Physicals are visits where the doctor deals with preventative care, ie doctor focuses on things that are important for the future; this may include watching for developmental delay, obesity, vaccines, checking for breast cancer etc. This means that if you have any active concerns, you should schedule a separate visit for those. For example, if you are worried about joint pains, and would also like to have a physical, it would be better to schedule a separate visit for joint pains and a separate visit for physical. In general, we prefer seeing patients for the following:

1. Infants require visits for well child checks within 1 week of birth, then at 2 wks, 4 wks, 2 mths, 4 mth, 6 mths, 9 mths, 1 yr, 15 mths and 18 mths for developmental screening and vaccinations.

2. We prefer that children 2yrs and older are seen yearly around their birthdays.

3. Teenagers should have their yearly physicals as they are going through hormonal and body changes.

4. Sexually active women > 21 yr of age require PAP smears every 3 yrs to screen for cervical cancer

5. Women > 50 yrs of age require mammograms to screen for breast cancer every 2 yrs

6. Men and women > 50 yrs need colonoscopy or stool test to screen for colon cancer