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Doctor’s appointments are short these days and usually focused on a specific complaint. That’s why it’s important that you take up the slack. This means monitoring your overall personal health and wellness. That way you can inform your doctor of any warning signs or take preventative measures to eliminate them. Self-exams are an excellent way to assess your personal health. They allow you to take back control over your body and your physical condition and provide your doctor with the information needed to properly treat any problems. To help you add self-exams to your personal health routine, we’ve created this quick guide.

 

What is a Self-Exam?

A self-exam is basically a personal health assessment. They are meant to supplement your personal health care. This means that you shouldn’t skip your regular doctor’s appointments just because you’re doing health assessments at home. Instead, you should use your self-exams to check for any changes or troubling symptoms that you can then share with your doctor. Any data you gather during your self-exam, such as blood pressure readings, should also be shared with your GP.

 

How to do a Self-Exam

There are a number of self-exams that you should perform regularly. Try to make these health assessments part of your monthly or weekly routine and write down any data or changes for your doctor. There are a number of tests and examinations you can include depending on your own health concerns and the equipment and tools you have at home. This can include monitoring your blood pressure and pulse rate to determine your heart health. You can easily buy the equipment you need if you have concerns about these markers of health.

 

Skin Assessments for Everyone

Whatever health assessments you perform at home, you should also include an examination of your skin. Skin cancer can affect people of any age and race and is the most common form of cancer in the world. Catching it early is the best hope for easy and effective treatment, and that’s why any changes or concerns should be addressed immediately. As with all health assessments at home, self-exams cannot take the place of a thorough medical exam. This means that you still need to see your doctor for regular skin checks.

 

Alongside your regular doctor’s appointments you should also perform a thorough skin exam at home in case of changes between appointments. Check your skin once a month by standing naked in a well-lit room. Check from head to toe, looking for changes in freckles or moles or any growths. Use a mirror to check hard to see areas. And if you have any concerns, make sure you make a doctor’s appointment.

 

 

Health Checks for Women

One of the most important elements of health assessments for women is a breast self-exam. This should be carried out every month so you become familiar with what is normal for your body and pick up any changes. Changes in the appearance of your breasts or lumps in the tissue can indicate problems that you must immediately share with your doctor. To perform a breast exam, first check their appearance in the mirror. Any changes in their shape or in the appearance of the skin should be checked with your doctor. You need to perform a manual exam as well, checking both breasts as well as your armpits for lumps or thickening in the tissues. If you have any concerns, see your doctor immediately.

 

Health Checks for Men

Testicular cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer found in men between the ages of 15 and 35. That’s why a testicular check should be a part of your regular personal health check. With this type of cancer, early detection gives the best chance of a cure and complete recovery, so any changes here should be taken seriously. Perform the exam after a bath, when your muscles are relaxed. Use your hands to feel the scrotum area for any lumps or thickening. You should check one testicle at a time and feel for any changes in the tissue of the testicle and its surrounds. Check visually for sores or changes in the skin as well. If you perform this health assessment regularly you will come to understand what is normal for you and be able to catch any problems early.

 

What to do if you Find a Problem

You should perform self-exams regularly so that you catch any changes early and can make a doctor’s appointment. However, these self-exams can also make you aware of potential areas of concern so you can take preventative measures against future problems. High blood pressure is usually an indication that you need to change your diet or exercise routine, and non-cancerous changes in your skin indicate that you need to more vigilant about sun protection. The real value of self-exams is not just the fact that it can pick up problems. It can also make you more aware of your personal health and encourage you to make changes before any small concerns become big problems.

 

If you want to take control of your life and personal health, use HomeLab to keep track of your physical condition. HomeLab will help highlight any potential problems and also store the information so it’s available when your doctor needs it.

 

 

Tags: Personal Health, preventative, health check, health assessment