If you want to avoid getting sick or developing a chronic health condition, routine check-ups are the most effective way to help you keep track of your health.Prioritizing regular, in-office check-ups is the key to preventive healthcare. Here, we will discuss the many benefits of regular check-ups and how you can utilize them to the fullest.
Establishing a Health Baseline and Assessing Risk
During your routine check-up, your primary care physician will record basic measures of your overall health and physical make-up. This includes:
- Weight
- Height
- Blood pressure
- Heart and respiratory rate
- Reflexes and muscular strength
- Vision
Your doctor will also conduct a mental health screening for issues such as depression or anxiety.If you are over the age of 65, they may also assess your risk for cognitive impairment and falls.
Your provider will record these observations in your electronic medical record, or chart. With this information, they can identify any potential risk factors for disease and take the necessary steps to help minimize your chances for developing issues like heart disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis. Examples of risk factors include family history, age, gender, weight, smoking, inactivity, and others.
Management of Chronic Health Conditions
If you have hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease, asthma and allergies or other long-term health problems, regular check-ups can help track the progression of your disease and how well you are doing with symptom management. Use the time during your check-up to honestly report symptoms to your physician, discuss medications, and learn ways to improve your overall quality of life.
Vaccines and Screenings
Like children, adults can also benefit from vaccine “shots” to help prevent the spread of communicable, and potentially life-threatening, diseases. At your annual check-up, your doctor will recommend certain vaccines appropriate to your age and certain health and lifestyle factors.
Vaccines help protect you against acute diseases like seasonal influenza, COVID-19, tetanus, pneumonia, shingles, and many more. Some are a one-time vaccine that can provide long-term immunity while others, such as tetanus or influenza shots, requireperiodic updates.
In addition, your doctor will recommend age-appropriate health screenings, particularly for cancer.
Other health screenings may include:
- Blood tests to screen for cholesterol, blood glucose, thyroid disease, anemia, and elements of metabolic function and health
- Echocardiogram and EKG to assess blood flow, valve function, and heart rhythm
- Colonoscopy to check for polyps, cancer, and other conditions and diseases of the large bowel
- Sleep studies to detect problems such as obstructive sleep apnea
- DEXA scans to measure bone density
- ALCAT testing for patients with chronic GI and metabolic symptoms associated with food and chemical sensitivities
Patient Education
Each stage of life has certain health challenges. Your regular check-ups are opportunities to ask your healthcare provider questions about those challenges and how to live the healthiest life possible at every stage.
Your doctor can counsel you on topics such as weight loss, exercise, nutrition, safety in the home, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and more. Theycan also advise you on ways to reduce stress, improve your sleep and eliminate harmful habits like overeating, smoking, and excessive usage of alcohol.
Primary Care in Irmo, South Carolina
At South Carolina Internal Medicine, our first priority is keeping you healthy. If it is time for your annual check-up, please call our office at (803) 749-1111 to book an appointment or request a visit online. Our 10 board-certified physicians and their team are ready to partner with you in long-term health and well-being.
