Why schedule an annual physical exam asap, doctor explains
MANILA, Philippines — There are many good reasons why people make New Year’s resolutions at the start of the new year.
One is because, after splurging and indulging in high-cholesterol food during the holidays, this is the best time to reboot, to cleanse the body from the excesses of the holidays, to start anew and live as normally as possible, especially in these days when the pandemic seems to be too far from being over.
Starting anew and eating healthy seem to always be a part of every person’s New Year’s resolutions — and it is just right. It is every person’s right to take care of one’s body and make all the necessary changes to eat and live healthy from now on.
If you’re really serious about leading a healthy lifestyle, then consider taking an annual physical exam or executive check-up. It’s that one single step in the right direction, without which you cannot keep talking about going healthy.
Why should you take that exam?
It gives you a good idea of where you are and how you are doing, health-wise.
“According to a 2017 study by the Department of Health (DOH), more than 12 million Filipinos are hypertensive. Yet half of them—roughly one in four people—are unaware of it. Same with diabetes. One in 14 Filipinos live with diabetes, but many do not know they are diabetic, until they experience symptoms of this ‘silent killer.’ Knowing your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other vital information could spell the difference between a healthy person and one who may suddenly suffer a heart attack or stroke. It is highly recommended that all of us, regardless of age, undergo an annual physical exam,” said Dr. Minerva Laconico of Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed).
Annual physical exam packages vary, depending on what your doctor recommends, but most packages include Body Mass Index (determined by a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters), Blood Pressure (systolic over diastolic, the normal of which is 120/80, no matter what the age of the patient is), Blood test (total lipids, or fats and fatty substances used by the body as a source of energy, including cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein), Fasting blood sugar (an overnight fast of 8 to 10 hours is required for a test that measures the sugar in your blood), Treadmill test (exercise stress test to help determine if your heart receives enough oxygen and proper blood flow when it is needed the most), Abdominal ultrasound (for evaluating internal organs), and Physical exam.
An annual physical exam develops good health habits in you. “Knowing the results of your annual physical motivates you to continue with your healthy practices. It may also be a wake-up call to finally do something about your health, like cutting back on sweets or salty food and signing up for a virtual Zumba class or committing to walk every day,” Dr. Laconico said.
It will help establish a relationship with your health practitioner. “Your doctor will not only know the details of your medical history, he or she would have followed your progress through months and years, and will be able to recommend treatments suited to your needs. You, in turn, would have developed a level of trust with your primary physician, making you comfortable enough to speak honestly and from the heart about your health concerns,” she said.
An annual physical exam is one of the services provided by MakatiMed’s HealthHub.
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