When to Seek Medical Care for a Fever
You’re running a fever. Is it time to seek medical attention, or can you ride it out safely at home? Keep reading to learn more about when to reach out to a doctor when you have a fever.
5 Reasons You Shouldn't Skip Your Annual Physical
Have you been putting off your annual physical? It’s easy to put off making an appointment when you’re feeling just fine.
But missing your annual physical isn’t a good idea. This physical focuses on disease prevention and screenings, allowing us to catch potential problems early on and reducing your chances of illness at any stage of life.
Our medical team at Macomb Medical Clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan, provides comprehensive annual physicals that help you stay as healthy as possible. We evaluate your risk of disease and initiate early intervention, as needed.
Here are five reasons to keep your routine annual physicals.
Establish a trusted relationship with your doctor
When you come in to see us every year, you develop and maintain a trusted and reliable relationship.
Research shows that your odds of dying prematurely are 19% lower when you have a relationship with your primary care doctor compared to people who only turn to specialists when they need medical care.
Your physical is the perfect time to talk about concerns and ask questions about medications, treatment plans, and other issues that affect you.
By keeping your medical history and tracking any symptoms of concern, we can determine your need for further assessment or treatment.
Evaluate your overall health
Sick visits only focus on your ailment. Annual physicals are comprehensive, focusing on your age, medical history, tests, screenings, and your chart to see if we notice any changes from the previous year.
Your annual physical involves taking your body temperature, blood pressure, respiratory rate, body weight, and height. We also calculate your body mass index (BMI) to determine your risk of obesity.
We look at your muscle strength, balance, and nerves, and test your reflexes. We examine your eyes, mouth, ears, and nose to see if we notice any indications of hidden illness. We also check your lymph nodes, examine your skin, and look for unusual signs of swelling or lumps.
For men, we typically perform a hernia exam, testicular exam, and prostate exam. For women, we may recommend a pelvic exam and breast exam unless your OB/GYN already covers that for your reproductive health.
Stay up to date on your vaccinations and boosters
We review your need for recommended vaccinations and boosters, which varies based on your age and medical history.
We recommend that adults receive a booster shot of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine (Tdap) every 10 years after the initial dose.
After you turn 50, we may recommend the shingles vaccine. If you’re over age 65, you may need a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to protect you against pneumococcal disease.
You can also receive your annual flu shot during your visit, depending on the time of year.
Find out if you need health screenings
At your physical, we review your need for health screenings to help identify problems early. That’s when treatments and cures are the highest. During your visit, we provide instructions for completing these screenings based on your age, sex, and health:
- Colonoscopy to test for colon cancer
- Diabetes blood sugar test
- Depression screening
- Hepatitis C blood test
- Complete blood count and chemistry panel
- Syphilis test
- Urinalysis
- Skin cancer screening
- Lung cancer screening
- Cholesterol test (lipid panel)
- Mammogram, pelvic exam, Pap smear, and bone density scan for women
- Sexually transmitted disease screenings
Based on your overall health, you may need more than one of these screenings.
Focus on how to improve and maintain your health and wellness
During your consultation, we review your lifestyle habits to ensure you’re making the right choices to support your health and prevent disease and sickness.
We assess what you eat and drink, how much you exercise — if at all — and learn about your sleep patterns. Then we may recommend that you make certain changes or modify your behaviors to help you live a healthier lifestyle.
If you have a chronic illness, we make any necessary adjustments in medication to better manage your condition.
Don’t delay making an appointment for your annual physical. You’ll be glad you did. Contact our friendly office staff today.
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