Have you heard that it’s a good idea to get a checkup with your doctor once every year? It’s true! Checking in with your body is just like changing the oil on your car or getting your furnace serviced before you use it every year. Taking a few minutes to talk to your doctor, get some tests done, and make sure your body is doing well can go far towards keeping you healthy. Here are just a few of the things you can gain by getting your health checked each year.

Find New Conditions

As we age, our bodies don’t work as well. Things happen and medical conditions come up that we need to deal with. If we find these things early, though, it’s often easier to either head them off before they become major issues or start dealing with them before they have a major negative effect on our lives. For instance, it’s one thing to find out that you have high blood pressure because you go to your doctor regularly, but entirely another when you end up in the hospital because of it, having avoided checkups for several years in a row.

Manage Current Conditions

If you already have some medical conditions, you’ll want to see your doctor at least one a year, just to keep tabs on them. This allows your doctor to hear about how you’re doing, assess any new symptoms to see if they belong to the same condition, make sure your medications are still working, and more. It also allows you to ask any questions you have and make sure that your treatment plan should stay the same for the coming months.

Update Your Medications

Many of us are on one or more medication that we take regularly or even daily, even if it’s just allergy medication or something like an asthma inhaler. Regular checkups allow you to check in with your doctor and make sure that you’re still on the very best medication for your condition. Since new medicines are coming out all the time, this can change fast. The medicine that was best for you last year may not be the best for you this year. The only way to know that is to talk to your doctor regularly.

Schedule Tests

As you age, there are certain tests that you should have every year, every few years, or even every decade. Your doctor can help you manage these when you see him or her for your checkup. If you need to schedule a mammogram, a prostate exam, or something else, your doctor can recommend locations and practitioners who he or she trusts. They may even need to refer you for the test if your insurance requires it. These tests could save your life if they find and allow you to treat conditions before things get dire.

If you haven’t seen your doctor lately, it’s probably time to get your checkup on the books for next year. You can even make the call today!