Preventive Health Care Tips For 50 Plus

When you have crossed the age of 50, it makes sense to lead a healthy lifestyle by following a disciplined routine regularly. While illnesses cannot be entirely avoided, chances of their occurrences can be minimized when you follow these easy preventive healthcare tips in your daily life. Here are some changes you can expect during your annual wellness exams. These tests monitor common health issues for those older than 50 years of age.

1. Get your blood pressure checked regularly

If your blood pressure is high, it can lead to various severe conditions such as kidney and eye problems, stroke or even a heart attack. When you don’t check your blood pressure, you don’t even know why you suffered from any of these conditions. Hence, it is crucial that your blood pressure needs to be checked at frequent intervals though you may think that it is under control. When your blood pressure is less than what it ideally should be (120/80), you can get it checked once in every 2 years. However, when your blood pressure is high, your physician may tell you to get it checked more frequently.

2. Mammogram

This screening test is for women above 40 for detection of breast cancer. Medical experts recommend that Mammogram is the best technique for an early detection of breast cancer. Nowadays, doctors in various countries suggest that all women between the age group of 50 to 74 should go through a Mammogram test at least once in two years as a preventive health measure.

3. Screening of cholesterol

In many nations around the world including the United States of America, the prime reason for death is none other than a heart disease. High cholesterol level in blood increases the possibility of suffering from a heart disease. Today, many physicians recommend that if you are above 50 years old, you should get your cholesterol level checked at regular intervals to be on the safer side. The checking involves just a blood test that shows the risks you may have for developing a heart disease and your existing cholesterol level. Even when one is in his/her twenties, cholesterol level should be checked once in every 4 to 6 years.

4. Pap test

This is another test for women for checking the occurrence of a cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is not difficult to be cured if it is detected at an early age. Usually, it has been observed that the risks of getting cervical cancer may reduce with one’s age but the requirement for going through regular Pap tests does not end when you have had a menopause. Some medical associations recommend that all women within the age group of twenty one to sixty five years should go through a Pap test once in every three years. If a woman has a greater risk of having cancer, the Pap test may have to be done more often. However, your gynecologist is the best person to recommend about the frequency of these tests for you.

5. Screening for depression

There are a large number of adults who are disabled due to depression though it is often not given much of an importance. Depression may occur with aging and due to chronic illness. However, it is not an integral part of aging and it can be treated. When you feel down, hopeless, uninterested in your daily activities or pessimistic, you need to speak to your physician to help you out.

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