iCount Youth Account

How’s Your Health?

With some essential checks every year, you can eliminate problems before they start and develop a history so that changes are noticed quickly.  There are three types of medical practitioners that you should visit on a regular basis: your medical doctor, your dentist and an optometrist or eye doctor.  Make appointments with them to get started.

Here are the checks that should be done every year or on the schedule the doctor recommends for your age and physical condition:

DOCTOR

• Blood pressure – usually checked on every visit to catch problems early.
• Height – when growing is done, changes in height can point to bone problems.
• Weight – sudden changes in weight can indicate other conditions.
• Skin check – for changes in moles or skin texture and colour.
• Blood tests – check your iron, cholesterol, blood sugar and much more. If everything’s okay for the first one, you don’t always to have to do it yearly.  Sometimes you have to stop eating for up to 8 hours before you get this done.
• Depression screening – young people are highly susceptible to depression, which can show up as irritability, sleep trouble or loss of interest in your favourite activities.  It is very treatable, so mention any of these symptoms.

Possible Tests that may be recommended:

• Measurement of bone mass – if there is a concern about osteoporosis.
• Hearing test – maybe you blast your mp3 all the time?
• PAP Smear (for women only) – checks for signs of cervical cancer.
• Thyroid screening – young people ONLY need this when there are unexplained symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, weight gain or body aches.

DENTIST

• Periodontal Exam – checking for gum inflammation and other problems. Periodontal problems have been linked to heart disease and diabetes.

OPTOMETRIST

• Eye exam – checks vision, but also for glaucoma, retina problems, early signs of vision loss and much more.