Checkup is best prescriptionfor preventing most illnesses

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It has been Dr. Elmer Huerta's dream to have a clinic bearing a sign that says: "Only for people without symptoms." As the director of the Cancer Preventorium at the Washington Hospital Center's Washington Cancer Institute, he encourages people to go for a checkup before they become sick. When he worked as an oncologist, he became frustrated when he realized how many of his patients' conditions could have been prevented.

"If you intervene early and find conditions earlier, then you provide better quality of life," Dr. Huerta says. "You give more years to people, and you save a lot of money."

Prevention is the key to saving many lives. Getting a yearly physical exam and knowing family history of disease can greatly increase people's health and might even save their lives.

Many physicians only run medical tests when patients have symptoms, says Dr. David Sandmire, co-author of "Medical Tests that Can Save Your Life: 21 Tests Your Doctor Won't Order ... Unless You Know to Ask." Dr. Sandmire is an associate professor at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine.

Unfortunately, once a person shows signs of illness, the disease often is in such a late stage that it can't be treated effectively, he says.

Dr. Sandmire's book lists 21 tests he says the public should understand. Then, after researching their family medical history, they can discuss the procedures with their doctors. Some of the tests in his book include blood glucose tests for type 2 diabetes, blood tests for HIV and the c-reactive protein test for coronary heart disease risk.

In a standard 15-minute doctor visit, the time crunch makes it possible to overlook an important topic.

"I'm not suggesting to have all these medical tests done on everyone," Dr. Sandmire says. "I want to inform the layperson how to determine if they are at risk for a certain condition. If they are at risk, they should be an advocate for themselves."

Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps, another test in Dr. Sandmire's book, should be performed on adults by age 50, or earlier if the family has a history of colorectal cancer, says Dr. Stan Benjamin, chief of gastroenterology at Georgetown University Hospital in Northwest.

Colon cancer begins its life in the colon as a polyp. Five percent of the United States population will end up with colon cancer, making it the fourth most common type of cancer, he says. It is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death. Lung cancer is the first.