To keep yourself healthy, preventive care plays a crucial role. This is a type of care provided by your healthcare provider to take proactive measures to maintain your health and prevent the onset of diseases. It includes regular check-ups, vaccinations, screenings, and lifestyle changes. Read this article to learn in detail about preventive care measures to keep yourself healthy and happy.
Preventive care
Many preventive care options are available; depending on the age, medical history, sex assigned at birth, and current health status. Some of the most common preventive care are:
- Annual wellness visits:
Regular checkups allow your provider to monitor your overall wellness. How often you need these visits depends on your age. For instance, people in their 20s may need these exams every 3 years. On the other hand, someone in their 50s may need a wellness exam every year. During each appointment, your doctor will check several things including:
- Height and weight.
- Blood pressure.
- Heart rate.
- Breathing function.
- Temperature.
- Eyes, ears, nose, throat, and skin checks.
Based on this valuable information, doctors create your personalized treatment plan.
- Vaccines:
Preventive care also focuses on immunizations to protect you from common diseases and infections. These immunizations include:
- Childhood vaccines, especially the ones recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These vaccines can help prevent tuberculosis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and HPV (human papillomavirus).
- Adult vaccines including flu shots and COVID-19 vaccines or any other recommended vaccines prescribed by the doctor.
- Cancer screenings:
Screenings help doctors catch some types of cancer early on before they spread too much and are easier to treat. The CDC recommends routine screening for certain types of cancer, including:
- Breast cancer: Women who are 40 years old need to get routine mammograms to screen for breast abnormalities. People who have a high risk of breast cancer may need screening at an earlier age.
- Cervical cancer: This screening starts from age 25, anyone with a cervix needs to start taking this screening. General recommendations include taking an HPV test every 5 years and getting a pap smear every 3 years until age 65.
- Colorectal (colon) cancer: It is recommended to get a colonoscopy every 10 years from age 45 to 75. In case you have a family history of colon cancer, then you may need these screenings earlier and more frequently.
- Lung cancer: People who smoke or have a history of smoking should consider having these screenings earlier to check lung lesions or abnormalities.
Your doctor may also recommend other types of screening tests as well if you’re at elevated risk of certain cancers. These screenings may include:
- Breast MRI for additional images of breast tissue.
- CA-125 blood test to check certain cancers like ovarian, fallopian tube, or pancreatic cancers.
- PSA test to check for prostate cancer.
These screening guidelines will be prescribed based on your needs and when you should start them.
- Preventive care for pregnant people:
Pregnant people are at risk of developing some health issues and may need screening for:
- Anemia
- Rh factor incompatibility
- Gestational diabetes
- High blood pressure during pregnancy
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Syphilis
Other types of preventive care you need during pregnancy include:
- Prenatal vitamins
- Breastfeeding education
- Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) test
- Transvaginal ultrasound
- Genetic counseling
- Preventive eye care:
Eye health is also a part of your overall wellness. To maintain healthy vision, you need regular eye exams. The frequency of these screenings depends on your situation, so make sure you ask your eye doctor for details.
- Preventive dental care:
This is another essential aspect of preventive care. The following things can help you stop oral health issues before they start:
- Dental exams: During your visits, your dentist will examine the health of your teeth and gums. If they identify any issues, early treatment is given to prevent more serious conditions.
- Dental cleanings: Plaque and tartar can increase your risk of cavities and gum disease. These cleanings can help you remove these harmful deposits from your tooth surfaces.
- Oral cancer screenings: Most dentists do oral cancer screenings in every exam. They check and feel around your mouth for signs of disease.
- Oral hygiene education: Your dentist or dental hygienist can guide you on how to brush and floss properly so that you can keep your teeth and gums healthy between visits.
What’s considered preventive care for children?
Preventive care for children is to protect them from serious illnesses that affect kids and includes screening to detect behavioral and health conditions. This helps the children to stay healthy when they’re young and when they grow older. Preventive healthcare for children is covered fully under most insurance plans or covered by the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Some of the common preventive care offered for children include:
- Well-child visits: These visits happen every few months when your child is an infant and yearly after that. It includes measurements of your child’s growth and developmental milestones. Routine immunizations and screening are also given during these visits.
- Vaccinations: Recommended vaccinations are given to children to protect them from serious diseases now and in the future. Routine childhood vaccines include polio, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis), chickenpox (varicella), hepatitis A and B, and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella).
- Behavior and mental health screenings: This includes screenings for children who have signs of conditions like autism, depression, and developmental delays.
- Blood tests: Different blood tests are used throughout childhood including tests that measure a newborn’s bilirubin levels, tests to check signs of anemia, and tests that measure the amount of lead present in your child’s blood.
Why is it important to know your family health history regarding preventive health?
It is essential to know your family health history regarding preventive health because some health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or cancer can run in families for generations. Screening for that particular condition is important because it allows you to get earlier or more robust screening than someone who doesn’t have a family history.
Learning about a family history of serious health conditions can be discouraging and stressful, however, knowledge is powerful. While you can’t change your genetic risk, you can take part in health screening to detect this condition early, when treatment is more effective to manage or even cure the condition. Furthermore, when you know your family history, you can take some steps to reduce the risk of specific conditions.
You can proactively engage in healthy lifestyle choices that help you prevent those conditions from developing or worsening. If you aren’t sure what your family health history is, now is a good time to discuss this with your close family members. If you find out that certain diseases tend to run in the family, you should tell your doctor at the time of your appointment. They can help you understand which preventive screenings you need, and whether you may need to be screened for these conditions at an earlier age or more frequently than other people.
Preventive care gives you the power to check important aspects of your health to keep you healthy. By taking part in preventive care through regular check-ups, vaccinations, screenings, and lifestyle changes, you can avoid serious health issues and lead longer healthier lives. So, make sure you share every sign or health issue with your doctor; it helps them to determine what preventive care measures are right for you.
Need help with preventive healthcare, visit our general practitioner at Brooklyn Clinic to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment today!!!! At Doral Health and Wellness, our team of primary care physicians aims to provide the best health care and services to everyone. For more information, you can visitus at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 11212 or call us at 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at https://doralhw.org or contact us at info@doralhw.org if you have any queries. We have the best primary care doctor in Brooklyn to provide you with the best comprehensive medical care and health care services.
