Today, sickness and disease are combated better than at any time in history. Medical advances continue apace, and people live healthier and longer with more active and fulfilling lives.
Global life expectancy rises year on year. In 1950 the world’s average life expectancy was 48 years, by 2017 it was 72.2. The ongoing rise in life expectancy is due to many factors. Improvements in medical treatment and diagnostics, risk factor reduction and personal health awareness have all played a part, as have environmental improvements and global economic growth.
The New England Journal of Medicine states that, in America, cardiovascular related deaths since 1980 have fallen by over 50%, and the American Cancer Society reports that deaths due to cancer have fallen by 27% since 1991. These figures seem impressive, indeed there is a plethora of data that support the incredible advances in medical diagnostics and treatment.
Mankind and nature induce many medical conditions upon us, while modern medical science continues to battle sickness and disease with an intractable intrepidity. Across the world, talented individuals strive to give us new cures and treatments with an indomitability to be admired. Never have we had it so good, you may think.
The fact is, that each and every one of us can help the medical profession in improving health, life quality and expectancy. Our own health awareness is a massive tool in combating sickness and disease, and a significant aid to medical professionals.
At Our Disposal, A Powerful Tool in Aiding our Health Care
Our health is our responsibility; thus, we need to be suitably informed. No two people are the same, each of us has different susceptibilities and are exposed to differing risks. Some of these are inherent, some are self-induced, but, potentially, they can all have a negative effect on our health and wellbeing.
So often it is the case that we visit a doctor when we feel unwell, we seek a cure for our ills. Mostly, these visits will diagnose a minor ailment which can be easily treated, however, there are occasions when the opposite is true. A simple visit to the doctor can result in the discovery of something more serious. When a serious condition is diagnosed the medical professionals are, from that point on, playing catch up.
Many serious conditions can be detected early by assessing the risk factors and through recognition of, otherwise, unseen factors. Here, all of us can play our part, an annual medical check-up is every individual’s way of assisting the medical profession, whilst also making us aware of our own level of health and any vulnerabilities that we are exposing ourselves to.
Without a doubt, prevention is better than cure. A medical check up vastly improves the chances of prevention. Prevention can be broken down into 3 areas.
- Primary prevention. The aims of primary prevention are the total prevention of particular conditions and diseases, for example, the immunization against measles or polio.
- Secondary prevention. Here, the aims are to reduce the impact of the early onset of a disease or physical condition, halting or reducing its progression.
- Tertiary prevention. This can help to lessen the effects of an existing illness or physical condition and aid in the management of long-term conditions which may be complex and multidimensional.
From primary to tertiary, the expert advice given by skilled professionals on indicators, risk factors, symptoms and life style, is invaluable to each individual.
Annual Checkups Offer More than Prevention
An annual check up goes further than just identifying the risk factors for prevention and early diagnostics. Having a checkup each year builds an invaluable medical history of an individual. Doctors can use this history to be proactive in health tracking and assessing the longer-term risks to health.
Stress has become a major part of modern living and is having a negative impact on many people’s lives. With a comprehensive medical history, doctors can identify changes or fresh anomalies in an individual and spot the early signs of stress related factors. Thus, advise accordingly, before these factors become a health issue.
Ongoing medical conditions can be more accurately monitored with a good medical history. From major diseases to minor ailments, all can be more accurately surveilled. From cancer, diabetes and arthritis, these are just a few of the many conditions that can be more efficiently treated and managed with a comprehensive medical history.
More accurate medication planning is a significant plus which a medical history provides. Altering, or enhancing, a prescribed course of drugs for an ongoing medical condition is an all-important part of treatment and management. The accuracy of this is vastly improved when a doctor has a detailed picture of a person’s medical history.
Continuity is essential with annual medical checkup, and should be conducted by a reputable, accredited establishment. Continuity, not only creates a comprehensive medical history, it also builds a feeling of trust for the patient. This trust leads to a more personalized feel to the relationship between patient and doctor, such a relationship can never be understated. To obtain a detailed, accurate medical checkup and build a comprehensive, trusting relationship between patient and doctor, carefully selected choices need to be made.
Comprehensive Medical Checkups, Where to Go?
Thailand had become the world’s first foreign choice for medical procedures, and with around 4 million visitors expected this year, many will be taking advantage of the nation’s excellent medical facilities during their stay.
With the Medical Quality Alliance rating Thailand in the top 5 globally for medical treatment, along with affordability and its obvious attraction as a visitor destination, Thailand is well placed to offer full comprehensive medical check-up to tourists and resident expats. The Land of Smiles can boast 60 medical establishments with Joint Commission International Accreditation’s Gold Standard. This accreditation is based on western standards for surgical and non-surgical medical procedures, and is recognized worldwide.
Many of the best placed organizations in Thailand deliver comprehensive medical checkup, using state of the art equipment and procedures which are conducted by western trained professionals. World class hospitals, plus numerous outreach clinics, can be found conveniently located up and down the country.
Thailand’s top medical establishments are committed to offering world class treatment and procedures, but unlike in many other countries, they do this with the ultimate in affordability. An annual checkup is unquestionably good for every individual, for the sake of our health and well-being, we owe it to ourselves to be aware of our bodies. So, checkup.
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