The health checks you actually need

There has been a lot of media speculation recently about the latest hi-tech health solutions. With companies offering full body scans that photograph every inch of your person to weed out any abnormalities, it might be tempting to fork out the hefty fee just for ‘peace of mind’. But are these health checks actually as healthy as they make out?

Forewarned is not always forearmed

The truth is that while medical technology has indeed come on leaps and bounds in the past quarter century, and scans and tests can of course help to find and treat disease early, having tests for problems you aren’t displaying symptoms for isn’t always a good thing.

As much as the tech industry might like us to think otherwise, the human body is a lot more complex than any machine, and variations between individuals are entirely normal. The chances are high that anyone undergoing a full body scan will come out with one or two abnormalities detected, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to undergo treatment.

“One of my favourite sayings is ‘treat the patient, not the test’ and we all think carefully before organising additional tests: is this result going to alter my management of this patient? If not, maybe I shouldn’t be doing it,” concludes Dr Justine Setchell.

More harm than good?

In fact, evidence – including a Cochrane review – has shown that there is no benefit to undergoing this sort of rigorous testing for no reason other than peace of mind does not reduce risk of death from all causes, has little to no impact on heart disease outcome, and does not reduce risk of death from cancer.

Unfortunately, what these scans often do is to force people to hand over more money for further testing, some of which is unnecessary and invasive, as well as causing anxiety and stress, which more often than not proves to be unfounded.

So what is the alternative?

If you are concerned about your overall health, have worries about the future, or are feeling tired or experiencing unexplained pain, then your best first step is to visit your GP. They can talk you through your concerns and root out the cause, then prescribe the appropriate tests, if any. One advantage of this approach which can’t be overlooked is financial. Unnecessary testing can get very expensive.

Here at GP London W1, we do offer a screening service – see our Comprehensive Medicals pages for more information – but this is highly personalised and entails a thorough consultation with one of our GPs, who will then tailor the screening process to your individual needs.

It is very important that your GP be aware of any symptoms you are experiencing, your family history, and any background information about what is happening in your life – are you going through a particularly stressful time, for example – to allow them to identify which tests, if any, might be necessary.

We can then organise a range of diagnostic and imaging tests, many of which can be performed on-site at 25 Harley Street where the dedicated imaging suite, includes the latest DEXA and X-Ray facilities. 25 Harley Street also has a quality assured pathology laboratory on-site, offering highly accurate blood tests with results being generated within a quick and efficient time frame.

So, if you are tempted to book yourself in for a ‘Health MOT’, why not book in with one of our GPs first? The most likely outcome is that we can offer you that sought-after peace of mind without the need of any hi-tech wizardry, but if you do need some tests, we’ll make sure you only have the ones you really need.