The Doctor Weighs In

by Pat Salber

Here is a check list of health check-ups recommended to keep you healthy from youth to old age. I grabbed it from CNN.com. They, in turn, got it from the National Institutes of Health and the University of California, Berkeley.

There may be some differences of opinion about the details of some of these recommendations from preventive health experts, but by and large, this checklist offers good guidelines that you can discuss with your primary care physician.  Future posts will explore the scientific basis of these recommendations, but for now, regard these as a a reliable source of "general advice."

In your 20s:

• You should have two physical exams in your 20s. During the first exam, ask to have your cholesterol checked. Other blood tests are not needed in healthy people.

• Go to the dentist every year for an exam and cleaning

• If you have vision problems, have an eye exam every two years

• Have your blood pressure checked every year

• Men should perform a monthly self-exam to check for testicular cancer, the most common cause of cancer in males between the ages of 15 and 34

• Women should perform a monthly breast self-exam

• Women should have a yearly pelvic exam and Pap smear to check for cervical cancer. If your Pap smears are negative for three years in a row, the frequency may drop to every two or three years

• You should have a tetanus-diphtheria booster every 10 years.

In your 30s to 40s:

• Continue yearly visits to the dentist for cleaning

• Whether you’ve had vision problems or not, you should begin eye exams every two years. After the age of 45, start testing for glaucoma

• Continue keeping track of your blood pressure every year

• If your cholesterol remains normal, check it every five years

• Have a physical exam every one to five years

• Men should perform monthly testicular self-exams and women should perform monthly breast self-exams

• Women should have a yearly pelvic exam and Pap smear to check for cervical cancer. If your Pap smears are negative for three years in a row, the frequency may drop to every two or three years

• Women should have a yearly pelvic exam

• Women over the age of 40 should have a mammogram done every year to check for breast cancer. Earlier mammograms may be recommended for women at high risk for breast cancer

• Around age 45, everyone should be screened for diabetes every three years, or earlier if you are at high risk.

• You should have a tetanus-diphtheria booster every 10 years.

In your 50s:

• Continue yearly dental and blood pressure checkups as well as vision testing every two years

• If you cholesterol remains normal, check it every five years

• Have a physical exam every one to five years

• After age 50 men should have a yearly rectal exam to check for colorectal cancer and prostate cancer

• Have a stool guaiac test done every year and flexible sigmoidoscopy every three to five years to check for colorectal cancer. Periodic colonoscopies may be needed for those at high risk for colon cancer.

• You should receive a flu vaccine every year after the age of 50

• You should have a tetanus-diphtheria booster every 10 years • Men should perform a monthly testicular self-exam and women a monthly breast self-exam

• For women, a mammogram continues to be needed every year to check for breast cancer

• Continue to be screened for diabetes every three years

For 60s and above:

• Continue yearly dental and blood pressure checkups as well as vision testing every two years

• Have your hearing tested every year

• Check your cholesterol every three to five years, if it’s normal

• Begin yearly physical exams

• To check for cancer, every three to five years, everyone should have a sigmoidoscopy exam or every 10 years a colonoscopy

• Men should have a yearly rectal exam to check for colorectal cancer and prostate cancer

• Women should continue to perform monthly breast self-exams and have yearly mammograms, pelvic exams and Pap smears

• Men should perform a monthly testicular self-exam

• Get a flu shot every year

• After 65, get a pneumonia vaccine (good for 5 to 10 years).

• Get a tetanus diphtheria booster every 10 years

• Continue to be screened for diabetes every three years.