Healthy You: Your 2016 Checklist

JANUARY 4, 2016

For many people, January is the time to set some new goals and create some to-do items for the year. So while you are taking stock of your finances and setting some new goals at the office, this is a good time to create a checklist for your health, as well.

“There are a handful of routine health screenings and preventative measures that everyone should get from time to time,” says Dr. John Staniland, a Texas Health Care family physician. “If you think you are behind on some of these, or if you are not sure the last time you had a recommended screening, it’s a good idea to visit with your physician and make sure you are up to date.”

The Screenings You Need to Have

“The reason we recommend periodic health screenings is that they are necessary for early detection of various health conditions,” says family physician Dr. Vasanth Namireddy. “And when we can detect conditions early, we can treat them or recommend lifestyle changes so that a larger health problem does not develop down the line.”

Every person is different and some people may need screenings more often or may need to begin them sooner than these guidelines state. These are simply general guidelines; your medical history, your family health history, and other factors may lead your physician to recommend a different approach.

Cholesterol Screening

Who Needs It & When:

  • Men over 35 and women over 44, every five years

Why It’s Important:

  • High cholesterol levels can lead to a variety of health problems, including heart disease and stroke. If cholesterol levels are above the normal range, your physician may recommend dietary changes and prescribe medication to lower your cholesterol.

What It Involves:

  • A simple blood test

Blood Pressure Screening

Who Needs It & When:

  • Men and women, age 18-64: every two years.
  • Men and women, age 65 and older: every year.

Why It’s Important:

  • When blood pressure is too high, it creates strain on the heart, increasing the risk of heart disease. High blood pressure also increases the risk of diabetes.

What It Involves:

  • A simple screening done with a cuff around the arm.

Diabetes Screening

Who Needs It & When:

  • Men and women age 44 and older: every three years

Why It’s Important:

  • Diabetes causes a host of health problems, such as kidney disease, heart disease and loss of vision.

What It Involves:

  • A simple blood test to check blood sugar levels

Mammogram

Who Needs It & When:

  • Women over age 40, every two years.
  • Women over age 50, every year

Why It’s Important:

  • Early detection of breast cancer saves lives. The sooner cancer is detected, the greater the odds of survival. Mammography is key to the early detection of breast cancer.

What It involves:

  • A mammogram is an x-ray image of the breast. The radiologist uses the image to identify any abnormalities that may be of concern.

Pap Test and Pelvic Exam

Who Needs It & When:

  • Women over the age of 21 should have a regular screening. It is recommended that frequency be discussed with your physician.

Why It’s Important:

  • A Pap test is used to detect cervical cancer. The test also detects cellular changes that could indicate cancer or a risk of developing cancer in the cervix. By detecting these changes early enough, cancer can be treated or prevented. A Pelvic exam can detect ovarian cysts and other abnormalities.

What It Involves:

  • Generally provided as part of a well woman exam, the doctor conducts a visual internal and external examination of the pelvic area. The Pap test is done by taking a sample of cells from the cervix, which usually does not cause any pain. The entire exam only takes a few minutes.

Colonoscopy

Who Needs It & When:

  • Men and women, at age 50. If there are no abnormal results, repeat test once every ten years.

Why It’s Important:

  • A colonoscopy is the most widely-used screening to detect colon cancer. When colon cancer is detected early, the patient has a much greater chance of making a full recovery.

What It Involves:

  • When having a colonoscopy, the patient must have a completely empty bowel. This typically means patients cannot eat solid foods the day before the procedure and must limit themselves to certain fluids in order to flush out their bowels. The procedure itself usually lasts between 20 minutes and one hour. The patient is usually sedated as the physician inserts a colonoscope, a long tube with a light on the end of it, into the colon. The colonoscope provides the physician a complete view of the colon.

Preventative Care

In addition to periodic screenings, it’s important to make sure you are up to date on recommended vaccinations, an important part of preventative health care. These are the vaccines to keep in mind:

Tetanus Booster

Who Needs it & When:

  • We receive a tetanus vaccine as children, but adults should have a booster shot every 10 years.

Why It’s Important:

  • Tetanus is caused by bacteria that enters the skin through a cut or puncture wound. It is not a contagious disease but is caused by certain bacteria present in the environment. Tetanus causes the tightening of muscles and the jaw (lockjaw).

What It Involves:

  • A shot in your doctor’s office.