Have you ever heard “It’s just growing pains,” at some time during your childhood? I am sure most of us who were raised in rural Mississippi have heard it a time or two. This phrase is a relic of the days when children were seen and not heard.

Unfortunately, as we age the pains we suffered as a child morph into wearing out pains, and most of the time we have a complaint we hear, “Oh! That’s just a part of getting older.” As adults we have programmed ourselves to ignore the warning signs our bodies send us.  We believe work, family, recreation — most everything —  takes precedence  over taking care of ourselves. This mindset can lead to devastating consequences.

Our human bodies are capable of amazing things when everything is working properly. Just like maintenance on our automobiles, we are only going to get the most mileage from our bodies if we routinely have a check up and take care of them.

So many of the diseases that are disabling or deadly can be discovered and treated with early detection. Heart disease, liver disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer can be successfully treated if caught in their infancy.  That is the main reason a yearly screening is so important.

So have that yearly checkup, and don’t let your primary care physician convince you the symptoms you are experiencing just a part of growing older. Listen to your body, it will tell you when something is wrong.  It is also not a sin against the medical profession to get a second opinion.

To live a long, healthy life, take care of yourself — eat right, exercise, and have your yearly checkup. It may just save your life.