The Best New Year Resolution For Your Health

The typical mantra from healthcare experts when ringing in the new year usually centers around commitments to exercise more and lose weight. Although important, there may be a new year resolution that could be more impactful for your health. What about investing in your health by simply visiting your primary care doctor. Sounds simple, but this could literally be the difference between your life and death.

According to Statnews, primary care visits are down 10.3% across America when compared to pre-pandemic levels. This means 1 in 10 Americans who usually come to see their primary doctor for a general checkup have not done so since the Covid-19 pandemic started. This also means that routine screening for important diagnoses like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer have been delayed for these individuals. This ultimately will hinder effective treatment of these diseases that could have been prevented had they been detected.

According to new research, only 14% of cancers that occur in the United States are being detected by screening. This means that 6 of 7 cancers are discovered when symptoms have already occurred. Screening tests are available for five different cancers- lung, breast, colorectal, cervical, and prostate. If screening tests are used less by the general public, then less cancers will be found at an early stage when they are potentially treatable. Too often, cancers get detected when it is too late, symptoms are present and there is limited treatment that can be done to save one’s life.

As an example, screening for breast cancer should occur for most women at the age of 40, according to the American College of Radiology. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in America, and the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, 43,250 women died from breast cancer in 2022. Breast cancer is screened for by mammograms, which are non-invasive x-rays that check the breast for any abnormalities, specifically cancer. According to the American College of Radiology, mammograms can detect cancer much earlier than they can be felt by the hand. In addition, annual screening with mammograms has reduced deaths from breast cancer in the US by nearly 40% dating back to the 1990’s.

The success of early cancer screening is at risk given less Americans are going to their primary care doctors and less individuals are getting screened for various cancers. According to a study in JAMA Network, screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer have all declined since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, only 6% of those eligible for getting screened for lung cancer are actually showing up for their low dose CT chest examination, the screening study for lung cancer. This means that 94% of Americans who are at risk for developing lung cancer, the deadliest cancer in America, are not getting routinely screened for it.

As you strive to return to some level of normalcy after Covid-19, you must not forget to take care of yourself and your health. Visiting your family doctor should be at the top of your list of new year resolutions, especially if you have not gone for the last several years. Primary care doctors will ensure that you are up to date with your medications, vaccinations, and screening tests. Screening tests save lives, but it remains up to you to get it.