Why You Need an Annual Exam.
In addition to catching disease in the earliest stages, the annual check-up allows your doctor to assess your risk factors for developing challenging health problems in the future.
By talking with you about your lifestyle, eating, exercise and sleep habits, for example, you may discover you’re at risk for developing conditions such as: obesity, bronchitis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint pain, melanoma, lower back pain, knee pain.
By identifying these risks, you can make changes to prevent the condition from becoming a health issue. On the other hand, annual physical exam blood tests and examinations may reveal that you already have the markers of early onset for various conditions such as:
HPV that causes genital warts and other kinds of warts
Polyps that cause endometriosis
A minor rash that might indicate psoriasis or eczema
Diabetes
Thyroid problems
Kidney problems
A shortness of breath that turns out to be asthma
When you start a new job or apply for a life insurance policy that requires a physical, you know where to go to. School physicals for adolescents and exams required to play certain sports may also be performed by your Century Medical and Dental Center internist. A routine, sports or new employee exam usually consists of a conversation about your lifestyle and medical history, a set of tests and the physical examination that includes:
Checking your reflexes
Weighing in
Examining your mouth, ear, nose and throat
Checking your blood pressure and other vital signs
Listening for irregularities in your lungs and heart
Feeling the lymph nodes in your neck, groin and underarms
Checking your pulse and abdomen for abnormalities
Taking blood to test your cholesterol and triglyceride levels
The best annual physical exam includes a cancer screening and your annual flu vaccine. Depending on your age and risk factors, you may be offered other available vaccinations for shingles, pneumonia or HPV. While your doctors are ready to see you at any time for any reason, they’d much rather see you just once a year, knowing you’re taking their sound advice and living the best quality of life possible.
Call us at (646) 444-8146.
Early detection always is preferable to treatment of a full-blown disease with all the associated side effects of the condition and the treatment. Your chances of successful cure improve drastically when medical conditions are caught early.