SELF-HEALTH EVALUATIONS, Part I

Many people don't like going to the doctor. It can be common to experience intense anxiety, fear, and dread about upcoming visits to clinics, offices, and hospitals. Taking tests and waiting for results can bring much fear and stress. But...

What if we decide to be more proactive about what appears to be our body's version of 'optimal,' 'normal,' or 'healthy?' Could we reduce unneeded stress and anxiety about doctor visits? We still need to attend our various checkups and follow-up appointments, but could our entire mindset about our health change to bring more peace and ownership of our bodies?

Consider whether the following list has anything to do with your life:

Paying bills
Picking up prescriptions or vitamins/supplements
Renewing memberships
Dry cleaning orders
Budgeting
Follow-up appointments with doctors or therapists
Meetings with our boss, board/committee meetings, conferences, etc
Family gatherings or nights out with friends
Massage
Hike
Grocery run, or stocking up at a bulk store like Costco, Sam's Club, etc
Deeper cleaning of the house, garage, or vehicle

We all have some of these monthly routines, practices, or tasks, right?
What if we add one more very important thing to the list: performing an all-over Self-Evaluation/Self-Exam of our physical body? And what if we do this evaluation monthly (or even a shorter version weekly, if desired)?

When my kids were little, I wanted to keep track of any negative or alarming patterns in their health that I felt/knew should not be there. So, I bought notebooks and labeled one for each family member. I then sketched a simple outline of the human body with a list of areas to check each month (or more often, depending on our base or starting point) and anything we might notice or need to monitor. I even jotted down a few simple questions to ask my kids each month so that they could learn to discuss their bodies and become open and comfortable talking about what their bodies were going through.

The beauty of this self-evaluation/exam concept is that we can make it whatever we want. It can be as straightforward or as complex as we like. Notebooks are affordable! And if we aren't confident sketch artists, it's easy to find a blank physical body sketch outline on the internet. Print one out and attach it to your notebook, or trace it onto a notebook page so you can repeat the outline until your book is full.

I invite you to consider designating an empty notebook and adding an all-over body self-evaluation/exam as a practice to your life's routine --- and I invite you to keep it going your entire life.

Here are some areas that you may want to include in a regular self-evaluation:

Blood Health (Hematology)
Bone Health (Skeletal system)
Brain Health (Neurology)
Breast Health (regardless of gender or age)
Circulatory Health (reserved for a future article)
Digestive Health (Gastrointestinal)
Heart Health (Cardiovascular system)
Joint Health
Lymphatic Health (to be discussed in a future article)
Muscle Health
Nerve Health - (sensory)
Respiratory Health
Reproductive Health (reserved for a future article)
Skin Health (include hair and nails, and any unpleasant or unfamiliar body odors you may notice whether bathed or un-bathed)

Let’s look at how to assess whether various areas of the body need our notice or attention. I’ll go alphabetically to help us remember the body’s areas better. Before I begin, let me stress how important it is for you not to assume the worst, panic, or tell yourself that things you may find are the end of your health or your life. Catching various illnesses early in life increases our opportunity to live a long, healthy, fulfilling life.

Here we go!

Blood Health: A long list of symptoms can indicate when our blood health may be struggling. Here is an incomplete summary: Blurry vision, feeling dizzy or disoriented, fever, nausea, rapid heartbeat, cold and clammy skin or shivering, concentration issues, being extra thirsty, pain in your back and neck, fatigue... and the list goes on from there. (As you continue reading, you'll notice some of these symptoms can also be present in other checkpoint areas of the body's systems.) You can check on your veins when you do your skin check. If any of them are warm, hot, or swollen, note them or take a photo. Our drops of precious blood want to flow happily through those veins undisturbed. Hot veins are something to monitor, research, and consider seeking a visit to the doctor.

Bone Health (skeletal): I’m not as well-versed in evaluating bones. But I do know what it feels like to have intense and severe pain in my bones (thank you, Covid pandemic). I know what it feels like to be weak and worry my bones will crack or snap (thank you, natural course of aging). An indication that I needed better nutrition, certain supplements, and specific types of exercise showed up in my struggle to get off the floor without pushing off furniture. I didn't know if it was a muscle or bone thing. So, I began making efforts to figure it out.

