Preventing is always better than cure. That's why regular health check into the need to live happy and healthy. But if you do not have enough time or costs for health checks in hospital, some simple health checks can be done alone at home.Health checks or medical check ups are very important to be able to detect the disease itself. A complete health check should be performed in hospitals, but some simple tests you can do yourself at home.
Here are some health checks that can be done at home, as reported by Lifemojo, Friday (08/04/2011):
1. Test your heart rate
Heart rate is a measurement when the heart beats and pumps blood through your body. Heart rate is a direct indicator of how hard or intense cardiovascular work to supply the body with blood that is required for activity.
To measure your heart rate at home, you can simply check the pulse. Place two fingers on the thumb side of wrist or place the index and middle fingers on the neck at the side of the throat.
Use a clock or watch for the benchmark time, count how many beats are there in 20 seconds. Then multiply this number by three. The result is your current heart rate.
In adults, normal resting pulse rate is 60-85 beats per minute (for athletes will be lower, ie 40-60 beats per minute) while resting pulse children tend to be higher. If the pulse is irregular or abnormally fast or slow, this could be a sign of disease.
2. Test iron deficiency
Iron deficiency usually causes anemia. Anemia is a condition in which blood is red blood cell deficiency is sufficient, which carry oxygen to cells throughout the body, provide energy and healthy skin color.
Iron deficiency can make you weak, tired and pale, because the body can not produce enough hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that enable it carry oxygen.
In children, iron deficiency can lead to heart murmur (heart audible noise) and delay in growth and development. Due to lack of blood oxygen, the heart must work harder to get enough oxygen throughout the body. Over time, this will cause stress on the heart, causing rapid heart rate or irregular, chest pain, enlarged liver and even heart failure.
To perform this test, check whether pale or yellowish skin color of ordinary (especially the folds of the palm of the hand), gum color, nail color or listening to a fast heartbeat or irregular. You can also listen to the lungs, respiration occurs whether fast or uneven.
3. Test or wheezing sound when breathing high
Wheezing is the sound that occurs when abnormal breathing that can be described as a high-pitched whistling sound. Wheezing may occur due to narrowed airways in the lungs that often result from diseases such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), bronchitis, bronchiolitis or pneumonia.
This examination can be seen from the sputum. If sputum yellowish, greenish or brownish, this may indicate a bacterial infection. Sputum is bright but very sticky (mucoid) is a characteristic of asthma. Also, if you frequent wheezing and shortness of breath while exercising, you may be suffering from asthma. Ask your doctor to check you for asthma.
4. Blood sugar test
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when a person's body does not make enough insulin or can not use insulin properly. If you have diabetes, the sugar will accumulate in the blood, rather than move into the cell. Regular testing of blood sugar can help reduce your risk of having long-term complications of diabetes.
Someone was having a higher risk of diabetes when aged over 45 years, obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes have a family member (parent, brother or sister).
If most of the risk factors apply to you, then you are at high risk for diabetes and blood sugar testing should be done regularly. Blood sugar test can also be done at home with the help of glucose meters.
Glucose meters in general procedure is to menusukan fingertip with a sterile needle to obtain a drop of blood and placing the test strip. Insert test strip into the glucose meter to get a reading numbers. Normal glucose levels between 70 to 99 mg per dL (if the tests done in the morning before eating anything).
5. Measuring waist circumference
Although you are not overweight, belly or visceral fat can put you at higher risk for many health problems like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Measuring waist circumference or how wide the waist is an easy way to determine whether you have excess fat in the abdominal area.
To do this, stand upright and create a relaxed abdominal muscles. Wrap a tape measure completely around the waist from the navel. Breathing a minimum and make sure not pull the tape measure so tight so that pressing the skin.
For women, lingkat waist size 32 inches (80 cm) may increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes and waist circumference greater than 35 inches is considered high risk. For men, 37 inches (94 cm) increases the risk and the measurement of greater than 40 inches puts you at high risk category. So pinggar ideal circumference is below the figures.