How to Stay Out of the Doctor's Office

Edward T. Creagan, MD
Mayo Clinic

reprinted from Bottom Line/Health, April 1, 2004

In my 30-year career as a cancer specialist, I have cared for approximately 55,000 patients. More than half of these people could have avoided a trip to my examining room. That's because their cancers (or, in some cases, heart disease and diabetes) developed as the result of unhealthy lifestyles, rather than a genetic roll of the dice.

Because I see the devastating effects of such lifestyles each day, I have made it a point to develop personal habits that give me the best possible odds for staying healthy. My secrets...

PREVENTION AND EARLY DETECTION

An annual physical is important for everyone over age 50. If you are younger than 50 and are generally healthy, ask your doctor how often you should be examined. I'm 59 and I see my internist every spring for regular screenings. These exams are absolutely essential.

My advice: In addition to annual physicals and any other screening tests your doctor may recommend for you, be sure to schedule colonoscopies (one every five years after age 50). Women should have mammograms (annually after age 40) and Pap tests every one to three years if they're sexually active. Men should have prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests and digital rectal exams annually starting at age 50. If a first-degree relative (parent or sibling) had cancer, begin monitoring with these tests 10 years before the age that family member developed the cancer.
HEALTHFUL EATING
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