It’s so important to exercise, eat a nutritious diet and to avoid unhealthy habits, such as cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Through preventive health care at home and with your family doctor, you can avoid or limit the impact of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. What follows here is a physician’s guide to preventive health screenings which can help you stay well for years to come.
What is Preventive Healthcare?
Preventive healthcare focuses on developing habits which keep you fit and healthy and help you avoid chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease. As you work with your family doctor, you also will identify factors which could put your health at risk.
For instance, some families have a hereditary tendency toward gastrointestinal problems, such as Crohn’s disease, or mental health issues, such as depression. In consultation with your family practice physician, you will identify those familial risk factors and take steps to mitigate the health problems which could develop in the future.
Preventive healthcare also involves looking at lifestyle habits. Your family doctor will ask you about:
- Exercise habits
- Smoking
- Alcohol and illegal drug consumption
- Stress on the job or in interpersonal relationships
- Your diet
When you honestly discuss how you take care of your physical and mental health on a day to day basis, you can work with your family doctor in developing ways to improve your overall health and well-being.
Your doctor may recommend a regular routine of aerobic exercise, a smoking cessation program or even a support group for anxiety and depression if those issues are impacting your health and wellness. All in all, preventive healthcare is a plan for life, not just discovery and treatment of the symptoms of disease and dysfunction.
Recommended Preventive Health Screenings
While identification of your personal family and medical history and also your lifestyle habits plays a significant role in keeping ahead of potential health issues, preventive health treatments and screenings also are important. The majority of individuals know about annual mammograms and colonoscopies, but there are numerous other screenings family physicians deem important.
These can include regular blood pressure checks, cholesterol screenings and lab tests for blood glucose levels. Your doctor may also recommend certain vaccinations based on your age, occupation and travel plans. Some vaccinations are routine and recommended for most everyone. These shots include influenza, COVID-19, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella and tetanus.
It’s important to note that these screenings and vaccinations aren’t just for adults. Children also benefit from preventive health measures such as routine vaccinations, vision and hearing tests and developmental screenings. By starting healthy habits at a young age, you can avoid or mitigate future health problems and maintain kids’ well-being throughout the lifespan.
Recommendations at Your Annual Physical Examination
The annual check-up is the gold standard for preventive healthcare. When you see your family doctor, he or she will assess your:
- Vital signs, including respirations, heart rate and blood pressure
- Height and weight, along with body mass index, or BMI
- Reflexes
- Ear, nose and throat
- Appearance of skin
- Reflexes and muscular strength
- Coordination and balance
- Lymph nodes
- Abdomen
You may have a simple test of cognitive abilities and a simple assessment for signs of depression and other mental health issues.
Also, your family doctor will advise the following:
- Women 40 and older get an annual mammogram to check for breast cancer
- People 45 and older get a colonoscopy to check for colon cancer
- Men middle-aged and up get a PSA blood test for prostate cancer
- Skin cancer assessment with a dermatologist if you are 40 or older
- Annual pap smear to check for cervical cancer starting around age 25
- Lung cancer screening for former smokers or for people who currently smoke
Finally, preventive healthcare involves education. Your family doctor will use the results of your screening tests to alert you to current health problems and ones which could develop in the future. Together, you will discuss diet changes, medications, therapies and additional tests you may need to understand and to manage your health effectively.
Your Family Doctor in New Jersey
At Hudson MD Group, our caring physicians and their support team really value preventive healthcare. Not only does understanding your risks and your strengths help you take good care of yourself, it also is highly cost effective for you and for the healthcare system as a whole.
So, to learn more about preventive healthcare and important screenings you should have now and in the future, please call your family doctor at Hudson MD Group to arrange your annual physical examination. Reach us at (973) 705-4914, or request your visit here.
Hudson MD Group is proud to serve Gergen, Esses, Morris and other areas of New Jersey. We are a multispecialty group with providers who are ready and eager to help you have your best possible health and well-being.
