Annual checkup?

[jake]

Been for mine today and the results were better than last year, which came as a bit of a shock. Hate going but after its over i am glad that i made the effort.

Do you have a checkup annually or only when you feel something is wrong?

[Michael Parnham]

An annual check up is preventive maintenance, so it's wise to have them!

[raynaputi]

When I was still working in Makati, annual checkup is a must and it's free anyway, organised by the companies I worked for and the HMO that we have. My last company even would not pay the employee's salary for the month if he/she refuses to do the annual checkup.

[jake]

An annual check up is preventive maintenance, so it's wise to have them!

I agree

Even if you don't do all the tests, some sort of physical examination and a chat with the doctor once a year is a good idea. There are some conditions that are dangerous, but do not usually produce any obvious symptoms until it is too late. I lost a beautiful big sister to colon cancer, and a visit to the doctors earlier might have made all the difference.

[Doc Alan]

A general health check involves contact between a person and a healthcare professional to identify signs, symptoms, or risk factors for disease that were previously unrecognised.


A regular general health check is widely assumed to be effective in reducing frequency and severity of diseases, based on common sense. However, it’s not that simple ! Of course for people with illnesses already diagnosed, then follow up may be essential to ensure treatment is working, and optimal .



Screening programmes should be based on evidence that they do more good than harm. A number of health experts think that they are a waste of money, whether NHS in the UK ; or paid for by the employer / privately in the Philippines.


Many others – especially young people – believe that if they feel well and don’t have new signs / symptoms on self – checking ( including breasts, testes, and skin for melanoma ), they should also not bother with health check ups. There is a philosophy that “ you’ve got to die of something, everyone dies eventually, and if you smoke you may still get run over by a bus tomorrow “.



People who accept ( the “ worried well “ ), or are required through employment, to have a health check up are generally healthier anyway. Systematic health checks simply don’t reach those who most need them, whether in UK or Philippines – through ignorance and / or cost.



Possible harms from health checks include overdiagnosis ; overtreatment ; distress or injury from “ invasive “ follow-up tests ; distress due to false positive test results ; false reassurance due to false negative test results ; adverse psychosocial effects = worry ; and difficulties with insurance.



Of course there are conditions that may have no early symptoms :-

• screening for cervical cancer from the early 20’s onwards ;

• breast cancer screening from around 50 onwards ;

• bowel cancer screening from around 60 onwards ;

• eye testing including screening for diabetes and glaucoma ;

• blood pressure test ;

• checking blood / urine for diabetes, raised cholesterol, and “ PSA “ for prostate cancer;

• Body Mass Index as a measure of healthy weight for height;

• regular dental check ups ;


• pre-entry screening for TB is now compulsory for migrants from the Philippines to UK.


For almost every one of these checks there are advantages and disavantages ( see other threads in this section ).


* Advantages are that a treatable condition may be diagnosed early, and the health professional may " opportunistically " remind you ( or your offspring ) to have vaccinations such as " flu jab ".


* Disadvantages include overdiagnoses / overtreatments of the cancers picked up on screening ; PSA is unreliable ; better to be slightly overweight than smoke; the dentist will always find a tooth that needs attention ! ; screening for TB is costly and it’s unlikely a fiancée or spouse planning on coming to UK will actually have it.


This is not to “ rubbish “ health checks, especially with increasing age and of course for conditions already diagnosed. But there’s a need for common sense !


My personal opinion ? Maintain as healthy a lifestyle as possible and reduce your chances of serious illness without worrying too much; and don’t waste money on any more extensive health checks than the basic ones available free on the NHS or through employment / insurance schemes in UK or the Philippines .



http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Screening...cks30to64.aspx


http://www.nhs.uk/Planners/NHSHealth.../Thetests.aspx

http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e7191

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/82345/...he-philippines

http://www.whatclinic.com/health-screening/philippines

[jake]

Thanks Doc Alan for taking the time to write, such an informative post

[sars_notd_virus]

Do you have a checkup annually or only when you feel something is wrong?

To be honest, NO we dont have annual check up here in the UK unless we are really unwell..but YES we do in the Philippines ...dentist/family doctor/ OB / Dermatologist etc

..it is way too expensive here..the NHS is only FREE at the point of contact(even if u feel unwell you cant get a GP to look after you , only a NURSE will do the check up ,how good is that??