Good health and healthy living are important for maintaining your quality of life. Annual Examinations by your doctor are important for monitoring you physical and mental health, and to look for potential unseen problems. Finding these potential problems earlier rather than later may allow you to take preventive measures.
Dr. Melamed provides a series of preventative “screening” services that look for these potential problems. Early discovery can lead to advance treatment of potential problems.

What are some of the Recommended Routine Preventive Services?

Dr. Melamed recommends the following preventive medical services for your optimal health:

• Screening for High Blood Pressure: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommends that clinicians screen adults aged 18 and older for high blood pressure. Office measurement of blood pressure is most commonly done with a sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure measurement can identify adults at increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to high blood pressure. There is good evidence that treatment of high blood pressure substantially decreases the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

• Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Colorectal cancer causes 55,000 deaths each year and is the second most common form of cancer in the U.S. Screening for colorectal cancer is recommended for all persons aged 50 and older. Annual fecal occult blood testing and sigmoidoscopy (every 1-2 years) are easy to do, and should be repeated every 5-years.

• Screening for Breast Cancer: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer in women, accounting for 46,000 deaths annually. Screening for breast cancer is recommended for all women ages 40 to 69. Annual clinical breast examination and mammography (every 1-2 years) can be schedule in advance. Earlier testing may be necessary based on your medical history.

• Screening for High Cholesterol: Elevated blood cholesterol is one of the major modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Periodic screening for high blood cholesterol is recommended for all men ages 35-65 and women ages 45-65.

• Screening for Type 2 Diabetes: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommends that clinicians screen adults with hypertension or hyperlipidemia for Type 2 Diabetes. There is good evidence that detecting diabetes substantially improves estimates of individual risk for coronary heart disease.

• Screening for Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer causes 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Many older men, however, harbor small, slow-growing prostate cancers that will not cause significant symptoms during their lifetime. Annual screening for prostate cancer is by measurement of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood, and the performance of digital rectal examination (DRE).

• Screening for Depression: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening adults for depression, and has found good evidence that screening improves the accurate identification of depression in patients. Early discovery can lead to treatment, which improves the quality of life.

• Counseling to Prevent Skin Cancer: Melanoma is a leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The lifetime risk for dying of melanoma is 0.36 percent in white men and 0.21 percent in white women. Using sunscreen, decreasing exposure to ultraviolet A and B light, and preventing sunburns, may reduce the lifetime risk for melanoma.

• Counseling to Prevent & Stop Tobacco Use: Tobacco use causes one of every five deaths in the U.S. each year, making it the most important preventable cause of premature death. Periodic counseling to stop tobacco use is recommended for all persons who use tobacco. The prescription of nicotine patches or gum, or the prescription of special medications is recommended as an adjunct to counseling to help selected patients quit tobacco use.

• Vitamins and Supplements to Prevent Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease: There is insufficient clinical evidence to recommend for or against the use of vitamins A, C, or E; multivitamins with folic acid; or antioxidant combinations for the prevention of cancer or cardiovascular disease. Recommendations are determined on an individual basis, and are based on your health and medical history.

Make an Appointment with Dr. Melamed today for your Recommended Routine Preventive Services.