Doctor, I Feel Fine. Why Do I Need a Health Check-up?

This article first appeared in Kannada in Arogyavani, the health supplement of the Udayavani daily. ಈ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಿ

The consultation room is quiet. A middle-aged man walks in, a little hesitant in his step, his face full of questions. He sits on the very edge of the chair and tries, not very successfully, to hide his anxiety.

Patient: Doctor, everyone keeps talking about regular health check-ups these days. But honestly, I feel absolutely fine. If nothing is wrong, why should I even bother?

Doctor: That is a very fair question, and I hear it often. You are not alone in thinking this way.

Feeling well matters. But here is the reality. Many illnesses do not announce their arrival. Diabetes, high blood pressure and even some cancers begin silently, without a single warning sign, and can stay hidden for a long time. By the time symptoms appear, the illness may already have damaged the body, or spread to other organs.

Patient: That is exactly my point, doctor. If something is going to happen, it will happen anyway, won’t it? Why test when I have no symptoms?

Doctor: You don’t wait for your car engine to start rattling before you send it for a service. You service it while it is still running well. The body deserves the same courtesy.

Think of money, too. We don’t start managing our finances only after the money has run out. We save, invest, buy insurance and file our tax returns in advance… not because we are in a crisis, but so that we never land in one.

A regular health check-up is a financial audit for the body. It finds problems and risks early, while there is still time to correct them, and it keeps you from “health bankruptcy” later.

We look early not to frighten you, but to spare you the complications. A high blood sugar found early can save the kidneys years later. A simple screening test can sometimes catch a change before it grows into a cancer.

It is not about fearing disease. It is about staying one step ahead of it.

Patient: Hmm… put that way, it makes sense. So what actually happens in a check-up? Just a few blood tests?

Doctor: Much more than that. A good check-up has several parts.

Depending on your age and sex, we may also suggest specific screening tests.

• For women: a mammogram, to look for early signs of breast cancer, and a Pap smear, for cancer of the cervix (the neck of the womb).
• For men: a PSA test, to assess the prostate.
• For both, especially after 50: a colonoscopy or a stool test to screen for cancer of the large bowel, and sometimes a chest X-ray and an ultrasound scan of the abdomen.

Patient: I had no idea it was this detailed. And doctor, when I brought my mother last time, you spoke about vaccines for adults. I thought vaccines were only for children!

Doctor: A lot of people think so. Vaccination is one of the most neglected parts of adult health.

Patient: All right, doctor. So how often should all this be done? Once every five years?

Doctor: That depends on your age, your lifestyle, your present health and your family history.

Patient: Doctor, I’ll be honest. I’m scared. What if the report shows something bad? I don’t know if I’m ready to face it.

Doctor: I understand. That fear is very human, and it is exactly why many people stay away from check-ups. Not because they are careless… because they are anxious about what might be found.

But let me tell you something I have seen many times. Finding something early is often a blessing, even if it does not feel like one at first. A small problem found now is usually far easier to treat than a large, complicated one found later.

Patient: That is reassuring, doctor… But suppose all my tests are normal. Can I consider myself safe for the next five years?

Doctor: That is another common question, and a logical one. But health does not come with a warranty card. Neither does a health check-up.

A check-up is a snapshot. It tells us that, at this moment, things look fine. But life keeps changing. Stress, food, age and even the environment act on us all the time. So the aim is not to be “safe for five years”. The aim is to stay updated, the way you would with your financial plans, or with the servicing of your vehicle.

Patient: But I have also heard about overtesting. Too many tests only add confusion and worry, don’t they?

Doctor: Yes, and that is a very valid concern. When people undergo a long list of tests without a clear reason, they can end up with false alarms, or with overdiagnosis: finding things that would never have harmed them, but which now lead to anxiety, more tests, and sometimes treatment they never needed.

Not every test is needed for every person. The skill lies in choosing what is relevant for you.

Patient: One more thing, doctor. My schedule is packed. I can’t take a full day off for all this.

Doctor: Understandable. The good news is that most check-ups take only 3 to 5 hours, especially if you book an appointment in advance. And even if you do have to take a day’s leave, I think it is worth it. Think of it as a small investment that can make a big difference to your future health.

Patient: Some people I know say these check-ups are just a way for doctors and hospitals to make money. How do I know what is really necessary?

Doctor: That is a reasonable suspicion. Healthcare, unfortunately, has its share of commercial influence. My advice is simple. Go to a physician you trust, in a hospital you trust.

Patient: Finally, doctor… this may sound odd. Some of my relatives say, “Why worry so much? Have faith in God. What is meant to happen will happen.” Isn’t that also true?

Doctor: I respect that belief. Faith can be a great source of strength. It helps people find meaning in suffering, gives peace in uncertainty, and keeps us anchored through life’s storms. Accepting what comes as a gift from God, with prasāda buddhi as we say, can certainly bring calm.

But faith and action are not opposites. The Bhagavad Gita holds the two together, in the forty-seventh verse of its second chapter.

This verse is usually quoted by its first line alone, and read as advice to stand back from effort. Read the whole verse and it says something quite different. It asks us to act sincerely, without being fixated on the outcome. And its last words are a warning. Choosing not to act, when we can, is itself a kind of inaction, and the Gita tells us not to cling to it.

Getting a regular health check-up, caring for the body, taking medicines when they are needed, eating mindfully, staying physically active… these are all our duties towards the body we have been given.

We lock our doors at night, not because we expect a thief, but to reduce the risk. A health check-up is the same. It is not fear. It is foresight.

We do what is in our hands. The rest, we leave to God, with trust and surrender.

Patient: That is beautifully said, doctor. I had never thought of it that way.

Doctor: I am very glad. Health is not a place we reach once and for all. A check-up is not the end of the road, only a step in the right direction. Look after yourself with a good lifestyle, too. Let us work together to keep you well, and not merely treat you when you fall ill.

The hesitation he walked in with is gone.