Part Two: Five (more) Medical Tests You Need
To age better, don't forget to add these additional tests to your health to-do list.
I don’t know about you, but my to-do list never seems to get smaller, no matter how efficient I am. Instead, every time I cross something off (how rewarding to complete a task and celebrate with a strike-thru with a thick black marker!) another somehow edges its way in.
I’ve finally accepted the fact that thinking a to-do list will ever be empty is like shoveling while it’s still snowing; quite a fruitless task and even fruitier expectation.
And hence, my part two of the ever-growing health to-do list. The last edition of AfterthePause highlighted five essential tests; here, I finish the job with the others that are equally essential for better aging.
(Please keep in mind that we all have individual risk factors, and variouss organizations might have different timelines for screening. You should always consult your personal physician for their recommendations.)
ONE: How’s your mouth?
With all due respect to dentists, do we really want to shell out all that money to sit in a chair and be picked and prodded? (Dental insurance is really a misnomer; it does not function like regular health insurance and has extreme limitations and low annual maximums.) And yet…get thee to a dentist, please. Do it at least once to twice each year for an exam and cleaning.
Aside from early intervention to detect and treat things like cavities, gum disease and oral cancer while they are still manageable, there is growing evidence of connections between poor oral health and dementia risk. And the risk increases with each missing tooth.
Also, it’s important to know that dry mouth, a condition that leads to a dry, sticky feeling in the mouth, affects many women after menopause, due to declining estrogen levels. Why is this important to know? Saliva helps prevent tooth decay, because it washes away sugar and food particles (which makes bacteria neutral and less harmful).
TWO: Keep an eye on your eyes.
We all have certain issues with our eyes as we age: It can be harder to see up close, distinguish colors, or drive at night and tolerate the glare from oncoming vehicles. These problems are the easy ones.
But keep this in mind: The risk of certain eye conditions and diseases increases with age, and many of these are “silent” issues in their early stages; i.e., you won’t know you have them until they are diagnosed. Some examples are glaucoma, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, which can all lead to vision loss.
Everyone over age 50 should have a dilated eye exam each year, or as often as recommended by your eyecare professional (even if your vision is good and you don’t wear glasses or contacts). If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, you need to be examined at least once a year.
THREE: Prediabetes and Type-2 Diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends screening with a simple A1C (blood) test for everyone 35 and older.
Prediabetes, when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal (but not yet in the diabetic stage), is a “warning sign” that type-2 diabetes could be next. But it gives you the opportunity to make some lifestyle changes to keep diabetes at bay.
Long term, diabetes can damage your heart, blood vessels and kidneys, and even your eyes.
FOUR: Know your bone density.
Bone density drops precipitously during and after menopause because of declining estrogen levels. This accelerates the rate of bone loss and increases your risk of developing osteoporosis (and related fractures).
According to research, up to 20 percent of bone loss occurs during menopause. That’s why one in two postmenopausal women will have osteoporosis.
Bone loss can lead to fractures, after which comes pain, decreased mobility and loss of function. Not good.
Guidelines vary (again), with some organizations recommending screening (via a non-invasive DEXA scan of the spine and hip) beginning at age 60-65. But I started earlier after falling and breaking my wrist. Voila: I was found to have osteopenia (a precursor to osteoporosis. I have now, unfortunately, crossed the line - despite exercising and eating healthfully. Some things are destiny - and genetically linked, I suppose.)
FIVE: Skin check…testing, one, two three.
Did you do what I did as a teenager? Lay out in the sun, dare I say, while holding a sun reflector under your chin to direct those we-didn’t-know-they-were deadly rays upward? I feel idiotic, yes, but who knew??
Even if you didn’t, an annual skin cancer check is essential, as this is the most common cancer in the U.S., its incidence rising with age (since the damaging effects of the sun are cumulative). One in five of us will develop skin cancer by age 70.
Aside from checking your own skin regularly (even the soles of your feet!), get checked by a dermatologist - from head to toe - at least once a year (more often if you have a history of skin cancer.) Early detection of melanoma and other skin cancers can save lives and make treatment easier.
And that’s not all..
If you’re into immunizations (and I hope you are!) AARP has compiled a list of what you need to know.
Until next time, thanks for reading, and stay healthy, wellthy and happy!
XoSheryl
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Before you go, take a listen. It might help ease the pain of all the craziness in the world these days…
So very true: “In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double”