By Dr. Christopher Labos, November 8, 2017
The yearly physical has been ingrained in our minds and yet the evidence behind it is quite shaky. In fact, what you see your doctor for changes as you get older. So here's a guide of what you should be checking whether your 35 or 75.
http://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/a-guide-to-more-efficient-medical-screenings-whether-you-re-35-or-75-1.4389140
In 1976, the government formed the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination. The task force was given a daunting task: come up with a comprehensive plan for protecting the health of Canadians.
After 3 years of deliberation they concluded, "...that the annual check-up, as practiced almost ritualistically for several decades in North America, be abandoned."
Yet forty years later, we're still doing it.
The main issue with the routine, annual check-up is that it's an inefficient way to screen for disease and casts too wide a net. Medical check-ups should not be a one-sized-fits-all strategy. Intuitively this makes sense, since people in their 20s have different issues and priorities than people in their 70s. A better way is an individualized risk-based strategy that depends on your age and sex. Routine annual blood tests, chest x-rays and ECGs for otherwise healthy people are neither necessary nor beneficial, and in fact they don't seem to reduce mortality. Finally, it's important to...read more
