When you’re in good health, you may not see the need for a regular physical exam. However, getting routine physicals from your primary care provider is the best way to stay in good health.
At MS Family Medicine Health Care PC, with New York City offices in Rosedale and Garden City, we believe in the power of prevention. Michele Reed, DO, FAAFP, and our team of compassionate health care providers recommends physicals and annual checkups at least once a year.
In this blog, we explain why regular physicals are important and when you should schedule your exam.
Like most people, you may only visit your primary care provider when you’re feeling a bit under the weather. Though it’s important to get care when you’re sick, these visits primarily focus on your health problems or sickness.
A physical, also known as an annual checkup, focuses on your overall health and well-being. It’s a comprehensive evaluation of your current health and risk of future health problems. A physical is about wellness and preventative care.
We’d much rather prevent an illness than treat one. Regular physical exams give us an opportunity to assess your health, screen for chronic diseases, and help you make lifestyle changes to improve your health.
The frequency of your physicals depends on your age and health needs. Though some health organizations say young, healthy individuals only need a physical every 2-3 years, we recommend annual visits, so we can stay on top of your health and well-being.
Seeing us every year for a physical also improves our patient-provider relationship. It gives us an opportunity to get to know you and for you to get to know us. This helps establish a greater level of comfort and care.
The more you trust us with your health, the more likely you are to share your health concerns. This helps us provide the right screening and care, which can lead to better health for you.
Annual checkups are all about prevention. During your physical, we perform a number of assessments and screenings that help us identify health problems early. In many cases, finding health problems sooner rather than later can prevent the onset of a long-term disease.
For example, we may run a blood test to check your blood sugar levels to screen for diabetes. If your test indicates you have prediabetes — in which case your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis ― then we can design a wellness plan to help prevent your prediabetes from turning into diabetes.
We also screen for hypertension and high cholesterol, and we also screen for prostate and testicular cancer in men and breast and cervical cancer in women.
Has it been more than a year since your last physical? If so, we can give you a checkup and help you stay on top of your health. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone with MS Family Medicine Health Care PC today.
