February marks National Self-Check Month, a month dedicated to tuning into your body and taking charge of your own health. When most people hear “self-check,” they think of a self-exam for breast cancer. But there are many other conditions that can be detected early by performing routine self-checks and listening to your body. Below are five tips you can use to get the most from your self-checks and stay as healthy as you can.
You cannot perform a successful self-check if you do not know how or what to look for. Learn what checks you should make and how to do them properly. For example, men should know how to do a testicular self-check, and both men and women should know how to do a breast self-examination. Both men and women should also be familiar with oral and skin self-examinations.
Work, school, children and social activities can often monopolize our free time and leave us tired or drained at the end of the day. With all the demands on our time, it can be tempting to reduce a self-check to a quick once over. This, however, is a mistake. You run the risk of missing something important or potentially deadly if you rush through your self-check. So be patient. Check each area two or three times to be sure everything is normal. Think of this time as an investment in your health and well-being instead of a chore.
You saw your provider several months ago, and you gave yourself a self-check last month. You may think you can skip your self-check this month, but this can be a dangerous decision. The American Cancer Society recommends you do all your self-checks at least once a month. Doing monthly self-checks is the best way to take charge of your health in the months between your regular doctor visits. You also become more familiar with your body, so you can easily spot changes and make your self-checks more effective. Set a reminder! Mark your self-checks on the calendar or create a recurring event in your phone. Monthly self-checks could save your life.
Listen to your body, even if you already did your self-check for the month. Everyone is different, so what is normal for you may not be normal for someone else. Learning your “normal” will help you better listen to your body when something changes or feels wrong. You cannot self-check for many conditions, such as lung cancer or colon cancer. But paying attention to your body can alert you to symptoms before they progress too far.
Proper self-checks and paying attention to your body are effective preventive measures, but they do not give you the full picture. Learning what conditions or diseases you are at higher risk for can inform your self-check routine. Learning your health risks also provides insight into changes you can make to reduce your odds for developing those conditions or diseases. For example, if you have a family history of heart disease, you can learn how to eat better or exercise to support a healthy heart.
Check, Please!
Self-checking every month and listening to your body supports the early detection of most cancers, greatly improving your chance of survival. Take charge of your health for yourself and for your loved ones who care about your health. Learn more about self-checks by visiting https://selfchec.org/.
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