The doctor's self-examination ? St. Louis American: Health News ...

It finally happened. I knew that it would and I couldn?t stopit. but I wasn?t ready. it had already happened to many of myclosest friends, but that didn?t make me feel any better.

On the first of July this year, I turned 40 years old. yes, theBIG 4-0. I started thinking about this birthday aroundChristmastime last year. I wasn?t dwelling on turning 40 butwrapping my mind around the fact seemed somewhat challenging.

When I shared this with some of my close friends and family, Iusually got some variation of the same comment. their responseswere mostly encouraging and related to physical appearance andprofessional achievements relative to my age. but my mixed emotionsabout turning 40 were not due to concerns about my appearance orworry about my career.

I wasn?t concerned about whether other people thought that I lookedgood for 40 or if they felt that I should have accomplished more bythis age. for me, 40 is the time to perform my next bigself-examination. a time for me to take a step back, reflect on mylife, create new goals, and update my plans for my walk throughlife.

Having goals is important to me so reflection and self-examinationare key pieces in this process. I like to be organized and developwell-thought out plans for achieving my goals. over time I havelearned to be less rigid in my plans and to re-examine them oftenbecause life usually doesn?t conform to our plans.

So what?s the big deal about 40? Compared to age 30, today mycholesterol and BMI are lower, my salary is higher, I?ve paid offall my student loans from college and medical school, I spend moretime with my family and friends, and my jump shot is better. okay,it?s my perception that my jump shot is better but the other thingsare facts!

Although I feel great about my life, there are some very importantthings that will impact my life plans at age 40 compared to 30. Byfar, the biggest difference in my life today is that I?m a mother.my two children, Elise- 8 and Trey- 5, have significantly changedthe way that I see life and my priorities. Because of them, I amalso more aware of the importance of being a good role model;recognizing that ?do as I say, not as I do? is usuallyineffective.

Another difference at age 40 is the focus on being healthy. some ofthe most common chronic medical conditions such as high bloodpressure, heart disease, and diabetes are more prevalent after age40. so the efforts to be physically active, maintain a healthyweight and avoid tobacco that worked prior to age 40 is not enough.Screening for the early detection of some conditions like breastcancer should begin at age 40.

According the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, ALL women age40 should:

• Get a Pap test at least every 3 years to screen for cervicalcancer.
• Have a blood pressure check at least once every 2 years if itwas previously normal. if the blood pressure has ever beenelevated, more frequent monitoring is needed.
• Get a flu shot every year to protect yourself and others fromthe flu.
• Get enough folic acid because women of child-bearing agerequire an additional 400mcg of folic acid daily to prevent birthdefects. This supplement is recommended for sexually active womenuntil age 50. Many pregnancies after age 40 are not planned.
• Based on family history and other risk factors, SOME women age40 should also:
• Discuss colon cancer screening with your doctor if someone inyour family has had colorectal cancer.
• Get your cholesterol checked once every 5 years if you are athigh risk for heart disease (if you smoke, have diabetes, highblood pressure, are overweight or have a family history of heartdisease).
• Get screened for breast cancer. Talk with your doctor aboutwhen to start getting mammograms and how often you need them.
• Get tested for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV ifyou have unprotected sex.
• Talk with your doctor if breast or ovarian cancer runs in yourfamily. some women may benefit from additional screening ormedications to prevent cancer.

To learn what prevention strategies you should be planning basedon your age, visit healthfinder.gov/ Enter your age andgender in the myhealthfinder tool and you will receive specificinformation about what you can do stay healthy.

I hope you will join me in my celebration of life and make plansto stay as healthy as possible!

1. Childhood obesity is an important factor in heart failure progression ? St. Louis American: Health Studies
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4. Experts issue new guidelines for Women Heart Disease ? Health News, Fitness news, Diet and Nutrition News
5. Regular checkups help ensure good health for men

Related posts:

1. The doctor?s self-examination ? St. Louis American: Health News
2. Childhood obesity is an important factor in heart failure progression ? St. Louis American: Health Studies
3. Pensioner blasts American health screening firm
4. Doctors encourage mammograms in dying patients
5. Regular checkups help ensure good health for men

Source: http://www.heartdiseasetreatment2.com/the-doctors-self-examination-st-louis-american-health-news-2.html

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