Medical exams are meant to evaluate your health status. This may be within the context of the routine annual checkups, which doctors recommend. Or it may be in readiness for a new job. It could also be part of the process while signing up for life insurance. Or it could be in a bid to meet visa requirements for travel. If, for instance, you wish to travel to a country like Brunei, you find there is a medical checkup for a Brunei visa you need to go through.
Whatever the nature of the medical exam you are going through, you want it to be a success. This article has tips to help you in that regard.
Introduction to non-physical appointments
Sometimes, the medical exam you must undergo may take the form of a non-physical appointment. We also refer to it as a ‘wellness exam.’ In this case, the objective behind the medical exam is for the medic to understand an already diagnosed medical issue better. If you have been undergoing treatment for some condition, this exam may be conducted to see how well you respond to treatment. Further, the testing can also be for what appears to be an arising, but yet undiagnosed, medical issue.
Contrasting the wellness exam with the physical exam
So far, we have established that the wellness exam (non-physical appointment) deals with the already-diagnosed issues. On the other hand, the physical exam deals with undiagnosed issues. The objective behind it is to prevent such problems from taking root. So it is preventive.
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Strictly speaking, visa medical checkups fall within the category of physical exams. For instance, you would be undertaking a physical exam while going through the medical test for a Brunei visa. That is because it is not geared toward resolving a diagnosed issue. Instead, it aims to gain insight into your general state of health.
Tips to help you increase your chances of success in medical exams
People often express interest in knowing whether there are things they can do to increase their chances of success in medical exams. For instance, if you are set to undergo the medical test for a Brunei visa, you may want to know if there is anything you can do to increase your chances of succeeding.
There are indeed several things you can do to increase your chances of succeeding in medical exams:
1. Sleep well
The relevance of sleep in this context is in the fact that it helps you to relax. Conversely, you tend to be tense when you haven’t slept soundly. You also tend to have high levels of stress hormones. Those raise your blood pressure. This is essential because almost all major medical exams have an aspect where your blood pressure is checked. Notably, you may fail the entire test because your blood pressure was too high. Yet this may be due to a lack of proper sleep.
2. Be properly hydrated
During the medical exam, the doctor will likely request to draw some blood at some point. Even if you are going through a routine medical checkup for a Brunei visa, a blood sample may still be needed for several tests. Now, if you are well hydrated, blood drawing will be easy enough. But if you lack proper hydration, it may be a very agonizing experience.
With proper hydration, you generally look healthier. But if you are dehydrated, the doctor may observe (and record) that you look unwell. That alone could cause you to fail some medical exams.
3. Don’t engage in strenuous exercises
The objective is to avoid raising your blood pressure and heart rate readings. Thus for at least the night and morning before the exam, it is best to avoid exercise.
4. Keep off salty or fatty foods
You do this to ensure that you get good cholesterol and blood pressure readings. You should keep off such foods for the week before the exam. If that sounds too long, at least refrain from such dishes for the 24 hours before the exam.
5. Go for a brief fast
This will help you get good blood sugar (as well as good blood pressure) readings. It can be a short fast: even fasting for 12 hours before the exam is sufficient.
6. Keep off coffee and refrain from smoking
The goal here is to keep your blood pressure (which is one of the key things they look at in the exams) within the ideal range. You can smoke all you want and take as much coffee as possible after the exam. But before the exam, briefly refrain from these pleasures.
7. If possible, opt for a morning appointment
You will likely get the best readings in the morning after a good sleep. Moreover, a morning exam means you won’t have to stay away from cigarettes and coffee for the whole day. Also, you can do fasting at night. Once the test is over, you can go back to your everyday pleasures.
8. Have a checklist at hand
This list of the essential things to bring along for the exam. Having the checklist can help you minimize stress on the test day. Lower levels of stress can help you ace certain aspects of the exam.
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The tests that are typically performed during a physical
The general tests that doctors typically conduct during a physical exam include the diabetes test. There can also be lung and colon cancer screening. And on top of those, there may be a check for depression.
Over and above the general tests, men may specifically need to undergo prostate cancer screening. That is besides the cholesterol test and testicular exam. Screening for an abdominal aortic aneurysm is also standard.
Besides the general tests, women may specifically need to undergo a mammogram. That is on top of a pap smear, osteoporosis screening, and a pelvic examination.
Our Private GP in London is always available for all standard medical checkups.