Home Health Checks to Make Part of Your Routine
It is important to keep on top of your health, especially as you start to get older. You should know that there are numerous health checks that you can perform by yourself at home and incorporating these into your routine will help you to detect any health issues early so that you can seek professional treatment before it becomes a bigger problem.
Women’s Health
For women, you will want to keep a close eye on any changes to vaginal discharge. Vaginal discharge is normal and healthy at any age, but changes can signify a possible health issue. Unhealthy discharge can be thicker and heavier, has an unpleasant smell and comes with itching, pelvic pain and/or blisters/sores on your genitals. Women should also check their breasts for changes on a regular basis - changes can occur for many reasons, but some can be serious. You will want to pay close attention to lumps, thickening, bumps and changes to the skin and nipple.
Experiencing pain in your genitals, buttocks, or perineum (between your buttocks and genitals) might be a symptom of pudendal nerve neuralgia. Other indications include general pelvic pain, numbness, increased sensitivity, and painful sex. While over-the-counter medications can help relieve pain, physical therapy or consultation with a pelvic physiotherapist is the best move.
Men’s Health
Men should get into the habit of checking their testicles for changes on a regular basis. Unusual lumps, swellings and pain could be an indicator of cancer (often it is not, but it is always important to get checked). Men should also check the health of their penis on a regular basis. A few things to look out for include:
- Pain when peeing
- Unusual discharge
- Rashes
- Blisters and sores
- Bad odours
- Swelling
- Lumps
- Changes in skin colour
General Health Checks
There are then various general health checks that both men and women should incorporate into their routines. These include checking your moles and looking for any changes (you may need someone to help with any moles on your back), checking your lymph nodes and checking your pee and poo for any abnormalities. You should also get a blood pressure machine and check your pressure on a regular basis - high blood pressure is an indicator of many serious health issues. If your blood pressure is high, you can then start to make positive changes. Other health checks to incorporate include standing on one leg for 10 seconds and checking how strong your grip is - issues with either of these could indicate an underlying health issue.
When to See a GP
You should see a GP if you notice any changes in your body and health that you are concerned about. Often, changes are normal or nothing serious, but it is always best to get checked out because early detection is so key in so many health issues. If you are ever turned away or misdiagnosed, this could be grounds for a medical negligence claim and it is worth seeking independent advice.
Hopefully, this post will encourage you to add some health checks into your routine at home so that you can keep a close eye on your health and pick up any changes early on.
My name is Wojtek and I am very happy that you came to my healthy lifestyle blog. In human life, health is probably the most important factor needed for happiness, so I thought I will make a contribution to this and try to promote healthy eating and sport.
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