You’ve been feeling perfectly fine — you haven’t had any recent health problems or medical issues, and you’ve never been diagnosed with a chronic illness like hypertension or diabetes. When you’re fit as a fiddle, is it really necessary to see your doctor for an annual physical or wellness exam?
The answer is a resounding yes. Just as babies, kids, and teens benefit from having routine checkups with their pediatrician, adults of all ages tend to stay healthier when they have annual physical exams with their primary care physician. This includes fit adults who feel well and don’t have any significant health complaints.
The team at Internal Medicine of Greater New Haven knows firsthand that good health isn’t a given. It’s an ongoing, lifelong pursuit that involves daily practice and expert guidance.
Having an annual physical exam is a key part of that pursuit, and one that you should never skip. Here are four reasons to schedule your next wellness visit with our experienced team.
An annual physical exam is like a detailed snapshot of your health, capturing a specific moment in time. It provides you with immediate insight into existing aspects of your health and helps you establish a personal health baseline over time.
Starting with your first checkup, each annual exam helps you get to know — and stay on top of — your physical health. As time passes, your physician compares each detailed health snapshot to the one before, so he can spot and address worrisome trends before they become serious risk factors for chronic disease.
To understand the importance of your health baseline, look no further than your routine blood pressure screenings. By measuring your blood pressure at your yearly exam, your physician
can catch problems before they progress.
Wellness visits are a keystone of preventive care that help you stay on top of recommended screenings and protect your long-term health. And when it comes to safeguarding your health, the saying is true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Your yearly wellness visit is typically when you find out if you’re due for any routine vaccines, such as a tetanus booster or a shingles immunization. For most adults, it’s also the time when blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels are measured. Your provider also lets you know if you’re due for age/gender-specific preventive screenings such as bone density testing or breast, cervical, colon, or prostate cancer screenings.
Chronic illness often takes root far before it causes problems, and having regular checkups can help you stay in control of your health.
The statistics tell you everything you need to know: About 3 in 5 adults in the United States live with a chronic disease, and some 2 in 5 adults have multiple chronic illnesses. Although they’re largely preventable, serious chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease also remain a leading cause of disability and death for American adults.
It’s during your annual exam that
Without a doubt, having an annual physical exam is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of developing a preventable chronic illness like diabetes, hypertension, or kidney, lung, or heart disease. It also offers you the best chance of catching serious disease in its early, most treatable stage.
Having routine one-on-one time with your personal doctor at Internal Medicine of Greater New Haven when you’re not ill provides you both with an excellent opportunity to build a better rapport and establish a higher level of trust, effectively laying the foundation for a solid health and wellness routine.
Your annual physical exam is the perfect time to get to know your physician
— and for they you. And when it comes to maintaining good health, nothing is as important as feeling comfortable in your “primary care home.”
Whether you’re looking to stay healthy, get healthy, or prevent disease, your annual physical exam has you covered. Schedule your appointment at the most convenient location of Internal Medicine of Greater New Haven today.
