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By Karen McConnaughey

Applicants to the Mexican public health care system (IMSS) are now required to undergo a check-up with an IMSS doctor in order to detect any chronic diseases and to assess general health.  If the doctor suspects the presence of any chronic illness, he may order further tests, most of which will be done in Guadalajara. However, you must apply and pay your fee to the system prior to your health exam, and if something is found to be wrong, your IMSS fee will not be returned.   

Julia Vargas, Intermex, the Focus on Mexico program expert speaker on immigration and IMSS, suggests that you may want to go to your family physician first before applying to IMSS to find out if you have any pre-existing conditions. You will still need to take the health examination from the IMSS, but at least you will not be out the fee if the tests from your family doctor determine that you have a pre-existing condition. As well, you will have an honest and accurate idea of yourself and your health before applying to IMSS. Maybe you can consider it a wake-up call for you to get healthy and stay healthy.

There are some steps you can take to help yourself prior to your exam with your family doctor and with IMSS. Some of them are the same thing you would do prior to taking a health exam to get life insurance, some are common sense, a few you might not have thought of and others definitely worth thinking about.

By the way, being healthy is not just about getting cheaper life or health insurance or getting on the IMSS. It’s about being able to enjoy your life for years to come. So think about these things! 

Preparing for Your Medical Exam: Steps toward better health.

Some companies north of the border hand out a list of things to do before you take your physical. Some of the things they suggest are:

• Drink a glass of water an hour or so before the exam to facilitate obtaining a urine specimen. 
• Avoid coffee, soda, tea or other products with caffeine for several hours before the exam.
  
• Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco for at least one hour prior to your scheduled appointment. 
• Avoid alcoholic beverages for at least 24 hours prior to the exam. 
• Avoid nasal decongestants.
• Get a good night's rest before the medical exam.
• If possible, schedule the appointment for the least stressful time of the day.
• Do not engage in strenuous exercise for 24 hours before the exam.

Top Tips Before the Medical Exam

In order to obtain the most favorable results, do not take your physical exam lightly; you really should prepare.  The following tips can have a significant impact on the examination results.

1. Stop smoking. This is the single most effective way to reduce your health care premiums. Having nicotine in your system (which can be detected in a urine sample for up to 14 days for smokers, even occasional ones). Even if you are a complete non-smoker, a single instance of smoking, such as trying one cigar with the guys at a poker party, is enough to skew your lab results. Smokers: Do not smoke or chew tobacco for at least 24 hours before the screening.
   
   
2. Refrain from alcohol. For 12 hours before the exam, avoid consuming alcohol. Alcohol can dehydrate you, and a lot of alcohol within 12 hours of the exam could result in elevated liver function tests, which could lead to additional tests.
   
   
3. Stop eating. A two-day fast before the exam will dramatically decrease those bad lipids (cholesterol) in your bloodstream. But a two-day fast is hardly good for your health. Rather, try to fast for at least eight hours before your exam (12 hours is preferred). You can drink water. You will have more favorable blood sugar and lipid levels than if you had just eaten a big, heavy breakfast. Even a muffin eaten an hour before the exam could result in elevated glucose levels.
   
   For several days prior to the exam, eat lots of fiber and drink lots of water the day before and the day of your medical screening. This will help to ensure the best lab results.
   
   Eat Healthy: Limit sweets and fatty foods at least a week before your exam. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, can help get you fit. What you eat shows in your blood sample, and if you're not eating healthy, it will show in your blood sugar and cholesterol levels. You'd be surprised at what one week of healthy eating, combined with regular exercise, can do for your health.
   
