gets them familiar with your case file. This can help you and your doctor set up a better physical schedule.

Some basic guidelines:

It is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly. If you are suffering from hypertension than it is important to have your blood pressure checked every few months. If you are not, then it is okay to have it checked annually.

After the age of 40 there are certain screenings that become more important than before. Have your cholesterol levels tested every year? It is also important to screen for colorectal cancer with a fecal occult blood test every year or a colonoscopy every 10 years.

After the age of 55, if you are a smoker or have quit tobacco within the past 15 years, it becomes crucial to have lung cancer screenings.

It becomes imperative for those above 60 to get a shingles vaccine and for those above 65 to get a pneumococcal vaccine.

Women between the age of 18 to 29 need to have a complete HPV vaccination. They should also get a pap smear test for cervical cancer every 3 years. Women between 30 and 49 need to get a pap smear test every 5 years. It is also important for women to consult with their doctors about the frequency with which they should have mammograms.

Women over the age of 50 should have a DEXA scan for bone density. The same goes for men as well.

Everyone above the age of 40, should be regularly screened for diabetes.

The benefits of regular health checkups:

Identifying what is going on in your body is all about ensuring that you are regularly screened. At Regency Medical Centre, we ensure that we provide our patients with a thorough checkup. It is a matter of concern when so many people around the world, especially in Africa, are so cavalier about their health. As mentioned above, there are certain tests that you should be performed after certain ages.

Make sure that you give some time out of your year to dedicate to your body. It makes no sense to go to the doctor when you are feeling the pain. The real intelligence lies in identifying the cause beforehand and treating it.

While the modern-day scans today, reveal more than ever before, the doctors at Regency Medical Centre are very well trained. They know what ailments to identify and what irregularities will not cause any issues.

Let’s look at it from a financial perspective. Treatment of any disease can set you back by a pretty penny. It is never a cheap thing to be treated for a disease, especially if it is something chronic like heart disease or even cancer. But screenings are considerably cheaper and are relatively painless.

It is important to understand that a health check-up may take some time in the short term, but in the long run, it is something that is going to possibly save you.