In most cases, people get shocked by sudden death of family members, friends and neighbours. Diseases like leukemia, heart problems and others may take a while before their signs and symptoms manifest. Scheduling medical appointments when one is feeling fine may seem like a waste of your time, but as they say, ‘Prevention is better than cure’. This is why regular medical check-ups will pick up any potential problems, allowing a person to take steps in either preventing these diseases from infection or beginning early treatment to deal with it. All forms of compromise we make for example insufficient sleep and fatty diet have subsequent effects in our health. In the quest for achieving a good life, people often sacrifice their health and medical condition. The overwhelming pressure brought about by work, school, and personal concerns can very well make us oblivious of symptoms of serious illness or disease. Most of the time, people learn about their troublesome health and medical condition like cancer and stroke when it’s already too late to be treated. No matter how busy one may be, health and medical experts say that people should always subject themselves to regular check-ups. It is so normal for them to visit the doctor only when they feel there’s something wrong. But the thing an important condition to remember is that not all symptoms of deadly illnesses can easily be felt and seen. Apart from general health and medical check-ups, women have to undergo Pap smear annually to prevent cervical cancer or diseases related to reproductive system. It is also advisable for women in their forties to subject themselves to mammogram test so that they learn the state of their breasts. This is because many cases of breast cancer diseases have been seen under this age category but the problem remains underlying to women of age categories as well. Breast checkups every month would be sufficient for younger women. Pregnant and lactating mothers also have to undergo pre and post natal checkups. Health and medical experts also advice parents to bring their children to the doctor for necessary immunization and proper health care. Since regular health checkups are indispensable, people should try to have a family doctor. A family doctor is the one to hold all the medical records for future reference. Regular checkups are a valuable tool in maintaining good health. Taking proper care of your health at the right time can prevent a lot of problems in the future. It’s good to find out that you have a problem, before it is too late to cure it. So appropriate tests should be done at the right time. Some of the findings or exams done to detect these diseases include; Blood pressure; both high and low pressure has negative effects our health badly. High blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Having an annual blood pressure test will provide the person’s health care professional with a baseline level to compare during subsequent visits. Once one is detected or found of not having the normal blood pressure it is better to check up on a regular basis. Urine testing: routine urine test is done to test for sugar, for any blood and protein that might suggest a bladder or kidney problem, for hepatitis, infections etc. Blood Tests: tests may include blood count, blood glucose, thyroid function, electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, cholesterol and others, depending on family history. Cholesterol level: every adult should have the cholesterol level checked occasionally. A high blood cholesterol level is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease. If it is high more specific tests like HDL and LDL cholesterol levels can be done. With increasing age, the risk decreases and is usually not recommended for very elderly patients. Chest X-ray: X-rays can be done to detect lung abnormalities such as tuberculosis, emphysema and lung cancer early enough to initiate a successful treatment plan. Ends
