We’ll provide you with preventive care health guides to help you manage your health and the health of your loved ones.
The first Managing Your Health: Personal Health Guide presents important information on preventive care for adults — such as blood pressure, immunizations, cholesterol, weight, colorectal cancer, oral health care, and preventive care for women.
The second Managing Your Health: Personal Health Guide Additional Information presents important information on health guidance, including tobacco use, physical activity, nutrition, depression, safety, HIV and AIDS, family planning, and alcohol and other drug use for adults.
The third Managing Your Health: Child Health Guide presents important information on preventive care for children — such as checkup visits, immunizations, and tests and exams.
The fourth Managing Your Health: Child Health Guide Additional Information presents important information on health guidance, including development, nutrition, dental and oral health, physical activity, tobacco use, safety, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and child abuse.
Use your PersonalMD Medical Record to help track your preventive care and to know when this care is needed.
Blood Pressure
Maintaining a good blood pressure will help protect you from heart disease, stroke and kidney problems. Have your blood pressure checked regularly. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular physical activity are two ways you can help to keep your blood pressure under control. Some people will need to take medicine to help keep a healthy blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure, talk with your health care provider about how to lower it by changing your diet, losing excess weight, exercising, or (if necessary) taking medicine. If you need to take medicine, be sure to take it every day, as prescribed. Ask your provider how often you need your blood pressure checked and what a healthy blood pressure for you is.
Immunizations
Adults need immunizations (shots) to prevent serious diseases. The following are common shots that most people need:
Tetanus-diphtheria. Everyone needs this every 10 years.
Rubella (German measles). If you are a woman who is considering pregnancy and you have not had a shot for German measles, you should talk to your provider.Pneumococcal (pneumonia). Everyone needs this one time at about age 65.
Influenza (flu).
Everyone over age 65 needs this every year. If you have lung, heart or kidney disease, diabetes, HIV, or cancer you may need pneumococcal and flu shots before age 65. Health care workers may also benefit from annual flu shots.
Hepatitis B.
If you have contact with human blood or body fluids (such as: semen or vaginal fluid), you may be at risk for hepatitis B. You may also be at risk if you have unprotected sex (vaginal, oral, or anal) or share needles during intravenous drug use. Hepatitis B shots will protect you. Health care workers should also consider getting hepatitis B shots. Discuss this with your provider.
Cholesterol
Having your cholesterol checked is important, especially if you are a man age 35-65 or a woman age 45-65. Too much cholesterol can clog your blood vessels and cause heart disease and other serious problems. Your health care provider may check your levels of “bad” (LDL) and “good” (HDL) cholesterol.
You can lower your cholesterol level and keep a healthy level by changing your diet, losing excess weight and getting regular exercise. If necessary, your provider may prescribe medication for you. Ask your provider what a healthy cholesterol level is for you and how often you need it checked. If you have high cholesterol, talk with your provider about a plan for lowering it.
Weight
Weighing too much or too little can lead to health problems. You should have your weight checked regularly by your health care provider. You can control/maintain your weight by eating a healthy diet and getting regular physical activity.
Talk with your provider about what a healthy weight for you is and ways you can control your weight.
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of deaths from cancer. If it is caught early, it can be treated. If you are 50 years of age or older, you should have tests regularly to detect it. The tests you may have are:
Fecal Occult Blood Test-to look for small amounts of blood in your stool. This test should be done yearly.
Sigmoidoscopy-to look inside the rectum and colon using a small, lighted tube. Your health care provider will do this in the office or clinic. This test should be done every 5 to 10 years.
Tell your health care provider if you have had polyps or if you have a family member(s) with cancer of the intestine, breast, ovaries, or uterus, you may need testing before age 50 or more often.
Ask your health care provider at what age you need to start and how often you need these tests:
Oral Health Care
Good oral health care is important for your teeth and general health. With proper care, your teeth will last you for life.
Visit your dentist regularly for checkups. Brush after meals with a soft or medium bristled toothbrush, using a toothpaste with fluoride.
Use dental floss daily.
Limit the amount of sweets you eat, especially between meals.
Do not smoke or chew tobacco products.
Ask your provider how often you should get dental checkups.
Preventive Care For Women
Mammogram
Women ages 40-50 should discuss when to begin getting mammograms with their health care provider. All women should begin having mammograms regularly by age 50. Some women may need mammograms earlier. A mammogram is an X-ray test that can detect a breast cancer when it is so small that it cannot be felt and when it can be most easily cured.
Talk with your health care provider about when to begin and how often to have mammograms. Make sure to tell your provider if your mother or a sister has had breast cancer. You may need to have mammograms more often than other women.
Pap Smear
You need to have Pap smears regularly. This simple test has saved the lives of many women by detecting cancer of the cervix early-when it is most easily cured.
Talk to your health care provider about how often you need Pap smears.
Tell your health care provider if you have had genital warts, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs/VD), multiple sexual partners or abnormal Pap smears. You may need Pap smears more often than other women.
Additional Preventive Care
Below is a list of other preventive care. If you answer yes to any of the statements, discuss whether you need screening with your health care provider.
If you:
Have diabetes, or if you are over age 40 and African American, or if you are over are over age 60: You should have routine eye examinations.
Have had sexual intercourse without condoms, have had multiple sexual partners or have had a sexually transmitted disease: You may need AIDS (HIV), syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, or hepatitis tests.
Have injected illegal drugs or had a blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985: You may need an AIDS (HIV) and/or hepatitis test.
Have had a family member with diabetes, are overweight or have had diabetes during pregnancy: You may need a diabetes (glucose) test.
Are over age 65: You may need a hearing test.
Now or in the past, have ever consumed a lot of alcohol or have smoked or chewed tobacco: You may need a mouth examination.
Are a man 50 years of age or older: You may need a prostate examination.Are a man aged 15-35 years, particularly if you have a testicle that is Abnormally small or not in the normal position: You may need a testicular examination.
Have had skin cancer in your family or if you have had a lot of sun exposure: You may need a skin examination.
Have had radiation treatments of your upper body: You may need a thyroid examination
Have been exposed to tuberculosis (TB), or if you have recently moved from Asia, Africa, Central or South America, or the Pacific Islands, or if you have kidney failure, diabetes, HIV, alcoholism or use illegal drugs: You may need a tuberculosis test (PPD).
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)
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