We want our bone marrow to be very healthy and strong. A few minutes of research on why bones suddenly feel weaker or more brittle at any age could help. Otherwise, we can ask questions when we go to the doctor. But there’s no reason to wait for the doctor if some of our research efforts can lead us to take more calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D!

Brain Health: Have you been experiencing brain fog or a lot of confusion lately? Is concentration difficult? How do you feel your ability to make decisions has been? How is your memory these days? Do you have trouble sleeping? Do your hands shake? Make notes about any of these to keep an eye on them, research, or inform your healthcare provider at your next opportunity.

Breast Health: You may find appropriate videos on self-breast exams (and groin or exterior pelvic exams) online. The people who publish such videos on YouTube and other social media are clothed, but it should be easy to understand and view the areas you need to check in your body. If you prefer to consult a diagram, searching ‘How to do Self Breast Exam’ and clicking on Google Images will bring up useful resources for printout pages regardless of gender. Be sure to check each unclothed breast area and armpit while standing up and also while lying down. Give yourself enough time to do these checks without feeling rushed.

Digestive (Gut) Health: How is your digestion lately? Do you experience bloating, heartburn, stomach pain, nausea, constipation, gas, or diarrhea? These are not symptoms to ignore. Your body will force you to pay attention when something is off. Sometimes, the resolution to these symptoms could be as simple as eliminating one or more triggers from your diet or taking one supplement. But it's helpful to keep track of it from week-to-week or month-to-month.

Heart Health: Note any chest pain (burning, pain, or tightness), shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue in your daily activities (being tired out is not just heart or lung), low blood pressure, or vertigo. Take your pulse. Does your heartbeat feel irregular? Is it faster than it should be? [There is a healthy range of heart beats per minute for males, females, according to age.] Note whether any place on your body appears to be swollen/inflamed. It may be a good idea to take measurements of your neck, arms, upper and lower legs, and torso with a flexible ribbon tape measure (not the noisy, hard type found in a toolbox). Note: This measurement effort can go in the bone health-check section of your evaluation as well or instead.

Joint Health: Mark down any areas that hurt, make noise when in motion, show redness, or are warm/hot, swollen, or weak.

Muscle Health: Can you get off the couch or chair or exit your vehicle without using hands and arms for leverage against furniture, your knees, or other objects? Can you lift things you've always been able to lift? Can you stand up as long as usual? Can you sit or sleep as long as usual without feeling sore or stiff? Can you walk or run as long as usual? Can you exercise without being exhausted the next day?

The body tells us to "Pay attention!" Pain and stiffness are signals to “listen up!” Figure out “what’s wrong,” “what’s off,” or “what’s missing,” so we can make priorities to fix it as soon as we can.

Nerve Health: Do you have trouble balanced when standing, or sitting straight on a chair or toilet? Do you stumble, trip, or feel dizzy frequently (beyond an occasional head rush when standing up quickly)? Is it difficult to walk, run, or do other activities requiring coordination? Have you noticed any numbness or loss of feeling in your arms, legs, or hands/feet? Do your hands and feet frequently/always feel cold or hot? Do you have any burning or stabbing pain that starts in your back and shoots to your toes or other body areas? Do your muscles cramp up or twitch? Have you felt a new muscle or limb weakness, notably in your feet? How are your vision, speech, and sense of smell/taste? Are you having trouble remembering things (more than usual)? Have you had an increase in headaches, shakiness, or even seizures?

Respiratory Health (lungs, oxygen): You could check how you feel when you go up and down your stairs once, twice, or three times without stopping for a rest. Record the results. You could also check how you feel when standing on a stool or chair to reach something up high or bending down to pick up a full laundry basket. Are you out of breath when walking to the mailbox? Is it difficult to push the grocery cart inside or without groceries? Can you get in and out of your car without panting for breath? Winter is coming. Will you be able to sweep, shovel, or blow snow without struggling for breath? Can you keep up with the pets, kids, or grandkids without being tired for an hour (or the rest of the day) after just a few minutes of playing or walking? Do you hear any rattling or wheezing sounds as you inhale? Do you feel congested frequently or all the time? When you inhale, does it feel like you can't get enough air? Does it hurt your chest or anywhere else around the lungs/neck/diaphragm/heart area? It's essential to notice and mark down any symptoms with the date, whether it could be allergies or something else.

