I’m in my early 50s, based in the UK, married with two teenage kids, and thankfully in good health. However, I’m at the stage in life where I know things can start to go wrong – I see it happening with parents, family members, friends, and colleagues. It feels inevitable, and I want to be proactive about my health.
You often hear stories like, *“I was lucky, they caught it early,”* but also the heartbreaking, *“If only we’d caught it earlier.”* I’d much rather be in the first camp.
So, I was wondering: are there any places that offer comprehensive health checks – like a full MOT for the body? I’m thinking of something that looks for early signs of disease through blood tests, physical exams, stool and urine samples, scans, etc.
The NHS is fantastic if you already have symptoms or a condition, but they’re not really set up for preventative, catch-it-early screening unless there’s a specific reason. Ideally, I’d love to go to my GP and have a full range of tests done (especially as it would be free!), but I know that’s not realistic.
Does anyone have experience with this? Have you done something similar or used a private company that you’d recommend?
Thanks in advance!
Written by
TheMitch
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Most of the big name companies such as BUPA, Nuffield, AXA Health, Spire etc do health checks that cover quite a lot.
For blood tests, companies such as MediChecks do a range of blood panels. I get MediCheck’s “Ultimate Performance” one done as an MOT. It probably saved my life at the end of 2023.
Beyond those, there are more specialised things that are available, such as scans that look to see where body fat is being deposited, scans or manual checks to check moles aren’t suspicious, etc. You can even get DNA tested to check for indicators of things you might be susceptible to. It’s all a question of how much you want to spend and what you want to check for.
TheMitch I forgot to mention that you might find it interesting/useful to listen to or watch some of the Zoe podcasts, which include topics such as how the body's requirements and risk factors change depending on life stage, how to use nutrition to increase the number of healthy years ahead etc. Admittedly, they did introduce me to a couple of terms that I didn't need to hear - "Sniper Alley" and "The Twilight Zone", both used for the age bracket that I am currently in, if nothing else encouragement to improve some aspects of my diet (which I am actively doing)!
As JumpJiving included, companies like Medichecks do a range of relevant tests and we use often eg when discounted offers arrive. But, more importantly, you should consider consulting with a qualified Nutritional Therapist for preventing disease e.g. one specialising in male health. Links available, on request.
Full kudos for being health pro-active. As youve indicated, most wait until disease strikes.
While there are many organisations offering a private health checking service, there is a lot that we can do ourselves. We can have a serious look at our lives ourselves. This would be looking at issues that we can control ourselves such as diet, exercise, sleep, stress etc before shelling out for what can be expensive scans, tests etc.
Another company worth considering is Blue Horizon Medicals - they are a caring, doctor-led team offering an extensive range of blood testing services across the UK. From anything general to full body MOTs as well as more specific blood testing requirements, they have you covered. I have copied in the range of their services below for you so you can gain a full understanding of all the options available to you:
bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk/ - their postal service whereby you can have a testing kit delivered to your home to carry out yourself (finger prick), attend a phlebotomy appointment or arrange for a nurse to visit your home.
Randox everyman test - has the best range of blood analytes of any UK test I have found - more extensive than the others mentioned here. Note the price includes two rounds of tests, so you can do another a year later.
Going up from this would be heading to Turkey or somewhere and having the full monty, some people on YouTube ect have done this, with dexa scans, CT cardiac scans etc.
Something to consider in all of this is when all of these tests just become a “feeding frenzy” for the worried well. You will obviously have to pay for all these tests and more when they include things like MRI scans. There is also the thorny issue of follow-up following the tests. Who does that?
Many years ago when in my 50s I used some of the money my wife and I inherited to have a full BUPA health check. The money came from her Dad. who had died in his early 80s of brain cancer where a melanoma on his nose which had been successfully treated at first subsequently metastasised to his brain. We decided I should see what the BUPA exam and tests would show up. It was a great decision. Several issues were picked up at an early stage including high blood pressure, potential Prostate cancer and Gout. My GP was a bit reluctant to refer me to a urologist but put me on Allopurinol for the Gout and Candesartan for the hypertension. I still take these now in my 70s. As my PSA levels increased, the urology referral was done and it was eventually found that I had both Benign Enlargement and a very low-level case of Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate. I went on Watchful Waiting and, as the cancer didn't develop, it turned out the the BPH was my main problem. I have since been successfully treated with a TURP procedure. Meanwhile, having regular NHS blood tests picked up underactive thyroid for which I take Levothyroxine tablets and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which is indolent and, like the prostate cancer, only needs monitoring and no treatment. It isn't always easy living with two forms of cancer that aren't being treated, but it's also a reassurance that they are being regularly monitored. All this might not have happened without that first health check, so I still feel glad I had it done.
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