Tests save lives.

I read this recently and it was something I wanted to share. Majority of my friends, if not all of them, rarely do a physical head-to-toe exam. I had one a few years back because the hotel I used to work for required an annual exam for all their employees. Otherwise, I wouldn't really go out of my way to take one. Usually, we wait until something is wrong before we do the checkup. Perhaps because we're scared to just end up with bad news, when actually early detection can save one's life. Many diseases don't have symptoms until they're already in the advanced stage.

At any age, the key tests one must take are the pelvic exam, pap smear, skin and breast self-exams, and dental checkup. It is recommended to have these checkups once a year and the breast self-exam monthly.

If you're in your 20s, you must start establishing a relationship with a gynecologist and a pap smear must be taken annually or every 6 months. You should also get your eyes checked every 3 years. While every 5 years, get blood work to test cholesterol, triglycerides, RBC-count, kidney/liver function, calcium, and fasting blood sugar. Whew! I never took that every-5yr-exam.

Those in their 30s are in a more crucial decade for starting key medical tests like mammograms (at age 35, if you have a family history of breast, ovarian, and/or colorectal cancers). They say this is the decade in which one would be extremely concerned if they've been a smoker. Tsk tsk tsk. If so, quit smoking then have your lungs checked for lung cancer through CT scan, especially if you have a family history of it. Continue the eye exams every three years and add hearing exams too - now that everyone seems to be listening to their iPod all the time. The looong blood test must be taken every 3 years now, instead of5, and add a test for C-reactive protein, which indicates inflammation that can increase complications from diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

There are tests for those in their 40s up to 70+ ... but I guess I don't have readers in that age bracket. Lol.