Annual Physical Exams: Your Path to Long-Term Wellness
The annual physical exam – a yearly routine that’s sort of like your body’s report card. These exams are an opportunity to meet with your primary care provider to review your overall health. It is one of the most important ways of prioritizing your preventive health. At this appointment, your provider will do the following:
- Discuss your overall health – diet, exercise, quality of sleep, mental health (stress, anxiety, depression), chronic medical conditions.
- Review any preventive shots or screenings you’re due for – mammograms, colonoscopies, pap smears, vaccines.
- Review your medications and make necessary adjustments.
- Do a head-to-toe physical exam.
- Check your blood pressure and weight.
- Schedule lab tests, primarily blood work or discuss the results of lab work.
“Regular lab work is critical because it helps us measure changes in the blood that can confirm good health or signal a new issue that may need attention,” said Dr. Madeline Vandecappelle, Goshen Physicians Family Medicine. “These tests help us diagnose high cholesterol, prediabetes, kidney disease and fatty liver disease. For diabetes and high cholesterol, regularly monitoring these numbers helps us explore changes in lifestyle or medication to keep these numbers within a healthier range.”
The goal of an annual exam is to prevent and/or diagnose any health concerns early so they can be addressed most efficiently and effectively. That’s different than an “acute” visit, where the patient comes in with a specific health problem like an injury, back pain, a rash or a cough that won’t go away.
An annual exam isn’t just an assessment of your physical health. Because mental health is so closely linked with physical health, Dr. Vandecappelle always asks her patients about anxiety, stress and depression. “That’s part of our overall wellness,” she says.
“We work with you to overcome any health challenges, to partner with you and give you the tools you need to succeed,” said Dr. Vandecappelle. “We’re not here to judge you. We’re in your corner.”
Scheduling Your Annual Physical Exam
If you haven’t had an annual physical for a few years, schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor soon. For help finding a primary care doctor, go to https://goshenhealth.com/services-conditions/primary-care or call (574) 537-5000.
