Primary care & annual labs
An ongoing relationship with one primary-care clinician is one of the highest-leverage things you can do for your long-term health. They notice trends, catch the small things, and coordinate the rest.
A reasonable yearly basic lab panel for healthy adults often includes:
- Comprehensive metabolic panel (kidney, liver, electrolytes)
- Lipid panel (cholesterol)
- Hemoglobin A1c (3-month blood sugar)
- CBC (complete blood count)
- Vitamin D, B12, ferritin (iron stores) on a case-by-case basis
- Thyroid (TSH) periodically
Talk with your clinician about additional markers (ApoB, Lp(a), hsCRP, fasting insulin) for a sharper picture of cardiometabolic risk.
Cancer screenings (general adult guidance)
| Screening | Typical start | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Colon (colonoscopy or FIT) | Age 45 | Every 10 years (colonoscopy) / yearly (FIT) |
| Breast (mammogram) | Age 40–50, individualized | Every 1–2 years |
| Cervical (Pap/HPV) | Age 21–25 | Every 3–5 years |
| Lung (low-dose CT) | Age 50, eligible smokers | Yearly |
| Skin (full-body exam) | Adulthood | Yearly, sooner if risk factors |
| Prostate (PSA discussion) | Age 45–50 | Individualized — discuss with clinician |
Family history can shift these earlier. Bring a written family history to your physical.
Immunizations
- Annual influenza
- COVID-19 boosters per current guidance
- Tdap every 10 years
- HPV (through age 45 in many guidelines)
- Shingles at 50+
- Pneumococcal at 65+ (or earlier if high-risk)
- RSV per current guidance for older adults and pregnancy
Blood pressure
"Normal" is <120/80. Hypertension is silent, common, and treatable. A $30 home cuff (Omron, Greater Goods) gives you a real picture; one in-clinic reading isn't enough.
Dental
- Cleaning + exam every 6 months for most adults; more often if you have gum disease.
- X-rays as recommended (typically every 1–2 years).
- Don't ignore bleeding gums — that's gingivitis, which is reversible if caught early.
- Night guard if you grind; cracked teeth are expensive and avoidable.
- Fluoride toothpaste daily; floss nightly. See Hygiene.
Vision
- Comprehensive eye exam every 1–2 years for adults; yearly if you have prescription glasses, diabetes, or are 60+.
- An eye exam catches more than vision changes — diabetes, hypertension, and certain tumors first show in the retina.
- Wear UV-blocking sunglasses; UV exposure raises cataract and macular degeneration risk.
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule for screen work: every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Hearing & mental health
Untreated hearing loss is now considered one of the largest modifiable risk factors for dementia. Get a baseline test in your 50s; sooner if exposed to loud environments. Mental health is health — annual depression and anxiety screening is appropriate for adults, and therapy is healthcare, not a luxury.
Questions to ask your provider
- "Given my family history, are there screenings I should start earlier?"
- "Can we look at trends in my numbers, not just one snapshot?"
- "Are there any medications I'm on that I could safely come off, or take at a lower dose?"
- "What's the smallest, most realistic change that would have the biggest impact on my health right now?"
Quick-win checklist
- Schedule your annual physical and basic labs.
- Book a dental cleaning if it's been >6 months.
- Book an eye exam if it's been >2 years.
- Buy a $30 home BP cuff and check monthly.
- Update immunizations on schedule.