Health Screening for Women

I know I should have written about this weeks ago, but it is better late than never.

This month of March, Beauty Parlours, Apparel Stores, etc have several schemes for women customers and offer good discounts on account of the Women's Day Celebration.

There is something more important that many women miss out during this time .Many hospitals too offer discounts on Health Screenings. With changes in our lifestyle, annual health exams are a must for all - especially women. Regular health check-ups and tests can help find problems before they start or early, when your chances for treatment are better. Even for Cancer, there are several cures in alternate medicine as well such as Panchagavya treatments, Aloe Vera, Asparagus, and so on. Here again, complete cure is possible only when the problem is identified in the early stages. So, it is very important that women do regular health screening - once a year to ensure that all is well.

Based on experience, here is some brief information I would like to share. Several hospitals have different health screen packages depending on your age. Broadly, the tests would cover the following.

1. CBC (Complete Blood Count)
2. Blood Grouping
3. Chest X-Ray
4. Urine Routine
5. Stool Routine
6. Fasting blood Sugar
7. Post Prandial Blood Sugar
8. Lipid Profile
9. Ultrasound of the Abdomen
10. TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Harmone test)
11. ECG
12. Pap Smear
13. Mammmogram (including ultrasound)
14. Bone Density Scan (Dexa)
15. Physical Examination

Some do's and dont's.

• Ensure you fix up an appointment
• Visit the hospital early 
• You need to go on empty stomach
• Wear a loose fitting salwar kameez preferably. You may have to change to the hospital gowns for several tests, and so jeans, tight fitting clothes and even sarees may not be all that comfortable.
• When you are filling up your health history, ensure that you give precise information about yourself and your family.
• The complete screening would easily take about 5-6 hours. So, please be prepared and stay relaxed.

You will need to visit your doctor again on another day when all the reports come in - so please fix the next appointment too when you leave.The whole process is not a very pleasant experience, but you need to do these exams in order to take treatment early if something is not alright.

And, do not panic if you are diagnosed with an illness. Discuss with your doctor at length about the treatment. You may also want to try alternate medicines if you wish, especially if you are advised to take medication for a prolonged duration. Also, if you are diagnosed with an illness, you may also want to take a second opinion, especially if you are advised of surgery, etc.

So, that's about it.  I would also like to request the men reading this post to urge the women in your family to go in for the health screenings, which is vital for their well being.

Take care, and Stay Healthy.

Cheers!