Preventive Care in Family Medicine: The Importance of Regular Check-ups and Screenings

The Importance of Preventative Healthcare

Preventative healthcare is essential to your optimal health when it comes to taking care of your and your family's health. Dr. Deirdre McMullen of Rocky Creek Family Medicine in Missouri City, TX, is a skilled, experienced, licensed, and board-certified physician specializing in family healthcare and wellness visits for the whole family. She advocates patient wellness visits at least yearly.

Preventative Checkups Versus Emergency Visits

You may not see the importance of a preventative visit until you are ill or hurting from an acute or chronic condition. When you have the foresight to schedule a yearly physical, medical screening, and routine tests and labs recommended for you and your family, you are taking charge of your and your family's future health. Preventative care can reduce many health conditions.

If you ignore the signs of a health problem and put off health issues until you or a family member are in an emergency crisis, you are creating an unhealthy future for yourself and your family.

Rocky Creek Family Medicine in Missouri City, TX, states that many health problems are preventable with regularly scheduled labs, tests, and health screens, such as the examples listed below.

• Screening tests - blood pressure checks, cholesterol checks, cancer screenings, and urinalysis can be part of your early detection toolbox.
• Patient Education - Learning about medical conditions helps you and your family make educated, sensible decisions about current and future healthcare choices. Being informed can help keep medical issues minimal.
• Healthcare services - such as vaccines and regular dental cleanings prevent problems from occurring.

Know Your Health History

Part of excellent preventative care is knowing a thorough family health history, including that of parents and grandparents. Knowing any chronic health conditions or other issues such as cancer or heart disease that run in the family can be a benefit in reducing the chances of getting those diseases yourself.

For example, if you had a grandparent and a parent with heart disease, talking to your doctor about a lifestyle change to reduce the odds of you getting heart disease would be a great benefit to your health.

Cancer Screenings

Chances are you have a family member who has had to deal with cancer. It can get scary having a history of cancer in your family, but knowing the type of cancer that is prevalent in your health history will help your doctor schedule the correct yearly screenings for cancer prevention.

Preventative medicine will help keep you and your family healthy for many years.

Prevention is the Best Cure

Call Dr. McMullen at Rocky Creek Family Medicine in Missouri City, TX, at 281-206-0068 to schedule your preventative visit and discuss your health history.