IN THE RING OF LIFE: A NEED FOR HEALTH CHECK-UP I

The concept of health can be generally conceived as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organisation, 1948). This implies that health is not only restricted to not being sick but being in a good state of mental, social, physical and perhaps spiritual wellness. With regard to Medical Screening or Health Check-up, it involves physical examination of the body to assess one’s general state of health, functionality or condition of wellness. Health check-up may include a thorough screening, education and counselling as well as preventive care. Even though there are no strict guidelines for medical screening periods, it is advisable to subscribe to a regular schedule as much as practicable. This may be quarterly, bi-annually or annually. This two-part series will highlight the importance of undergoing a routine medical check-up in the first part while the second part deals with some common but important tests one can undertake.

Establishing a regular health check schedule is one of the key ways to prioritise your health and wellness. It has many advantages in the interest of the individual as well as the family at large. However, it is common for individuals to pay little or no attention to getting health check-ups by offering somewhat valid reasons such as financial constraints, phobias for hospital environment, perceiving the condition as not critical and can therefore be managed at home through self-prescribed medicines including traditional or herbal remedies, fear of taking medicines, socio-economic challenges among others. Notwithstanding the afore-mentioned reasons, it is important to consider the under listed reasons as positive pointers on why efforts should be made to get regular medical check-up.

1. Proactive health care is cost effective as compared to reactive health care. Check-ups entail thorough examination of the body and its functionality. It therefore enables clinicians or healthcare providers assess the state of one’s health in order to offer preventive plans for any possible condition where need be. This means that conditions are discovered and managed in time before they become destructive or cause complete breakdown in functionality of the body. This means that one will spend less on the detected possible health challenge compared to when the said condition is identified at an advanced stage.

2. Health conditions are exposed and management plans initiated to help alleviate negative effects. Having a regular check-up helps to ensure that any hidden conditions are diagnosed and managed or treated early. Also for individuals who are already managing a health condition, regular check-ups help attending physicians to be updated on the condition, tolerance for the treatment plan and recovery response. They are better positioned to make any needed adjustments to the treatment plan considering advancing medical practice for your best interests.

3. Regular check-ups help to detect most life threatening conditions which happen progressively. While there are exceptions in certain life-threatening conditions, generally cases which are chronic, terminal or life-limiting do not happen overnight. They build up over a period before manifesting in a dire state. Sometimes, there may be faint symptoms that can be managed. However, it may take only a thorough examination to figure out underlying conditions, make diagnosis and set a treatment plan before it becomes critical or terminal.

4. You are able to safeguard yourself against risk factors. Risk factors include attributes such as a habit or exposure to some environmental hazard that leads the individual concerned to have a greater likelihood of developing an illness. They may also be related to biomedical agents or hereditary factors. During medical check-ups, key information about one’s health including behavioural, physical and social patterns are evaluated with clinicians gaining good grounds to ask relevant questions and offer health education to the individual. This helps to guard against risk factors that may cause the individual to be susceptible to falling victim of certain affective conditions

5. Regular check-ups help to put your mind at rest about your state of health. Being given a clean bill of health after a holistic assessment gives you some relief to go about your activities without fears or any reservations. You can as well appreciate your body’s capabilities and limitations; thus, you will be measured and guided to avoid exerting excessive energies. You will be able to avoid stressing yourself beyond your coping mechanisms and refrain from engaging in acts that can be detrimental to your health.

6. Your health is your wealth. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 indicates that well-being is a feeling of satisfaction with life, a state characterized by health, happiness, and prosperity. Good health concerns the care of the human body and everything that can be done to protect it from sickness and intoxication and enable access to care. Your health as your wealth is actually measured by your state of full proper functionality without distress. Without good health, there is little or no room for personal, professional, family and social growth. Ill-health has the potential to imprison and rob you of everything that counts in making life meaningful for you. Therefore, routine health check-ups are necessary to determine your “state of wealth”.

Preventive health is proven to have far reaching positive impact as compared to curative health. Health behaviour can bring about positive or negative implications or both. It is essential to develop a check-up schedule to regularly assess one's state of health. While relations or acquaintances can play supportive roles in encouraging the practice, it is crucial for the individual to be disciplined and resolute in the choice of subscribing to a health check-up routine.

Some occasional celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, holidays may be set aside as periods for routine medical check-ups so as to offer yourself special care, invest in your wellness and celebrate life. After all, without good health and absolute functional abilities, you cannot heartily enjoy any of those occasions. Without good holistic health and well-being, one will not be able to optimise his or her highest potentials for development of self, family and society. At the point of illness, you have no worth to offer yourself and others.

It is therefore important to guard and guide your health jealously at all times. As much as practicable, sacrifice and make efforts to keep yourself and loved ones in good health. Do stay healthy! And oh, when was your last medical check-up?

In Part II of this post, we shall explore some important tests you can request for during your regular health check-up. make a date!

References

World Health Organization (1948). Summary Reports on Proceedings Minutes and Final Acts, International Health Conference held in New York from 19 June to 22 July 1946. World Health Organization, available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/85573