Diagnosed with Cancer? Your two greatest challenges are understanding cancer and understanding possible side effects from chemo and radiation. Knowledge is Power!
Learn about conventional, complementary, and integrative therapies.
Dealing with treatment side effects? Learn about evidence-based therapies to alleviate your symptoms.
Click the orange button to the right to learn more.
Why Are Regular Full Health Checks Important?
Routine health checks, sometimes called executive physicals, often involve a full-body physical
examination, blood work, and additional testing. The aim of these health checks is to act as a form of
preventative care to ensure you’re healthy and free of disease.
Regular health checks can identify health issues that might not be obvious on the outside. If your doctor finds anything suspicious or sinister during one of your health checks, they can order further testing or provide treatment to resolve the issue.
Let’s take a deeper look at the importance of getting regular health checks by your doctor.
Early Detection of Disease
Many diseases only become symptomatic in their late stages, meaning many people are walking around with ‘silent’ health issues that they have no idea about.
If you don’t know you have a health issue, you won’t take steps to manage or treat it. In turn, a health condition that begins as minor and reversible could worsen and potentially become irreversible. Having regular health checks enables early identification or diseases, enabling you to get treatment for your condition immediately. Earlier treatment is associated is better prognosis and health outcomes.
Preventative Care
At a routine health check, your doctor will talk about something known as preventative care, which involves taking steps towards a healthy lifestyle to lower your chance of developing chronic diseases, such as myeloma, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, in the future. For example, during your health checks, your doctor may offer advice on healthy eating, exercise, stress management, limiting alcohol, and smoking cessation. They may provide a customised preventative care plan that aligns with your lifestyle and personal preferences.
Disease Risk Assessment
Routine health checks aren’t just for preventative care. They also involve the management of existing health conditions and the identification of future disease risk. Your doctor will perform a comprehensive check that covers all aspects of your health, including weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels, and respiratory health. A full health inspection enables your doctor to identify risk factors that are associated with specific health conditions and diseases.
If they identify any of these risk factors during your health checks, they can provide personalised management and treatment plans to reduce your disease risk. Your personalised care plan may include lifestyle modifications, such as dietary adjustments or a tailored workout plan, medication management, or a referral to another healthcare specialists, such as a physiotherapist or dietitian.
Comparing Your Health Data
A less obvious benefit of regular health checks is the ability to compare your current health data with previously collected data or national and global trends. Your doctor can track your health over time when he or she sees you regularly, providing a well-rounded and detailed picture of your well-being. Comparing your current health metrics and bio markers to previous measurements enables you to see whether your current lifestyle and medications are suitable for your needs, or whether anything needs adjusting. Comparing multiple data sets from your previous health checks also enables your doctor to identify trends and patterns that could indicate that your health is improving or worsening.