In addition to a good diet and exercise, going for regular health screenings is an important component of keeping well.
Health screenings detect health conditions, before any symptoms emerge. By detecting these illnesses early, you and your doctor can put together a better plan to manage these conditions, before they worsen.
Haven’t done your health screening in a while? Here’s what you need to know to get ready for your next health screening.
Health screening isn’t just a one-off event.
A one-off screening only picks up present conditions but may not detect the ones that come up in your later years. Health screenings should be done at regular intervals depending on your age, health status and family history. There are different types of health screening available, depending on what your needs are:
- A basic health screening typically covers screening for obesity and chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In general, going for an annual basic health check-up is a good practice to adopt.
- More comprehensive packages would include screening for thyroid, STDs, cancer markers, and so on. For these tests, you may want to consult your doctor on what you need to look out for, based on your own medical history and lifestyle.
While you’re getting screened, you can also take the opportunity to schedule your recommended vaccinations, such as your annual flu vaccination.
Health screenings save you money, in the long term.
Healthcare costs can balloon, especially when it’s a late-stage of a disease. This is where health screenings can save you from the grief of spending too much on healthcare.
Regular health screenings can also catch chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and even cancer, early — which allows for early intervention. Typically, early intervention would involve healthy lifestyle changes as well as some medication. This would tend to be much less costly than treatment if a condition has gotten more severe.
If there are abnormalities detected in your screening results, your doctor will usually flag them to you and work with you to put together a management plan for your health. In this way, think of going for health screening as form of investment for your future health!
Image Source: iStock
Health screening is not as painful as you think.
Depending on the tests you have selected in your package, the entire health screening process can be as fast as 15 – 30 minutes.
You may experience a little discomfort during the blood-drawing process. Just let your nurse or doctor know and they’ll do their best to make the process more comfortable for you.
You don’t need to fast for your screening — although there are other ways to prepare for the test.
Contrary to popular belief, there are non-fasting health screening tests available so you don’t have to worry about going hungry. However, there are still a few things you should do to prepare for your appointment.
- Sleep well: Make sure you get at least 7 – 9 hours of quality sleep, before your health screening test.
- Avoid alcohol: The presence of alcohol in your body may affect the screening results. As such, do minimise any drinking at least 24 hours before your appointment.
Specifically for ladies, as far as possible, try to avoid scheduling your screening during your period (including 7 days before and after). If this isn’t possible, you can inform your nurse or doctor, as this can affect certain tests such as urine and stool tests or pap smears.
You don’t have to do your screening at a clinic.
It’s human nature to procrastinate — especially on tasks that we may feel are troublesome to arrange.
Thankfully, we’ve taken out the need to travel down to a clinic for health screening. Save on your travel time and get screened in the comfort of your home, with our home-based health screenings. A mobile health screening team will visit your home, at your convenience.
Image Source: iStock
This article was first published on Doctor Anywhere and republished on theAsianparent with permission