Why Regular Health Screenings Matter – Even When You Feel Healthy
October 1, 2024
Categories: Primary Care, Wellness, Prevention
Even healthy people need to get checkups! Despite your self-assessment of how you feel on a daily basis, there are some health concerns that might be happening underneath the surface. That’s why regular health screenings are so important.
Laura Redenius, family nurse practitioner (FNP) at Riverside Healthcare’s Primary Care Associates, Bourbonnais, offers helpful information surrounding such screenings, including which ones are important and at what age they should occur.
Hypertension and Low Vitamin D: Two Elusive Dangers
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is often referred to as a “silent killer” because people can exist and appear symptom-free while hypertension is occurring in the background. Unfortunately, if health screenings are prolonged and a person doesn’t see their provider until later in life, hypertension may have caused potential damage to multiple organs.
Another elusive condition is having low levels of vitamin D. Many people believe they get enough sun exposure to stimulate adequate vitamin D production. Per Redenius, that’s not true.
“We’re not close enough to the equator to have enough vitamin D in our bodies. And low vitamin D can actually mimic symptoms of anxiety and depression. The truth is, most people around this area are actually vitamin D deficient,” she cautions.
Redenius’ approach is to start to get a baseline account of each patient’s blood lab results at an early age, so she can compare them year-over-year.
Important Cancer Screenings
There are a number of tests recommended at different life stages. For example, colorectal cancer screening is now recommended to begin at age 45—unless there is a family history in play. The good news is, colonoscopy only has to repeat every 10 years if everything comes back clear due to its slow-growing nature.
Mammograms should commence at age 40 for women of average risk. Meaning, there is no family history nor genetic mutations. This screening should repeat annually.
The guidelines for Pap tests indicate starting at age 21. If everything is normal, women can go three years before their next Pap. Of course, these timelines are dependent on a person’s individual health status and based on conversations with their primary care provider.
“Your primary care provider is your best resource in regards to what’s best for you. While Google is a great resource for some things, in regards to healthcare, it might prevent or hinder a patient from going into the office when they should see their provider sooner,” advises Redenius.
The Power of Lifestyle
With many health issues, lifestyle adjustments can make a significant difference. Redenius shares that a lot of her patients actually prefer to make such adjustments before turning to medications—if at all possible.
“Lifestyle changes can be one of the most effective strategies. I’ve seen pre-diabetics, diabetic patients, hypertensive patients make switches with diet and lifestyle and no longer experience these comorbidities. Doing so also decreases other potential issues they could have in the future.”
Ultimately, undergoing yearly checkups allows individuals to understand what’s going on with their own health and make decisions to either course correct or continue doing what has kept them healthy thus far.
“I think in general we do the best we can to keep up with our lives. No one intentionally chooses to live an unhealthy life,” says Redenius. “Sometimes, we get caught up in the day-to-day and the hustle and we forget to take care of ourselves. We’re always taking care of other people. So, a yearly checkup can help motivate people into getting their health under control with or without medications.”