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If your doctor is always after you to schedule your annual physical examination, there's a good reason: Preventative medicine works.

A preventive care-based approach to maintaining health puts you in the drivers seat, that is you are in charge of maintaining/optimizing your health and well-being, said Arti Madhavan, M.D., Family Medicine Special, Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital.

The New Year is a perfect time to make a commitment to better health. A good place to start is by choosing to make good choices and trusting your instincts when it comes to your body.

Actions such as eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis are some good examples of how to positively impact your health, said Junaed Haq M.D., Henry Ford Health System. Not only will this lead to weight reduction, but it will also have a direct effect on your blood pressure, blood sugars and your mental health status, he said.

Of course, the flip side is also avoiding items known to have negative impacts, like smoking, vaping, sugary drinks and salty snacks, the board-certified family medicine doctor added.

Make sure to get your flu shot if you have not already had it, Haq said. The flu can have significant impacts on ones health and young children and the elderly are especially vulnerable. Thousands of Americans are hospitalized annually with the flu.

Another step you can take is to follow up regularly with your physician as directed if you take prescription drugs. This way you can ensure the medications are doing what they are intended to do, he said.

Preventative care is all about identifying how you can work to improve your overall health as well as catch diseases in their early stages before they manifest themselves clinically. Finding potential problems in the early stages has many benefits, said Madhavan, including:

Being easier to treat and more likely to achieve a cure

Being less expensive to treat. By identifying and treating diseases in their early stages, there are fewer medical expenses involved

Having an improved quality of life and longer lifespan

Avoiding the uncomfortable symptoms associated with chronic diseases, cancer and more if left undiagnosed

Another benefit of preventative care is having a healthcare provider who knows you and your family.

A yearly face to face visit with your physician helps in establishing trust and strengthening the doctor-patient relationship. Its an opportunity to have a customized wellness plan designed for you based on your lifestyle choices, risk factor for diseases, etc., said Madhavan.

That trusted relationship can prove invaluable when addressing issues such as depression, substance abuse or even chronic diseases like high blood pressure or hypertension. Thats because these inevitably require the individual to make treatment and lifestyle choices that are not easy and cause inconvenience and discomfort at least in the short term, he said.

For children, the doctor-patient relationship is critical.

Well child visits promote strong, healthy relationships between the child, parent and the physician which in turn contributes to the optimal physical, mental and social well-being of the child, said Madhavan.

During well child visits, doctors evaluate the child and compare his or her physical development as well as important motor, social and language milestones achieved to the age-expected norms. This can assist in early diagnosis of developmental delays in speech and language, gross and fine motor skills, social skills and cognition/learning early which, in turn, allows resources such as speech therapy, physical/occupational therapy to be implemented faster for a chance at better outcomes, said Madhavan.

Left untreated or undiagnosed, developmental delays are associated with learning difficulties, behavioral problems and decreased functional ability later in life, he said.

Madhavan added that well child visits also provide opportunity for:

Scheduled immunization updates

Discussion of injury prevention measures such as use of helmets, firearm safety, seat belt use etc.

Education regarding diet and nutrition

Parents to discuss any of their concerns in a timely fashion

Providers to screen for any evidence of child abuse or neglect

Patients do not outgrow the need for an annual doctor visit. According to Haq, it is important to stay current through the years on any immunizations that you may be a candidate for based on your underlying medical conditions. Some routine immunizations that are common to all regardless of medical history include the influenza vaccine and the Tdap vaccination that offers protection from tetanus as well as whooping cough. The influenza vaccine is annual and the Tdap vaccination is good for 10 years, he said.

Madhavan outlined general screenings people need at various ages and stages in their lives:

In their 20s and 30s - recommended screenings include depression, alcohol abuse, intimate partner violence and sexually transmitted diseases like HIV as well as cervical cancer screening with a pap smear and HPV testing. People in this age group should also be screened for obesity, elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and more.

In their 40s and 50s recommended screenings include depression, alcohol abuse, chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and obesity as well as cancer screenings with mammography for breast cancer and screenings for cervical, prostate and colorectal cancers.

Age 65 and over recommended screenings include those for previous age groups plus screening for osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women; fall risk assessment in community dwelling older adults; and screening for elder abuse. In addition, males ages 65-75 who have ever smoked are advised to have a one-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm completed.

Over age 75, he said the cancer screening decision is an individual one, considering their overall health, prior screening test results and other factors.

In addition, smokers between 55-80 years old who have a 30-pack year history of smoking and are still smoking or quit in the past 15 years are advised lung cancer screening using a low dose Computerized Tomography (CT) scan, he said.

For more detailed information regarding recommended age and gender specific screening guidelines, Madhavan suggested visiting uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org and cdc.gov.

Make your physical, mental, emotional health a priority in 2020 by adopting the practices identified below by Arti Madhavan, M.D., Family Medicine Special, Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital:

Eat healthy

Get adequate sleep

Engage in stress reduction activities such as yoga, meditation, etc.

Regular exercise, whether its organized such as joining a gym or just adopting a more active lifestyle

Stop smoking /vaping

Cut down excessive alcohol intake

Regular medical checkups - at least a yearly physical

Read more here:
Use preventative care tips to avoid health challenges in the future - Dearborn Press and Guide

This entry was posted on January 28, 2020 at 6:46 am and is filed under Preventative Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |