- Disease screenings. These are tests to see if you have a disease before you have felt or reported symptoms. When a disease is caught at an early stage, treatment can often be more effective. Whether you should have a certain screening test depends on your risk factors. Those are circumstances that increase the chance that you may get the disease. For example, when you reach age 50, you’re at greater risk for colorectal cancer. In that case, the recommendation is that you get screened for it when you turn 50, and on a regular basis afterward.
- Reducing your risk factors. There are some risk factors you can’t control, such as your age and family history. But you can control others, such as smoking, which puts you at greater risk for many diseases. If you smoke, a program to help you quit smoking can lower your risk for those diseases. Being overweight or obese also raises your risk for several diseases. If your weight is greater than normal for your height, you may benefit from dieting and exercise counseling.
