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What you can do today: check-ups

Blood pressure, screenings, vaccines, and hearing and vision checks. How far the research on each has got, and the products that go with them.

What people try

4Knowing and controlling your blood pressureStage 4 · Widely recommended · Checks at doctors' offices and pharmacies; treatment by prescriptionHigh blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a key risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and it can be measured and managed.Main risk: Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and congestive heart failure.4Health screeningsStage 4 · Widely recommended · Through your doctor; most are covered by insuranceHealth screenings are tests that look for diseases before you have any symptoms.Main risk: After a virtual colonoscopy there may be cramping or bloating for about an hour.4Vaccines for adultsStage 4 · Widely recommended · At pharmacies and doctors' offices; usually covered by insuranceVaccines for adults are shots that a health care provider may recommend to help prevent certain illnesses.Main risk: The most common side effects of these vaccines are mild, such as pain, swelling, or redness where the shot was given.3Hearing and vision checksStage 3 · Large studies in people · Audiologists, eye doctors and doctors' officesVision screening programs are described as helping to find people who need follow-up with an eye care professional.Main risk: Case reports link hearing aid treatment to earwax blockage, skin irritation, accidentally kept ear molds, outer ear infection, and middle ear problems.

Products

Sorted by the best research stage of each product's ingredients, then by price. The stage describes research on the ingredient, not proof that the product works.

No products listed here yet.

Recent research

Study in 21 856 adults aged 55 to 74 who heavily smoked, from a lung cancer screening trial

Lung scan bone density may predict spine fractures in heavy smokers

Researchers checked bone density from lung scans against later spine fractures and deaths.

Summary of earlier studies

Recent studies look at vaccines for older adults

This commentary highlights earlier vaccine studies in an older-adult journal.

Summary of earlier studies

Hearing loss and thinking skills across life: what studies show

This review summarizes earlier research on hearing loss, memory, and thinking from childhood to old age.

Study in 12 studies of adults and older people

Cataract surgery and falls: what twelve studies found

Twelve studies were reviewed together.

Study in 78,209 women in a large cancer screening trial

Hormone therapy and menopause timing linked to breast cancer outcomes

Women who used hormone therapy had more breast cancer cases but fewer deaths from it.

See all the latest research →

What others are writing

Recent articles from health journalists, hospitals and universities. We link to them; we don't write or endorse them.

cidrap.umn.edu · Mary Van Beusekom, MS · Aug 26, 2025

New ACC guidance urges uptake of 5 vaccines for heart patients ↗

Vaccines for adults: The American College of Cardiology recommends adults with heart disease get several vaccines, including COVID-19, flu, RSV, pneumonia, and shingles shots.

health.osu.edu · Mina Makary, MD · May 14, 2024

Should you consider a preventive full-body MRI? ↗

Health screenings: The article says MRI screening suits high-risk patients but has limits, such as with metal implants and lung motion.

Mayo Clinic · Feb 29, 2024

High blood pressure (hypertension) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic ↗

Knowing and controlling your blood pressure: The page explains that most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms, so regular blood pressure checks matter.

health.harvard.edu · Rebecca Kranz · Feb 9, 2024

Adult immunization schedule updated with new vaccines for 2024 ↗

Vaccines for adults: Harvard Health explains the CDC's 2024 adult vaccine schedule, including updated COVID-19, flu, RSV, and mpox recommendations.

This is general information gathered from the sources listed, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting anything new.