Annual Physical by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

About 70 million U.S. adults have an annual physical -- a routine medical or gynecological check-up. During these visits, many patients are routinely given laboratory tests such as complete blood cell counts or urinalyses of uncertain medical value in the absence of a specific reason. No major clinical organization advises people to get an annual medical check-up, but most adults think they should get one and most doctors recommend them.

Is an annual physical necessary? Although mammograms, pap smears, cholesterol screening, colon cancer screening, prostate cancer screening may save lives, there is a debate whether these tests need to be done as frequently as some doctors recommend.

Large studies have failed to show these annual physical check-ups provide a significant medical benefit. The potential downsides of an annual physical are cost, time wasted for the patient, time wasted for the doctor, and finding false negatives on tests that lead to more tests, additional costs, and patient anxiety and stress.

Carotid artery stenosis testing
There is no evidence that testing for carotid artery stenosis in those who are asymptomatic increases longevity or decreases mortality.