Routine Health Checks: How Often Should You Get Them?
We all strive to live a happy and healthy life, but to maintain a healthy lifestyle, sometimes we need to visit our health care professional, whether it’s the GP, an audiologist, or a dentist. Ultimately, it’s imperative that we keep up with our routine checkups.
It is estimated that around 44 million people visit their doctor each year to get a full-body physical. However, many people, especially younger individuals, often only see the doctor when there is a cause. According to Forbes, the average person visits the doctor in the US less than citizens in other countries. So, what is the recommendation? How often are you meant to visit the doctor for a routine physical?
General Health
When it comes to general health, it is important to keep up with routine health checkups once you’ve reached a certain age or if you have a chronic issue that requires monitoring. It’s recommended that you visit your local physician at least once a year if you are over 50 and once every three years if you are under the age of 50 and in good health. However, it really depends on your physician. In some cases, especially if you have an illness, you will find that you will need to visit your doctor every six months. This is because it could help your doctor monitor any changes that might happen.
Dental
While many people are afraid of the dentist, it’s still a part of your physical health, which means you will need to get a routine checkup. Dental practices, much like medical physicians, often vary their times; however, it is recommended that you get a dental checkup twice a year, every six months, to keep on top of your dental health. Once again, if you have any dental issues, you will need to visit your dentist more often than that.
Hearing
Visiting an audiologist usually doesn’t happen until you experience hearing loss. Right? No, in fact, if you aren’t experiencing hearing loss, it’s recommended that you still see an audiologist and have a hearing test every ten years. However, if you are over 50, it is three years. This is because hearing loss is gradual, and as you get older, your hearing begins to show significant change, so it’s important to monitor it just in case it begins to worsen. If it does, hearing tests will determine, depending on the severity, if you require one hearing aid, two hearing aids, or none at all.
Eyes
Like your visit to the audiologist, you don’t normally visit the eye doctor or optometrist until you have a problem with your vision. It’s wildly misinterpreted that you don’t need to see your eye doctor if you have good eyesight. However, this isn’t true. Like the rest of your routine checkups, you are required to visit your optometrist to have an eye exam once every five years. If you are over the age of 40, it is three years, and if you’re over 50, it’s two years. If you’re in a high-risk age group, wear glasses (or contact lens), it’s every year.
Overall
It’s important to keep up with your routine checkups. Since not only does it help you understand your body, it can also help your doctors understand your medical history and ensure that you remain healthy.
