#FitnessFirst February 18, 2025 Co-Authored and Verified by – Dr Ahamed Nabeel Specialist Medical Affairs How to Choose the Right Health Screening Package Why Health Screenings Are Essential for Your Well-Being Even as a healthy, asymptomatic young person, you may be harboring serious health problems. Symptoms include shortness of breath (heart problems), recurring headaches (high blood pressure), and sudden weight changes (cancer). However, the main issue arises when a lot of these serious conditions manifest without any visible symptoms. This means that until it is too late to take measures, you don’t understand there’s something wrong with your health. And that is a growing problem. This is where health screening tests can save lives. These tests assess your overall health and detect potential issues like blocked arteries, abnormal blood sugar levels, or early cancer signs before they become severe. A comprehensive health screening includes tests for various organ functions, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and metabolic disorders. For instance, ultra-low radiation scan can uncover early signs of lung or heart disease without exposing you to unnecessary risks. Women’s health packages may include mammograms with features for added safety and comfort, making breast cancer detection more accessible and stress-free. Health screenings are created for healthy, asymptomatic people because they focus on prevention. The process is non-invasive and painless, often completed in just 120 minutes. Additionally, there’s no fasting required. Factors to Consider When Choosing a Health Screening Package Now that we’ve seen the importance of preventative screenings, let’s understand how you can select the best health checkup packages out of all the available options. With the correct complete health checkup, you can zero in on the most important details of your report. With the right option, you will see a hundred per cent of the benefits of health screening. 1) Understand Your Health Goals Does your family’s medical history make you worried about specific risks like heart disease or cancer? If you are someone who wants to be smart and careful, then you stand to benefit more from the more general full-body screenings. With the advent of technology, there is an option to go for AI-powered preventive health screenings. These focus on detecting potential health risks early, catering to those people who are currently asymptomatic. 2) Review the Package Details You can’t just give the package a cursory glance – you need to study the offerings in detail. For example, does the package include advanced imaging like low-dose CT scans? For the ones not well-versed in medical terminology, such scans are much safer for you because they expose you to less radiation. Another factor to note is, does the package has tests for key markers like cholesterol, blood sugar, and cancer risk. 3) Reputation and Accreditation of Health Screening Providers When it comes to your health and selecting the right health checkup packages, it’s only natural for you to want to go with a centre that has a good reputation and the proper accreditation. The reason is simple: accredited centres make use of only validated equipment and adhere to international health standards. 4) The Return On Investment of Annual Health Screening Investing in preventive health screening is a practical decision that prioritises early detection over costly treatments for conditions in advanced stages. What many people still don’t know is that using a heart checkup package for detecting a condition like coronary artery disease in the initial stages can avoid expensive, and not to mention painful, treatments like bypass surgeries. When you are comparing the prices of different health screening packages, study the parameters included. For example, advanced options like ultra-low dose with minimal radiation exposure and metabolic tests are better for you. In that regard, you need to identify centres that offer such safe testing processes. How Many Times Should You Get Your Health Screening Done? The frequency of health screening tests depends on many different factors, like your health at the moment, family history, lifestyle, and age range. Even though there isn’t a general recommendation for the number of health screening tests you should get, let’s look at scientific guidelines to help you understand. For healthy people who aren’t experiencing any obvious symptoms, an annual full-body health screening package is recommended. This gives you a 360-degree view of your health and gives you the chance to detect different conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and early-stage cancer. Annual Checkups for Early Disease Detection Annual health screening tests help pinpoint conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and certain cancers early on, even before symptoms start showing. Hypertension, labelled “silent killer”, has the potential to cause severe complications like heart attacks if it goes undetected. You need regular monitoring via a complete health checkup to help curb efficiently. A heart screening package also helps with detecting early signs of blockages. A full body checkup package normally includes tests for blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and liver and kidney functions to give you the full picture. How to Prepare for Your Health Screening 1) Mental Preparation How to prepare for a health screening? Let’s start with mental prep. A health screening can feel overwhelming, particularly if it’s part of a full body checkup package. Understanding the tests in your health screening package can help you feel more at ease. Get plenty of rest the night before to support accurate results, especially for blood sugar and cholesterol tests. Staying calm during procedures, such as a heart screening package, helps you get reliable readings and makes the process smoother. 2) Medications and Supplements Some substances have the potential to affect results, particularly for blood sugar or lipid panels in a body checkup package. Prepare a list of all medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements to share with the screening centre. If fasting is needed for your best health checkup packages, plan how to time your medication accordingly for precise results. How to Choose the Best Screening Package for Your Budget Deciding on a health screening package requires you to be smart and take into account your biggest health concerns, lifestyle, and budget. You can start by shortlisting the most relevant health checkup packages for your age and set of risk factors. For example, young people tend to benefit from basic preventive health checkups, whereas older people and those with a family history should go for a full body checkup package or a more specific option like a heart screening package. Packages with detailed tests like imaging for cardiovascular issues can be more suitable for those people who are dealing with specific risks. FAQs 1) How do I know which health screening package is right for me? To choose the right screening, take into account your age, your family’s health history, and any symptoms you might currently have. A full body checkup package is better for a 360-degree health analysis, and more targeted packages like a heart screening package will help with any specific concerns. 2) What are the eligibility criteria for the health screening packages? Eligibility for health screening packages depends on your age, gender, and health conditions. Some packages are for general health, whereas others focus on specific issues like heart disease or diabetes. For example, older people and people with a family history of specific health problems require specific tests. Then there are also those packages that cater to specific genders, like a heart checkup package for men. 3) How often should I get a health screening? If you’re over 30 years of age, getting a full-body checkup once a year is a good habit. If you have a family history of health issues or an unhealthy lifestyle, you should consider doing it twice a year. Regular screenings help detect problems early, making treatments more effective and reducing future medical expenses. 4) How to choose a full body checkup? Pick a package that covers cancer screenings (lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, oral, colon, prostate for men; ovarian, breast, cervical for women) along with tests for heart health, visceral fat, kidney stones, fatty liver, bone density, blood parameters, vision, hearing, ECG, and urine analysis. Advanced AI-based diagnostics provide more accurate results.