Cough If U Wonder About Getting Annual Physical

Is the “Case Against an Annual Physical” gaining steam? Maybe it is, i.e., if you go to the doc who has a nurse take your blood pressure, squeezes your baseballs & doesn’t listen closely to a word you are saying …

The WSJ “Health & Wellness” article didn’t put it exactly in those words, but it did maintain that “For some of us, the yearly exams might not be doing much to boost long-term health.” More pointedly, author Alex Janin asks, “Is your annual physical a waste of time?” But, he goes on to note, “A growing number of physicians say the value of a yearly physical depends in part on your age & health history, and that some young, healthy patients can afford to skip it. Some studies have suggested that the annual visits aren’t doing much to improve long-term health, and a growing shortage of primary-care doctors can drag out appointment wait time.”

On the other hand, says Alex, “Plenty of doctors still recommend an annual checkup, but more are changing what they do in that appointment, focusing on habits such as sleep, exercise & diet, with less poking & prodding in a physical exam.” I, for one, hope so. That change in “laissez-faire business as usual” would imply a renewed willingness to LISTEN to the patient, and not just to their cough.

Davd Soul