My Loved One Is Struggling With Their Mental Health, Now What?
By: Arnold Williams, M.D. Chair of Medical Staff for RJWBarnabas Behavioral Health Center While we may be well versed regarding…
You think you’re in good health, right? Don’t have time for an annual checkup? Or what about your parents or grandparents for whom you are responsible—are you avoiding taking them in for their checkups because they “just don’t need one right now?” The problem with that is that, for one, the purpose of prevention is to get to the problem BEFORE it becomes bigger and requires more severe treatment, and out of the 133 million Americans living with chronic diseases, nearly one-third of them are unaware that they have a chronic condition (CDC).
Preventative care is called “preventative” for a reason: it is there to PREVENT anything with your health from going bad! It is important for the maintenance of good health, and everyone should adopt preventative checkups into their annual routine. This could save you an immense amount of time and money down the road and could even save your life.
The checkup should include things like checking:
In addition, there are many age-related and gender-related screenings that can be done as well. This includes screens for colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer; problems related to obesity; Type Two Diabetes; and more.
Your provider will also check if you are up to date on vaccines, which aren’t just for children! Recommended vaccines may include:
Some guidelines that will help a preventative checkup be most effective and efficient:
The CDC also states that although annual checkups are good for everyone to get, it is especially recommended that men above 35 years old and women above 40 years old undergo annual checkups, and if there is a history of a particular disease, then the screenings should be started 10 years before the youngest family member developed that disease.
In summary, it is better to be safe than sorry. There are many diseases whose symptoms don’t appear right away, so getting these annual screenings and checkups can help with early detection and therefore, early treatment. It is important to find these conditions before they start to cause chaos in your body so that you can get it controlled to prevent further damage.
If you find that you have difficulty getting a loved one to and from their doctor appointments, keep in mind that Assisting Hands can offer transport services to and from any appointment in the Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean County region.
By: Arnold Williams, M.D. Chair of Medical Staff for RJWBarnabas Behavioral Health Center While we may be well versed regarding…
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