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There are mulยญtiยญple reaยญsons why going for an annuยญal health checkยญup with your trustยญed physiยญcian should be a priยญorยญiยญty. Here are some of them:
1- Building A Better Relationship With Your Doctor
Only 29% of peoยญple around the world report havยญing conยญfiยญdence in their healthยญcare providers, accordยญing to Gallup. As healthยญcare is a very perยญsonยญal matยญter, not trustยญing your docยญtor is detriยญmenยญtal to your overยญall care and health. Thankยญfulยญly, going on your annuยญal health checkยญup can help you build a betยญter relaยญtionยญship with your doctor. Annuยญal checkยญups often involve sevยญerยญal examยญiยญnaยญtions that proยญvide mulยญtiยญple opporยญtuยญniยญties for you to assess if your curยญrent docยญtor is the one you wish to be a partยญner in your health and wellbeing. It is a good opporยญtuยญniยญty to change your docยญtor if you are uncomยญfortยญable and build a betยญter relaยญtionยญship with your new one. Always rememยญber that you are in conยญtrol of who will help you mainยญtain good health.2- Getting A Current Assessment Of Your Health
Around one in every three adults across the world have mulยญtiยญple chronยญic illยญnessยญes, accordยญing to the Yale School of Pubยญlic Health. If you are uncerยญtain if you have a chronยญic conยญdiยญtion, an annuยญal health checkยญup can give you a curยญrent assessยญment of your health. Your docยญtor can ask you to subยญmit blood samยญples and stool samยญples to deterยญmine your health conยญdiยญtion. An annuยญal checkยญup can inform you if you have any chronยญic bowยญel conยญdiยญtions and othยญer health comยญplaints that may need to be addressed. It also proยญvides a good opporยญtuยญniยญty to ask your healthยญcare provider for recยญomยญmenยญdaยญtions for activยญiยญties, vitยญaยญmins, or medยญicaยญtion that can help you improve your present health. Havยญing a clear baseยญline of your present health conยญdiยญtion will make it easยญiยญer for your docยญtors to detect any changes to your health, as your records will be up to date.3- Laying Groundwork For Better Long-Term Health
An annuยญal health checkยญup is your tool to lay the groundยญwork for your proยญlonged health by givยญing you the inforยญmaยญtion that you need. While preยญvenยญtion of conยญdiยญtions is ideยญal, earยญly detecยญtion is the true key to betยญter long-term health. Your docยญtor will norยญmalยญly include varยญiยญous canยญcer screenยญing tests in an annuยญal checkยญup, although this may be depenยญdent on your age and genยญder. As you age, the tests that you will require will change as well. This is why getยญting an annuยญal checkยญup is a must. Skipยญping it for a year or sevยญerยญal years robs you of the opporยญtuยญniยญty for earยญly detecยญtion that may end up savยญing your life.4- Lowering Overall Healthcare Cost
The averยญage healthยญcare cost of a perยญson with chronยญic kidยญney disยญease with comยญpliยญcaยญtions goes to about $7374 for each hosยญpiยญtalยญizaยญtion, as pubยญlished in the Amerยญiยญcan Sociยญety of Nephrolยญoยญgy Jourยญnal. Chronยญic kidยญney disยญease is wholยญly preventable. Othยญer preยญventable chronยญic disยญeases include heart disยญease, lung disยญease, type 2 diaยญbetes, and livยญer disยญease. Your annuยญal checkยญup can let you know if you are on the path to preยญventable chronยญic disยญeases and can effecยญtiveยญly lowยญer your overยญall healthยญcare cost down the line by rightยญing your diet or lifestyle. In the event that the develยญopยญment of any chronยญic disยญease is found, an annuยญal checkยญup can help lowยญer your healthยญcare costs by preยญventยญing any comยญpliยญcaยญtions from arisยญing by proยญvidยญing you with a guide.5- Updating Immunizations
Getยญting vacยญciยญnaยญtions is a simยญple but effecยญtive way to preยญvent cerยญtain disยญeases. While most indiยญvidยญuยญals will have a full course of vacยญciยญnaยญtions as infants, there are cerยญtain vacยญciยญnaยญtions that are only availยญable once you have reached a cerยญtain age, like the HPV vaccine. Based on the findยญings of the CDC, around 80 milยญlion indiยญvidยญuยญals are presentยญly infectยญed with HPV. HPV is also a link to potenยญtialยญly danยญgerยญous canยญcers. Othยญer vacยญciยญnaยญtions that adults need to update include measles, whoopยญing cough, tetanus, chickยญenยญpox, shinยญgles, and pneumonia. Lastยญly, An annuยญal checkยญup can give you the opporยญtuยญniยญty to update your vacยญciยญnaยญtions, so you do not leave yourยญself at risk.Jenยญnifer Kinn has writยญten this article
