Health checkups can help identify warning signs of diseases at an early stage. This increases your chances of effective treatment.
A health checkup is a routine medical examination by a doctor. These are often called wellness visits, preventive visits or health evaluations.
The frequency of health checks depends on your age, health and family history as well as lifestyle choices such as diet, smoking, alcohol use etc.
Blood Tests
Blood tests allow doctors to see how well the cells, chemicals and proteins in a person’s body are functioning. They are also used to diagnose certain health conditions and monitor their progression.
Typically, a person takes a blood test by having a member of the health care team put a needle into a vein in the arm, usually at the bend in the elbow. Some blood tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC), require a person to fast for a few hours before the test.
What if there were a way to scan the whole blood for patterns of proteins that could paint a comprehensive portrait of a person’s current state of health and future disease risk? This is the vision of UC San Francisco physician Peter Ganz and his colleagues at Colorado-based SomaLogic Inc.
Body Composition Tests
Getting an accurate picture of what makes up your body can help you achieve better health, peak fitness, and a vibrant life. Body composition tests give you the information you need to adjust your exercise program and diet.
Air displacement plethysmography, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), hydrostatic weighing and skin caliper measurements are all methods used to assess body composition. However, DEXA scans are considered the most reliable and precise method.
Using low-level X-rays, the BodPod assessment measures your fat, bone and muscle percentages. It is pain free and takes just a minute. It can also help you set realistic goals and track your progress, and can identify areas of your body that need more attention.
Eye Tests
Eye tests are the primary tool that optometrists and ophthalmologists use to check your vision and detect early signs of eye disease. These tests usually include a refraction test, which involves looking at an eye chart through a device called a phoropter that contains different lenses to determine the best prescription for your eyes.
You may also undergo a visual field test (ask your New York City optometrist or ophthalmologist how to pronounce this one), which checks your peripheral vision. Your doctor might cover your eye and ask you to follow his finger with your eyes and tell him when it moves into view.
Lastly, the doctor may use an instrument that blows puffs of air into your eye to measure your internal eye pressure (tonometry), which can be a sign of glaucoma.
Hearing Tests
Hearing tests determine your ability to hear at various frequencies and help detect any damage to the inner ear or the auditory nerve pathway. The test results are plotted on a chart called an audiogram.
This hearing assessment involves wearing headphones in a soundproof booth and responding to short tones played at different volumes and pitches. The audiologist compares your responses with those of others to pinpoint the type and extent of your hearing loss.
Otoacoustic emissions testing (OAEs) measures the response of hair cells in your inner ear to sounds. If these cells are damaged, you will not produce any otoacoustic emissions. OAEs are most often used to test newborns and are a part of standard well-child hearing screenings. This test is also commonly performed on children with suspected hearing loss to determine the severity of the condition and to discover its cause.
Skin Tests
Skin tests can help find out if you’re allergic to things that bother your skin, like pollen, mold, dust mites, animal dander and some foods. The doctor puts a small amount of each possible allergen on the outermost layer of your arm or back. They prick the test site (you may feel a slight itching) and watch for a rash that develops within about 20 minutes.
Your provider might use a skin prick test first to test for airborne allergies, such as hay fever, and then follow it with an intradermal allergy test. In the patch test, your provider tapes a sample of each possible allergen on your arm for 48 hours and then checks it for a reaction. Blood tests can also be used to check for allergies.
Dental Tests
A dental checkup is a comprehensive evaluation of your mouth, teeth, gums and neck. It also includes a review of your medical history. Knowing your medications, chronic health conditions and any recent treatments can help the dentist prevent problems such as a dry mouth that can lead to tooth decay or bleeding gums.
A full dental exam includes X-rays, which help dentists spot issues such as cavities between the teeth or under existing fillings, jaw fractures, impacted wisdom teeth and bone loss from gum disease. The dentist can also check for signs of oral cancer and the effects of habits like smoking or clenching/grinding the teeth on the oral health.
The dentist will also assess the condition of your gums for signs of bacterial attacks that occur on a regular basis (gum disease). They can look for redness, swelling and tenderness in addition to checking for bleeding during brushing.
Nutritional Tests
Nutrients play a role in almost every bodily function, from hormone regulation to digestion and immune system function. Deficiencies in various vitamins and minerals can lead to a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, weight gain or loss, brittle nails, hair loss, and rashes.
Nutritional tests can help catch nutrient deficiency early and prevent future health problems. They can also identify dietary changes that may improve your health. Popular nutritional testing packages include a Hemoglobin A1C test to monitor blood sugar levels, an Omega 3 test to evaluate your heart health, and a vitamin and mineral blood test that measures iron, serum, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, folate, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, Coenzyme Q10, cholinesterase, prealbumin and more. Other nutritional tests are available for specific symptoms, such as a CoQ10 and Cholinesterase test to assess liver health.