The kids have had their pre-start-of-schoolshots and go-arounds with tongue depressors. Now isn’t it time you tookstock of your own health? Just say “aaaaaaahhhhhh.” — Jenna Schnuer
Top Tests Worth Taking …Whileyou’ve left the algebra and chemistry tests behind, there are a handfulof tests you should consider taking on a regular basis, according tothe
American Medical Association Family Medical Guide, 4th Edition(Wiley, $45). The following are just general recommendations — you andyour doctor should tailor your tests to fit your health needs.
In your 20s, get a:• physical every one to two years
• pelvic exam annually
• Pap smear, every six months to annually
• cholesterol test only if you smoke, are obese, or have
high blood pressure,
diabetes, or a family history of heart disease
In your 30s, stick with everything you were doing (or should have done) in your 20s, but add a cholesterol test every five years.
In your 40s,keep on keeping on. Women, add a mammogram once a year or every otheryear, and if you’re approaching menopause, get a bone density test. Menshould start getting prostate examinations at age 45.
In your 50s and beyond, continue what you’ve been doing, but add:
• an annual rectal exam and fecal occult blood test
• a sigmoidoscopy every five years
• a colonoscopy every 10 years
… and Some Worth Holding Out OnWithall these tests to take, you’ll be glad to know there are a few you maybe able to skip. A study from Georgetown University Medical Center andJohns Hopkins University made it clear that some medical tests areoverused — and false positives on those tests add insult (and expense)to lack of injury (or illness). Topping the list of unnecessary exams:urinalysis. “If you’re a 30-year-old male or female without any medicalproblems, you’re probably going to run into some problems by justordering that test,” says the study’s lead author,
Dan Merenstein, MD,director of research programs in the Department of Family Medicine atGeorgetown. Other not-always-necessary exams sitting pretty on theoveruse list: electrocardiograms, X-rays, hematocrits, and completeblood counts (or CBCs to you
ER and
Grey’s Anatomy fans).
Day to DayThink getting on the health bandwagon is just too difficult? Michael Roizen, MD, coauthor of
You: The Owner’s Manual (Collins, $25), gave us a whirlwind tour of an easy-to-implement healthy weekday. His prescription: