Are you experiencing frequent headaches, fever, or cough? Do you often ignore them? Most of us take our health for granted. Although not every headache or pain is a sign of something severe, some persistent symptoms and signs might signify that your body is not working normally.
People find excuses for not incorporating regular full-body health examinations, and you might be one of them. Some circumstances can push you to visit a doctor, from obesity and pain to sudden weight loss and suspicious lumps in the body. But you don’t realize the value of good health until the situation worsens. Understanding that regular health examinations can save you from many health conditions is necessary.
Your health can’t take a back seat; investing in yourself and being aware of your body is vital to overall well-being. Routine full-body check-ups help detect early signs of medical conditions, and early disease detection can result in better outcomes.
However, quality should be your top priority. A good healthcare team helps mitigate infection rates, ensures effective communication between healthcare providers, patients, and families, and keeps checks in place to avoid mistakes. Choosing the right healthcare facility is the key. One way to know about the quality is to look at the team of healthcare professionals in the facility. This includes qualified doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, and those with an MBA in healthcare management to plan, direct, and coordinate healthcare services.
Here is a list of seven signs that need your attention and indicate you need a full-body check-up as soon as possible.
1. Chest Pain
Chest pain is not always due to a heart attack. It can also occur because of problems in the esophagus, lungs, ribs, or muscles. The pain appears in various forms, ranging from a dull ache to a sharp stab. It may sometimes feel like burning or crushing, travels up the neck region, and spreads to the back or one or both arms.
Different conditions can cause chest pain, such as peptic ulcer, gallstones, hernia, Costochondritis, injured ribs, angina, collapsed lung, or heartburn. If you are suffering from unexplained chest pain, don’t ignore it. Immediate medical assistance may be required. A full-body examination can help identify the root of the chest pain for better treatment and health outcomes.
2. Frequent Headache
Many people experience headaches once in a while. However, you might have a chronic headache problem if you suffer from a headache more often. Although most people take care of mild headaches by themselves caused due to lack of sleep, emotional stress, and sensory triggers, such as loud noises, flickering lights, or strong smells, some severe headaches call for immediate medical care. Consult your healthcare provider and get a complete medical check-up if:
- You experience a headache more than two times a week
- The pattern of your headache changes
- You take pain killer for headaches almost every day
- It is abrupt and severe
- It accompanies doubles vision, fever, weakness, difficulty speaking, stiff neck, or numbness
- It worsens despite the medication and rest
- It causes painful red eye
- It increases with cough
3. Obesity
Most people don’t realize the harm obesity can cause their bodies until it becomes a serious health concern. Obesity is a condition involving excessive fat accumulation in the body. It is not just a fitness concern but a complex medical problem that maximizes the chances of developing other deteriorating diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
If your BMI has exceeded the limit, consider visiting a doctor to allow them to assess your health status and potential risks.
4. Persistent Fatigue
Do you feel like you are exhausted all the time? Are you experiencing trouble doing your work?
Fatigue is a common sign of many health conditions, from mild to severe, including cold or flu, sleep disorders, diabetes, arthritis, anemia, kidney disease, liver disease, cancer, and emphysema.
If your fatigue is persistent and doesn’t get better with nutrition and proper rest, a full-body examination is necessary to diagnose the cause.
5. Shortness of Breath
It is an uncomfortable symptom that makes it hard for you to get air into the lungs. Abnormalities with your lungs and heart can affect your breathing. Some individuals may experience difficulty breathing for short periods, while others may have it for the long term. You might experience it due to a lung condition, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, or lung cancer, change in climate, severe stress or anxiety, cancer treatments (chemotherapy), or air pollution.
If you feel short of breath or unable to breathe normally, you may need an immediate body check-up to detect any underlying illness and take steps to minimize the risks.
6. Loss of Appetite
Also called anorexia, loss of appetite occurs when you have a decreased desire to eat. Multiple health problems can cause your appetite to decline. These include viral, bacterial, or fungal infections, such as gastroenteritis, meningitis, upper respiratory infection, or fever. Psychosocial conditions like stress, anxiety, depression, or sadness, and severe medical conditions such as hepatitis, kidney failure, HIV, cancer, chronic liver disease, heart failure, or dementia can also cause anorexia.
You may need to contact your healthcare provider immediately if your poor appetite does not improve.
7. Joint Pain / Stiff Joints
Frequent joint pain is a big concern. Joint pain refers to aches, soreness, and discomfort in the body’s joints, possibly due to an injury or illness. Arthritis is one of the common causes of joint pain, which progresses slowly, affecting the knees, wrists, hips, and hands. Other causes may include fibromyalgia, rickets, gout, cancer, and tissue disorders.
You should go for a complete medical examination if:
- the joint ache persists for more than three days
- the joint area is red, tender, swollen, or warm to the touch
- you have severe pain
- the joint is immobile
Conclusion
Most people forget to take some time off work to keep their health in check. Ignoring visiting a doctor because of a busy schedule or laziness can take a huge toll on your health. Signs that are mostly taken lightly, such as chronic headaches, joint pain, breathing difficulty, poor appetite, fatigue, and obesity, often lead to serious illnesses. You should never overlook such symptoms. Incorporating routine full-body check-ups at least twice a year can help early detection and reault in early treatments and prevention.
