3 Ways Annual Physical Exams Help Keep You Healthy

Screening labs and other tests included with a comprehensive physical exam vary depending on your age, health status, and risk factors. However, a yearly checkup offers multiple health benefits — regardless of how well you feel.

That’s why Dr. Sagi Jacob Cohen and Dr. Nathan Alyesh, our physicians at Calabasas Medicine Group in Calabasas, California, consider the annual physical exam a staple in adult preventive care. Yearly checkups are foundational to our internal medicine concierge services.

Consider these three notable health advantages of undergoing an annual physical examination.

1. Early detection of potential health issues

Keeping you healthy includes checking for potential problems and protecting your overall wellness.

Spotting silent diseases

Many chronic medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes, may not present symptoms in their initial stages. Your Calabasas Medicine provider can detect problems early through routine screenings, leading to effective management and improved long-term outcomes.

Catching potential issues before they escalate

Early detection means early intervention. Detecting potential health problems in their budding stages often translates to less aggressive treatments, fewer complications, and a better chance for recovery.

Updating immunizations

An annual checkup is perfect for reviewing and updating vaccinations, ensuring protection against preventable diseases.

2. Building a health baseline and monitoring changes

An annual physical promotes good health by:

Establishing norms

Most lab tests offer a range rather than a specific number when identifying what’s “normal” for good health.

For instance, a healthy fasting blood sugar falls somewhere between 70 mg/dL and 99 mg/dL. With the benefit of routine blood sugar checks as part of a physical exam, your doctor may identify your norm as closer to 70 mg/dL than 99 mg/dL.

Establishing your pattern alerts us to anomalies or deviations that might indicate looming health issues, such as fasting blood sugars nearing 100 mg/dL, which could indicate you’re moving toward prediabetes.

Monitoring chronic conditions

For those with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, annual checkups provide a structured opportunity to assess the effectiveness of current treatments and adjust medications or strategies as needed.

Reviewing medications

Medications can have side effects, interact with one another, or become less effective over time. Also, medical science continues to evolve, creating new and increasingly effective treatments for various conditions.

Regular reviews help ensure that all of your prescriptions and other therapies remain appropriate and beneficial.

3. Promoting a healthy mindset

Annual physicals promote a health-based mindset by:

Strengthening the patient-doctor relationship

Regular interactions with your Calabasas Medicine team can make it more comfortable to communicate openly about your health concerns, symptoms, or habits.

Empowering through education

Our annual physical exams allow time for personalized tips about lifestyle choices that affect your health, such as nutrition, exercise, and habits like smoking or alcohol consumption. This helps you make informed decisions about your health.

Creating an accountability team

Knowing that you have a scheduled appointment with a supportive physician may help motivate you to maintain beneficial habits and solidify your goal of living the healthiest life possible.

Schedule a visit at Calabasas Medicine today for more information about our concierge medicine services and our dedication to comprehensive, patient-focused care. Call the office or request an appointment online.