Preventative Health
The Importance of Physical Examination
Mammograms...What are they?
- If a woman begins getting yearly mammogram tests at the age of 50, her risk of dieing by breast cancer decreases by 23%.
- If a woman begins getting yearly mammogram test at the age of 40, her risk of dieing by breast cancer decreases by 40%.
There are two main types of mammograms:
Screening Mammograms - are done for women who have no signs of breast cancer identified
Diagnostic Mammograms - are used to check for breast cancer after a sign or symptom of breast cancer has been identified
Source: http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/mammograms.html#a
Pap Smears
If you are over the age of 21, you should get a pap smear test every few years to make sure you don't get cervical cancer. If you have 3 or more negative tests in a row, you don't have to get as many tests.
- If you get a pap smear test annually, your risk of getting cervical cancer drastically drops by 90%.
Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003911.htm
Prostate Exams...?
Men over the age of 50 should get prostate exams annually to ensure they catch prostate cancer early.
- Prostate Cancer accounts for 28% of cancers of men.