Know these guidelines to keep up with your health screenings

It feels like a safe assumption that most people don’t look forward to their annual health screenings. For me, they can feel inconvenient, uncomfortable, and easy to put off! 

BUT, they are super important and so I am deep diving into health screenings today to encourage you (and myself) to make sure I am up to date. 

Why get health screenings? 

We generally can’t tell when our cholesterol is elevated or a colon polyp is developing. We screen for things that, if we catch them early, can be managed and prevented so the small problem doesn’t become a big problem. 

How are health screening recommendations made? 

There are many professional groups that gather experts to review disease trends, current management guidelines, and make recommendations on screenings. Organizations like:

• American Cancer Society 

• United States Preventive Services Task Force 

• CDC 

• World Health Organization 

(And we hope that some of these organizations can continue to get funded for their very important work but there are organizations across the world also doing this work) 

Do health screening recommendations change? 

Yes! Health screening recommendations should (and do) change as we learn more, science changes, and treatments advance for diseases. The organizations listed above review their guidelines every few years and make updates. For example, we recently had a change in colon cancer screening guidelines and now recommend folks start getting screened at age 45 instead of age 50. 

Where can you get health screenings done? 

Almost all health screenings can be done with your primary care provider or your primary care provider can give referrals for colonoscopies, mammograms, dental and eye exams, etc. 

Are screening tests 100% accurate 100% of the time?

Nope! As with most things in life, there is no guarantee and sometimes screening tests do miss things. Scientists and clinicians carefully consider how accurate a test is before recommending it but it’s very important to discuss your specific risk factors and concerns with your provider when deciding on which tests get done. 

A note on family history: 

If you have access to your biological family’s medical history, be sure to review this with your provider. Recommendations for when and how often to get a screening can change depending on family medical history! We may also recommend that you meet with a genetic counselor to better understand your risk for diseases like breast or colon cancer and they can make more personalized screening recommendations for you. 

Are you up to date on your health screenings? If not, consider this your reminder to reach out and get scheduled. Let me know if you do!  

As always, know the good science, know yourself, and make the decisions that are right for you.