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Checkups recommended even if you feel fine


Wellness screenings can not only give you peace of mind, they can find potential threats at an early stage when treatment is most successful.

* Eye Exams can spot degenerative conditions, and they can give you information about your overall health, says cardiologist Dr. Shyla High. The eyes are a window to your health and should be examined every year or two.

* A skin exam by a dermatologist will check any suspicious moles using a special microscope. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Everyone from age 21 on should be tested, say dermatologists at the University of Minnesota.

* For heart disease, the National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that individuals age 20 or older have a fasting lipoprotein profile done every few years. And your blood pressure should be checked periodically from age 18 on. At-home screenings and free drugstore testing machines can help.

* Thyroid disease comes on gradually and can have a variety of sneaky symptoms including insomnia, fatigue, dry hair and memory problems. It can be detected with a simple TSH blood test. It's often found in mid-life women. It's not as common in men, but they should be tested.

* A diabetes blood test should be done on everyone age 45 and older. It should also be done on overweight people, even those younger than 45. If blood glucose is high, you could have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Both conditions are treatable.

* A bone density test at mid-life can assure you that you're not heading toward osteoporosis. If you are, you can take a medication for it.

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