Although chronic diseases appear to ambush the unsuspecting like a bandit, they typically develop over many years. Detecting them before they cause symptoms can give you better odds of beating them. That's what health screenings do. Health screenings help healthcare teams uncover early signs of cancers and other chronic diseases while there's an opportunity to treat them and avoid complications. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), early detection is essential for treating cancers and other chronic conditions.
"Screening saves lives", says Dr Sarah Welsh, co-founder of HANX, a female-focused UK sexual health brand. "The screening programmes run by the NHS can pick up cases of early cancer, which have not shown any symptoms at all, preventing progression of the disease," she adds.
A group of experts called the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) guide the NHS in all four UK countries on the screening programmes to offer and to whom. This committee reviews its recommendations every three years, in line with new research findings as well as public consultation. It also monitors the overall quality of screening programmes.
The NHS offers all its screening tests free. Although private companies may offer many more, some tests they provide have not been recommended by the UK NSC because benefits don't clearly outweigh possible harm. According to Dr Hana Patel, a general practitioner (GP), screenings have numerous benefits. "They help reduce people's risk of developing various conditions, or if they do develop, then to diagnose and start treatment early, to reduce disease complications," she adds.
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?