Diagnosing a disease at its early stage always gives a better result. Regular self examination helps to identify many diseases at its very early stages and thus may be life-saving.
These 10 safe and painless health checks could save your life.
1. Know your breasts: Look at your breasts in the mirror and feel them with soapy hands while you’re in the shower. Check for changes (lump, nipple retraction, discharging nipple etc.) at least once a month. This may help diagnose breast cancer at an early and treatable stage.
2. Be aware of constipation: Check for blood in stool– it can signal bowel disease – and the colour of your urine. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are. Take adequate fibre in diet & drink at least 2 litres of water daily.
3. Bone up: A bone density test can assess the status, and taking calcium can help prevent, or at least slow, the progression of osteoporosis.
4. Calculate body mass index (BMI): Calculate your body mass index (BMI) by dividing the weight in Kg by the height in square metres: A score between 25 and 30, is an alarming sign for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke etc, so to avoid these lifethreatening diseases one needs to lose weight.
5. Open your mouth and inspect it regularly: White or red patches or painless ulcers could mean oral cancer, and swollen, bleeding, or inflamed gums can be an early warning sign of gingivitis. Regular checks are best done by a dentist.
6. Eye test: An eye test every two years may help detect any serious health disorders like diabetes, thyroid disorders, glaucoma, and high blood pressure.
7. Fight smear fear: Women between 20 and 64 should have a Pap smear done every two years. This will help identify cervical cancer at an early stage.
8. Check blood pressure regularly: High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, it can be controlled with medication and lifestyle changes, such as reducing salt and alcohol intake.
9. Skin Changes: Look for unusual changes in skin’s texture or colour, and seek doctor’s help immediately if a mole bleeds, itches, or becomes ragged at the edges, or if any sore fails to heal. These may be an early sign of skin cancer. Wear sun block of SPF15+, and choose make-up that contains sunscreen.
10. Check your Thyroid profile: In case of unusual tiredness, fatigability, body ache, weight gain etc, this may help diagnose hypothyroidism at a clinical or subclinical stage and thus help avoid various life-threatening complications.l