The Importance of Having an Annual Physical Even if You Feel Fine

When it comes to your health, prevention is the strongest weapon available, which means you need to take a proactive approach to maintaining it.

Of the 133 million people who currently live with a chronic illness in the United States, only a little more than half receive the preventive care they need, which can mean the difference between reversing the problem or having life permanently altered by it. While our goal isn’t to alarm you unnecessarily, we want to emphasize the importance of staying one step ahead of your health through an annual wellness exam.

At Mederi Urgent Care, with locations in Los Angeles, Glendale, and West LA, our team of experienced healthcare providers offers comprehensive annual physical exams to patients in the Atlanta area. Our goal is to partner with you and your family to achieve better health, and the best way we can do that is through an easy annual check-in with us.

Even if you’re feeling great, there are some very compelling reasons why you should make your annual physical a top priority, which we review here.

Silent, but dangerous

Of the hundreds of potentially dangerous chronic diseases, many don’t present any warning signs until it’s too late. Let’s start with hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, which has the well-earned nickname, “silent killer.” If you have high blood pressure, there are generally no outward signs until it’s too late and heart disease, heart attack, or stroke develops.

Yet high blood pressure is a condition that we can easily check for and take the necessary steps to reverse, allowing you to avoid heart-related problems entirely.

The same holds true for diabetes. Some 84 million Americans are considered prediabetic, which means they’re on the precipice of an irreversible diabetes diagnosis. Here again, a quick check of your blood reveals the potential problem, allowing us to take measures to prevent a diabetes diagnosis.

There are many other conditions that cause no symptoms, such as certain types of cancer, metabolic disorders, and others. Through an annual physical, we can identify any potential health issues and take the necessary steps to safeguard your well-being.

Keeping track

Another major benefit to keeping up with your annual physicals is that these visits allow us the opportunity to track your health year-over-year. With an established baseline of your health, we can identify any concerning trends and take prompt action. More often than not, early diagnosis and intervention can make all the difference.

Valuable screening

Once we have established your medical history, your family’s medical history, and your lifestyle considerations, we can recommend the most suitable screenings for your unique situation. Whether it’s for specific cancers or sexually transmitted infections, we can ensure that you receive the necessary testing.

And this is on top of general screening, such as mammograms for women, colonoscopies for anyone over 50, and prostate testing for men, to name but a few.

The bottom line is that when we partner with you, we want to ensure that all of your healthcare bases are covered. A valuable part of the annual physical is planning ahead for any special screenings you may need and providing you with the necessary orders (prescriptions) to have them completed.

So, while we applaud the fact that you’re feeling great, we still urge you to continue with your annual physicals with us so we can help you stay that way.

If you have any questions about your annual physical or would like to schedule one, please call the Mederi Urgent Care office nearest you or request an appointment online today.