Periodic check-ups key to baby boomer health and longevity

For somebaby boomers, getting ready for a routine visit with their doctor is like training for a marathon.  Some patients want to be in the best shape possible before stepping on that scale and getting those lab results. Others are so anxious about their vital stats being below par that they consider postponing or even canceling their examinations, doctors report.According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the term “baby boomers” refers to the 71 million people born between 1946 and 1964. The first boomers began hitting age 65 at the rate of 10,000 per day in 2011.Now finding themselves in the age range  between 53 and 71 years old, even the most youth-oriented boomers have to admit they are not getting any younger. It has been noted in aU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent report andTime magazine article that boomers are living longer but aren ’t necessarily living healthier lives.In recent years, a lively debate over the pros and cons of theannual physical exam for boomers and others have appeared in major medical journals.  Opinions have been mixed, noted recentUSA Today andNew York Times articles, with many medical groups taking no official stand.“An inflexible rule mandating an annual physical exam was debunked more than two decades ago,” saysDr. Patrick Dowling, professor and chair of UCLA ’s Department of Medicine. “What a boomer does need, especially those turning 65, is one complete history and physical, followed byMedicare ’s annual wellness v...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news