Healthy Her | Preventative health screenings

Can you recall the last time you saw your primary care provider for a well-visit? Or maybe you don’t currently have a primary care provider and need to be established as a new patient. Regular checkups are separate from appointments related to illness or injury. Routine health (and dental) visits can detect conditions and diseases early when they are easier to treat. These appointments may involve physical exams, preventative screening tests, and updating vaccinations.

Know Your Family History

To determine what preventive screenings you need, it is good for you to know your family medical history. You and your family members share genes–similarly to how you may have behaviors in common. For example, if you have a parent or grandparent with chronic disease, like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, you are at a higher risk to develop that disease yourself.

While we cannot change our genes, we can make healthy choices to lessen our chances of developing chronic diseases like not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol consumption. Discuss your family medical history with your healthcare provider so they can better determine your risk factors for disease.

Preventative Screenings

Your doctor may recommend cancer screenings based on your age, gender, and risk. Getting screening tests regularly may detect breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers early when treatment is likely to work best. Catching a cancer diagnosis in the early stages can increase the effectiveness of treatment and lead to a faster recovery. For women, your OB/GYN will guide you on scheduling your screenings for cervical and breast cancer.

Stay Up-to-Date on Vaccinations

Your healthcare provider may also recommend any vaccinations needed at your preventative health visit. Vaccination is one of the safest and most convenient ways to protect your health. Vaccines offer protection in different ways, but they all help your body remember how to fight a specific infection in the future. There are routine childhood vaccines that sometimes require another dose as an adult and seasonal vaccines like the flu, covid, and RSV. While you may still catch the flu after receiving a flu vaccine, vaccination is the best way to reduce your risk of potentially serious complications and can help you get over the sickness faster.

Understanding Physical Exams

Finally, physical exams are a great way for your doctor to identify any problems arising.

A typical physical exam might include

• Taking vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature
• Measuring height and weight
• Conducting a physical examination of different body systems (head, eyes, ears, nose, throat, heart, lungs, abdomen, and skin)
• Ordering lab tests like blood work or urine analysis depending on your individual needs

As the old proverb says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Schedule your preventive care health appointment today or visit infirmaryhealth.org/doctors to find a primary care provider and clinic location nearest you.

Infirmary health’s Healthy Her Blog series provides information on a variety of health topics for women at all stages of life. Subscribe to our email newsletter to receive more information about upcoming events and ways you can get connected.

Can you recall the last time you saw your primary care provider for a well-visit? Or maybe you don’t currently have a primary care provider and need to be established as a new patient. Regular checkups are separate from appointments related to illness or injury. Routine health (and dental) visits can detect conditions and diseases early when they are easier to treat. These appointments may involve physical exams, preventative screening tests, and updating vaccinations.

Know Your Family History

To determine what preventive screenings you need, it is good for you to know your family medical history. You and your family members share genes–similarly to how you may have behaviors in common. For example, if you have a parent or grandparent with chronic disease, like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, you are at a higher risk to develop that disease yourself.

While we cannot change our genes, we can make healthy choices to lessen our chances of developing chronic diseases like not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol consumption. Discuss your family medical history with your healthcare provider so they can better determine your risk factors for disease.

Preventative Screenings

Your doctor may recommend cancer screenings based on your age, gender, and risk. Getting screening tests regularly may detect breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers early when treatment is likely to work best. Catching a cancer diagnosis in the early stages can increase the effectiveness of treatment and lead to a faster recovery. For women, your OB/GYN will guide you on scheduling your screenings for cervical and breast cancer.

Stay Up-to-Date on Vaccinations

Your healthcare provider may also recommend any vaccinations needed at your preventative health visit. Vaccination is one of the safest and most convenient ways to protect your health. Vaccines offer protection in different ways, but they all help your body remember how to fight a specific infection in the future. There are routine childhood vaccines that sometimes require another dose as an adult and seasonal vaccines like the flu, covid, and RSV. While you may still catch the flu after receiving a flu vaccine, vaccination is the best way to reduce your risk of potentially serious complications and can help you get over the sickness faster.

Understanding Physical Exams

Finally, physical exams are a great way for your doctor to identify any problems arising.

A typical physical exam might include

• Taking vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature
• Measuring height and weight
• Conducting a physical examination of different body systems (head, eyes, ears, nose, throat, heart, lungs, abdomen, and skin)
• Ordering lab tests like blood work or urine analysis depending on your individual needs

As the old proverb says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Schedule your preventive care health appointment today or visit infirmaryhealth.org/doctors to find a primary care provider and clinic location nearest you.

Infirmary health’s Healthy Her Blog series provides information on a variety of health topics for women at all stages of life. Subscribe to our email newsletter to receive more information about upcoming events and ways you can get connected.