As each year passes you by, your body is constantly changing and trying to keep up with all the demands life puts on it in general, and it tries to do this whilst facing the natural challenges of the aging process.
The best way to ensure you are at your healthiest and that you get to live to a comfortable old age is to go for regular health checks.
Prevention really is the only cure to every disease out there ravaging society.
So by getting these health checks done early you can often stop a health problem from ever developing, or stand the best chance of dealing with one that you had no idea was there.
Here are 5 health screenings that every man approaching 50 should get.
1. Blood Pressure Check
Blood pressure can change on a daily basis, and so getting regular blood pressure checks is vital to find out what your average levels are as by finding out when they are not normal for you could help save your life. Having high blood pressure could mean you have a number of other health problems including diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems[1] as well as many others.
2. Colonoscopy
Finding out what is going on in your digestive tract, with the help of a small camera inserted through your mouth down into this region can help detect any types of cancers or abnormalities that exist. Colon cancer is a silent killer, so be proactive and as you approach 50, book in for a colonoscopy to find out your status.
And do not panic if you do find out you have cancer as there are many treatments on offer, and the sooner you catch it the bigger your chances are of fighting it. Once you are 50, you should be having a colonoscopy every 5 years going forward to pick up any cellular changes.
3. Cholesterol
From age 34 cholesterol checks actually start becoming routine, and then again they should be carried out also every 5 years or more to keep an eye on this vital indicator that when high, can cause a heart attack to occur, atherosclerosis[2], and even a stroke.
The reason all of these health problems can occur is because cholesterol can build up in the artery wall, which then restricts the flow of blood to your heart, brain and the rest of your body.
High cholesterol also increases the chance of a blood clot developing somewhere. If you are walking around with unknown high cholesterol then you are also at an increased risk of coronary heart disease and this can cause angina during physical activity.
The most worrisome part about having high cholesterol is that it doesn’t cause any symptoms, highlighting the need to get tested for this on a regular basis.
4. Vision Testing
It is recommended that to keep your eyes healthy and at their best, that you visit an eye doctor at least every 2 years, again to keep an eye on any changes in vision that could start to affect your quality of life.
Once you reach age 50, your risk increases of developing glaucoma which is why having a regular eye test from this age becomes even more vital.
5. Prostate Screenings
The leading cause of cancer death in men is from prostate cancer in those aged over 75. So ensure you start having your screenings early to detect this terrible killer.
sources:
- [1] https://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/17/4_suppl_2/S98.full
- [2] https://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/95/6/397.long