5 Healthcare Appointments to Make Right Now

The building blocks of a healthy lifestyle are clear: quality sleep, balanced nutrition, ample movement, and stress reduction. Another key item on the healthy lifestyle checklist is making regular appointments with our healthcare providers.

Maintaining health as we age is a lot of work, but having professionals on our team makes the journey a lot clearer and easier. Healthcare means taking care of our bodies from top to toe, inside and out, and making appointments with the following providers will help you achieve your health goals.

Primary Care/Family Practice

Schedule a visit every year. 

All adults should have a primary care provider who they see each year. A primary care provider, sometimes referred to as a family practice provider, is equipped with the knowledge and experience to help patients maintain or improve their overall health. At your annual visit, the provider will conduct a routine physical examination, ask questions about the medical history of both you and your close family, monitor risk factors for disease, work with you to manage medication, and ensure you are current on vaccinations. Your primary care provider may also make referrals to specialists if you need additional or advanced care for a particular issue.

Dentist

Schedule a visit every six months or annually.

Visiting your dentist on a regular basis will not only keep your teeth and gums healthy, it can help you maintain your overall health and even prevent serious disease. At this visit, the dentist will assess the health of your teeth and gums, either through a visual examination, x-rays, or both. You will also get an oral cancer screening, a thorough cleaning and plaque removal, and a consultation on how to best maintain your oral hygiene between visits. And no, you shouldn’t wait until you feel tooth pain to visit the dentist – this is an essential annual or bi-annual appointment to make.

Eye Doctor

Schedule every one to two years. 

If you use some type of vision correction, regular visits to your eye doctor will ensure your prescription is up to date and you’re seeing the best that you can. Even if you don’t wear glasses or contact lenses, it’s still important to get a comprehensive dilated vision exam every two years. While you may not think you need vision correction, it’s possible that you could benefit from glasses or contacts. Importantly, a vision exam can also help diagnose or prevent several degenerative eye diseases, like glaucoma or age-related vision loss.

Dermatologist

Schedule a visit every one to two years. 

The skin is the body’s largest organ, yet many of us forget to protect and care for it like we do the rest of our body. One in five U.S. adults will develop some form of skin cancer by the time they turn 70, so early detection and intervention is key. In addition to wearing a daily SPF, schedule a preventative screening with a dermatologist. This specialist will look at your skin from top to toe, monitoring freckles, moles, and spots for signs of skin cancer. When caught early, most skin cancer can be removed easily and effectively by a dermatologist.

Chiropractor

Schedule visits weekly, monthly, or as needed. 

The building blocks of a healthy life – good sleep, reduced stress, and staying active – are much easier to maintain when your body is free from pain and stiffness. Chiropractic adjustments address imbalances and imperfections in the spine and joints which, in turn, positively impact the entire musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Regular chiropractic adjustments are a great addition to a healthy lifestyle and are particularly important after an injury, accident, or during and after pregnancy. People of all ages and physical abilities can benefit from chiropractic care.

At Kennedy Chiropractic Center, Dr. Corinne Kennedy helps people in Wauwatosa and surrounding communities feel their best. Dr. Kennedy specializes in back and neck pain, whiplash treatment, chiropractic during pregnancy, red light therapy, and more. If you’re looking for an effective way to improve your movement, balance, and overall health, schedule your chiropractic appointment today.