Lab work, screenings and tests may be a hassle, but they can save your life. You’ll notice that your doctor will order some tests during certain periods of your life, while others will be ordered every year. 

Here are the preventive screenings you’ll probably have during your life broken down into two categories by age group. 

According to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, the preventable health conditions and diseases with the highest cost, if you get them, are:

When it comes to aging, we can’t always avoid major health issues. But even if our genetics set us up for type 2 diabetes, for example, there are plenty of steps we can take to reduce our risk. Which preventive steps provide the biggest return on our effort? 

Here’s where science suggests your investment will get you the furthest in lowering your risk.

We often think of prevention from the perspective of youth. If we had started eating healthy in our 20s, if we had built strong exercise habits in our 30s, if we had maintained a healthy weight in our 40s … While we can do a lot of good — or bad — when we’re young, we can still have an impact on our health as we age. Prevention never stops. 

Here are some of things you can do to improve your health and keep chronic illness and other age-related issues at bay. 

Have you ever gotten a stomachache when you’ve been nervous or stressed? It’s that awful queasy feeling that creeps up when you’re facing a deadline, getting ready for a presentation or taking a test. And while these stomachaches usually pass quickly, they show a connection between stress and gut health.

It makes sense that if we have an unhealthy gut, we’ll have gastrointestinal issues. But sometimes we forget that what we eat affects our entire body – not just our gut.

How does the gut have so much influence over our health? 

Gut health is garnering a lot of attention, as research continues to show its importance to overall health. Yet, the flood of information online about improving digestive health can make it hard to separate fact from fiction. In this video, MDVIP Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrea Klemes and award-winning registered dietitian Layne Lieberman dispel five common myths about gut health.

You’re probably aware that processed foods and ultra-processed foods have a bad rap. Regularly eating these foods raise the risk for:

Now that we’re heading into the summer months, you’ll probably spend more time outdoors and a lot more time around mosquitoes. If you’re one of those people mosquitoes love to target, we have some good news. 

Many people find living in rural areas desirable. When compared to urban, even suburban living, a rural lifestyle usually includes a bigger home, a greater connection to nature and brighter nighttime skies. Rural residents also benefit from the peace and tranquility they experience in their communities.