So with the threads about blood clots and AndyPant's cardiac scare, I thought it might be a good idea as a Primary Care Doc to lay out the importance of EVERYONE getting checked out.
First you should be able to tell your PCP ANYTHING - I mean all the dirty little secrets that could affect your health - from sex partners, to sexual predilections, to eating habits, purging, drugs...
Second - know your family history - find out about parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles - particularly with regards to blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer, endocrine problems.
Third - screening tests everyone should have: pap smear (every 1-3 years), fasting cholesterol (every 5 years if normal more often if not), thyroid screen, iron levels, blood count and if never done as an adult the rest of the metabolic panel (liver, kidney function, electrolytes, glucose) - these are tests WITHOUT symptoms. and if over 50 (or over 40) a mammogram.
IF you are having symptoms GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR!!!! We really don't mind! I would rather be able to reassure someone that everything is ok than meet them in the Emergency Room....
Share every supplement, over the counter med and meds prescribed by other doctors - we need to know it ALL. Some supplements DO interact and cause symptoms. If your doctor does not know then FIND ONE WHO DOES!!!
Athletes die suddenly too and being athletic does not fully protect your from hereditary conditions - it might delay their onset, or make them milder but knowledge is power....the more you know the more that can be prevented.
happy training everyone
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cat
Sponsored by Suntheanine, Lycored and Celadrin
http://www.lycored.com/web/content/library.asp http://suntheanine.com/Research.cfm http://celadrin.com/pages/studies.php
First you should be able to tell your PCP ANYTHING - I mean all the dirty little secrets that could affect your health - from sex partners, to sexual predilections, to eating habits, purging, drugs...
Second - know your family history - find out about parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles - particularly with regards to blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer, endocrine problems.
Third - screening tests everyone should have: pap smear (every 1-3 years), fasting cholesterol (every 5 years if normal more often if not), thyroid screen, iron levels, blood count and if never done as an adult the rest of the metabolic panel (liver, kidney function, electrolytes, glucose) - these are tests WITHOUT symptoms. and if over 50 (or over 40) a mammogram.
IF you are having symptoms GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR!!!! We really don't mind! I would rather be able to reassure someone that everything is ok than meet them in the Emergency Room....
Share every supplement, over the counter med and meds prescribed by other doctors - we need to know it ALL. Some supplements DO interact and cause symptoms. If your doctor does not know then FIND ONE WHO DOES!!!
Athletes die suddenly too and being athletic does not fully protect your from hereditary conditions - it might delay their onset, or make them milder but knowledge is power....the more you know the more that can be prevented.
happy training everyone
---
cat
Sponsored by Suntheanine, Lycored and Celadrin
http://www.lycored.com/web/content/library.asp http://suntheanine.com/Research.cfm http://celadrin.com/pages/studies.php