Preventive check-ups
A check-up starts with a consultation. Tests are selected according to your age, family history, symptoms and other risk factors.
Who should see an internist about this
- You are over 40 and have not had a proper check in a few years.
- You want a baseline before a milestone: new job, marriage, insurance, travel.
- Family history of diabetes, heart disease, stroke or cancer worries you.
- You had an abnormal result elsewhere and want it interpreted.
- You smoke, carry extra weight, or sit most of the day and want a real assessment.
What happens at your visit
The consultation comes first. Dr. James asks about your history, family history, diet, activity, sleep, smoking and alcohol, then examines you: pressure, weight, waist, heart and chest.
Only then are tests chosen. Each check-up is planned by Dr. James after a consultation, based on your conditions and symptoms. When results return, you sit down again and go through them in plain language: what is normal, what needs watching, and what needs action.
How to prepare
- Ask when booking whether fasting is needed; sugar and some fat tests prefer eight to twelve hours fasting.
- Bring older reports so trends can be compared rather than single values judged alone.
- Bring your medicine and supplement list.
After your visit
Results are explained one by one, not handed over as a confusing printout. You leave with the baseline recorded, any actions agreed, and a reminder interval for the next check. Anything abnormal becomes a proper plan, not a vague warning.
Common questions
Why not just book a standard health package?
Fixed packages test the same things for everyone, which means tests you do not need and gaps where you do. A consultation first finds your actual risks, so the tests answer real questions and the results get explained properly afterwards.
What does a check-up usually include?
A history and examination first, then typically blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol, kidney and liver function, and a blood count. ECG, urine tests or further checks are added only when your situation calls for them.
How often should I have a check-up?
For most healthy adults, every one to two years is sensible. More often if you have diabetes, high pressure, high cholesterol, a strong family history, or you smoke. The interval is set by your results, not by a marketing calendar.
I feel completely well. Is a check-up still worth it?
Yes, because the point is finding the problems that feel like nothing. High blood pressure, cholesterol, early diabetes and kidney changes all develop silently for years. Finding them early is exactly when they are easiest to fix.
Will you tell me honestly if nothing is wrong?
Yes. A normal result is a good result, and we say so plainly. You get the baseline recorded, the interval for the next check, and the few things actually worth changing, not a list of problems you do not have.
