Good To Know

Hello, Friends!

You may have noticed a surge in Covid-19 activity in your neighborhood in the last week or two. Or you may be blissfully unaware that the latest Omicron variant, which is highly contagious, is making its way through not just northwest Kansas but the whole nation. I have had patients ask me whether they should be tested for Covid-19 or not, when cold-like symptoms arise. My answer is yes, if you have these symptoms, it is good to get tested for the sake of public health. We need to know if there are surges in cases, in order for county health officials, clinics and hospitals to be better able to set policies to protect your town and your neighbors. Current symptoms are sore throat, body aches/headaches, GI upset and fevers. There has been less coughing and even less respiratory distress with this outbreak. Thank goodness! So stay responsible, and at least stay home if you have these symptoms or other cold symptoms in July/August! But preferably, get tested so your treatment will be right for your illness.

Another issue to bring up for your overall health is the importance of staying up on your routine screening tests, to be sure you are able to remain well throughout your life. Since it is summer, and our health is usually better this time of year without colds and flu, it may be a good time to be sure you are up to date on all of your screening tests. And what are those screens for your age? If you or your family members would like to see recommendations for screenings that are up to date, the main source in the U.S. is the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). This is a government funded agency set to continually update the recommendations for screenings, based on what the medical evidence shows from a multitude of clinical trials and studies on wellness. Believe it or not, these do change as time goes on and as we learn more about how to stay healthy. That should be our goal with all screening: test what is needed to be sure we are living our healthiest life. And as the recommendations change, we need to keep up with them. That is where your medical provider can help! We have to stay up on these screening recommendations for our practices, so your doctor may even adjust how often you need tests to be completed.

In general, we all need annual screening labs to test our blood counts, liver and kidney function, electrolytes, cholesterol, thyroid results each year. This helps us stay on top of your general health. The recommendation for colonoscopy has changed, and while we used to start screening colonoscopies at age 50, we are now to get our first scope at age 45. That is because the age when we start to show increased risk for colon cancer has become earlier because we are now seeing people who get colon cancer in their 30’s and 40’s. USPSTF is the source for all things preventive, and it isn’t a bad idea to just go on their website and check things out from time to time. It isn’t just lab orders or treatment plans listed there, they are also trying to figure out how to best prevent falls in the elderly or how to prevent vitamin and mineral deficiency in children. It is worth stopping by their website to see if you are on top of the screenings you should have for your age group.

That website is: uspreventivetaskforce.org. Check it out, as it is a help for you and your medical provider to be sure you stay as well as possible, for as long as is humanly possible! Stay safe out there this week!

“The preservation of health is easier than the cure of the disease.” – unknown source