Conversing with Life: Keeping tabs on your health

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Keeping tabs on your health

Here's some good advice: If you are above 45 years old, do go for a health screening.
Do the basics: blood pressure, blood glucose, lipids.

My dad just had his. Results came back, dyslipidemia (hypercholesterolemia type IIa). It wasn't unexpected, afterall my dad enjoys food (especially pig's trotter, laksa, char kway teow). But it was a reality jolt.

The high cholesterol values on the report were like a firm reminder that something is wrong and not that something may be wrong. Made my dad see the doctor immediately, he's on simvastatin now. He's going to do some major changes to his lifestyle, good changes. Hopefully we'll see good results in a few months.

But it made me realise something about screening.

Firstly, people don't want to screen because they are afraid of finding out that they are ill. But just because you don't know it, doesn't mean it's not there.

Secondly, the disease doesn't always go away in a jiffy. After knowing the disease is present, doing some extra walking and eating less doesn't cure the disease. The disease is a chronic cumulative one, and is the result of many years of insult. Similarly, you would expect many years of correcting the lifestyle to right the illness.

Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of so much time. That's why drugs help. Even then, expect years of treatment before you see any benefit.

So if you are above 45 years old, go for that screening. If you get a clean bill of health, that's great. If you don't, take heart that you have detected it and are going to do something about it.

If you are younger, examine your lifestyle. Treat your body with respect, it'll last you longer and better.