Skin Health: Examine yourself fully unclothed in good light. Use a mirror and your hands and eyes to check your skin all over. Note any moles, warts, birthmarks, or scars you see. Mark those on the notebook page. The picture representing your body doesn't have to look like a da Vinci drawing. A stick figure or a sketched outline of a person with a head, torso, and appendages is fine. I have freckles all over my shoulders. Those aren't necessary to jot down. But I have moles I evaluate each month.

Do you notice any bumps, discoloration, rashes, or itchy areas that won't stop itching? Do you see any darker veins or marks anywhere? Do you see cellulite? Mark all these down. Try to recall when you first noticed them, if it was before now. Note any bruises and what color/colors they are. Can any of those be helped with healing with ointment and a bandage? Or can you increase your Vitamin C and other vitamins to encourage those bruises to heal?

I always get excited when I get a bruise or blemish because I use that as my reminder to take more vitamin C, drink more water, or include healthier oils in my diet. I love checking on those areas the next day or a few days later to see how they have faded or wholly healed already! Mark any areas down, even if it’s a blemish you expect will fade by the end of the week. Trying tea tree oil or ointment on these areas versus taking vitamins and watching them shrink/fade/disappear — versus doing nothing, now that is a telling experiment.

If bruises are not disappearing or scrapes/cuts aren’t closing even with first aid ointment, it’s time to find out why. I always turn to my vitamins first, but this is a personal choice. For the record, I am not encouraging you to ignore your primary doctor or other resources for your health. [When I check my vitamin inventory, I see if I’m out of any of the main ones I’ve noticed do help my skin: Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, and K.] Even if I have a suspicious-looking area on my skin, it could take a few days or a week to get into the provider I want to see. Meanwhile, I could choose to be proactive in taking the vitamins the skin all over my body is crying for.

Now use your fingertips and hands to feel your arms, armpits, and surrounding areas, breast areas (males have breast tissue too, so please don't exclude that area), groin area (where your leg hooks onto your torso), and the areas around where your major organs sit. Check the area around your collarbone, neck, and throat. Check your skull with your fingers. [You may need to ask someone who lives with you to check areas on your back or legs that you can’t see or feel.] Feel for lumps, bumps, and sore areas, and look for any leakage or discharge from any part of your body. Check if one of your legs, arms, feet, hands, or breast/pectoral area looks larger than the other. Check your face for swelling. Check whether one of your eyes (or both) or the sides of your mouth are drooping, and that's not your typical look.

Make a note if you find places on your skin or scalp that hurt or itch (beyond itchy scalp indicating you may need to change your hair care). Occasionally, I'll discover a painful little bump under my hair on my scalp. When this first happened, I freaked out and assumed the worst. But after calming down, I decided to dab a bit of tea tree oil on the bump. Surprisingly, the bump shrank almost immediately and didn't cause me any more pain or anxiety. This situation happens less than a handful of times yearly, and I don't freak out about it anymore. My body just needs to eliminate some random toxin and decides to push through my skin onto my scalp like a little pimple through a random follicle or pore. It would worry me if the bump got larger and more painful, but that has never happened. I don’t really get little bumps like that elsewhere on my body, but if I notice anything, I make a note. I apply tea tree oil or ointment to any red or pink and swollen area to see if it’ll shrink. I’ve not been disappointed yet.

There is no reason we should just go on tolerating a life full of any struggles, pains, or symptoms mentioned in this article. It's time to be a detective for your health and consult with the appropriate, knowledgeable professionals who will help point you to the right path toward prevention or healing. Now, what color will your health journal or notebook be?

I am pleased to share Part I of this topic with you. Please stay tuned for Part II, which covers a suggested mental/emotional self-check/evaluation or exam.

By Kaari Branham