   Watch what you eat. Who doesn't remember the episode from Seinfeld when Elaine fails her employer's drug testing and later finds out that it is all due to a poppy seed bagel eaten the day before? Believe it or not, poppy seeds can actually skew your results—and not in a favorable way!
   • Lay off the poppy seed bagels, cake, etc., for at least a week before your exam.
   • You should also avoid eating salty and cholesterol-rich foods (such as fatty meats) 24 hours prior to the exam.
4. Treat high blood pressure. Stop by a drugstore and spend 50 cents to test your blood pressure on one of those automated machines. If it's high, go to a doctor and treat it immediately. Although you will have to disclose this on your application, you will still be better off with a lowered blood pressure rating.
   
   
5. Lay down for your EKG. Many times an examiner for both life and health insurance exams will want to give you an EKG. In the event that they start to administer the test while you are sitting, ask if you can lay down for the test so you can fully relax. Many times this will have a favorable effect on your test results.
   
   
6. Lay off the Over-the Counter Pain Medications. Many people are excessively free with over-the-counter headache and pain relievers such as Advil and Tylenol, to name two. All medications taken have an effect on your liver. A healthy person at a good weight with no health problems may still be declined for insurance due to elevated liver function levels. Also, avoid nasal decongestants for at least 24 hours prior to your screening.
   
   
7. Clean up. Although rates are not determined simply by your appearance, it does you no harm to look clean and well groomed. Hopefully you will have been living a healthy lifestyle and monitoring your weight, blood pressure and other key factors. If not, remember that most of those illicit drugs, as well as alcohol, show up in urine (alcohol, up to 12 hours; pot, 30 days for chronic users; and everything else, four days).
   
   
8. Appropriate dress: Your blood pressure and a blood sample are taken during the exam, so wear a shirt with short sleeves, or with sleeves that are easily rolled up. There's nothing more frustrating than struggling with your shirt or blouse when you're having your blood pressure or other tests taken. If you are having an EKG done, you must lie on your back with your shirt removed or unbuttoned to place the leads on your chest.
   
   
9. Get a good night's sleep. Being well-rested won't necessarily affect your exam results, but may ease "white coat anxiety"—the tendency for some to exhibit elevated blood pressure readings during an exam. Get lots of rest the night before your medical exam, and, as we said earlier, try to schedule the screening for the least stressful time of day for you.
   
   
10. Stay well-hydrated. Drinking water before the exam can make it easier to draw your
    blood, a necessary step in obtaining cholesterol readings. It's OK to drink water, and you should have a glass or two an hour before the time you'll be asked to give a urine sample.
    
    Repeating this: This will make it easier to provide your urine sample, as well as dilate your blood vessels making it easier to for the paramedical professional or phlebotomist to draw your blood.  Who doesn’t want that?
    
    See Barbara Rotthaler's article in this issue of in focus on the Effects of Dehydration  and why Drinking Water is so Important.  It can be life-saving!
    
    
11. Exercise Regularly: Physical activity is important to your health, and it can be seen in your exam. It's best if you make regular exercise a permanent part of your lifestyle, so that you are always ready for a health exam. However, you can improve your health readings if you exercise regularly for two weeks before your exam. When combined with proper nutrition, exercise is a good part of healthy living—and a positive health exam.
    
    BUT...Avoid physical exercise. Do not, however, do any strenuous exercise the day before your exam, as it can raise the levels of protein in your urine.

Additional Considerations

If you suffer from one of the following conditions, please follow these additional guidelines:

Hypertension

• Avoid stimulants (caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes)
• Have the examiner take your blood pressure after you have had a chance to relax – preferably three attempts at 10-minute intervals
• Take your usual medications before the medical exam

Diabetes

• Schedule the exam for 2 ½ hours after a meal (no sweets/sugars after the meal)
• Empty bladder right after eating

The Day of the Exam

Remaining calm and avoiding stress the day of the medical exam may produce the best possible test results. If you are familiar with deep breathing exercises or meditation, this would be a great time to practice these techniques.

"Be kind to your body; give it a chance to rest before the test!"

Information is power, and if you are armed with all the information you need before the exam, you are going to feel much more comfortable and prepared.

Buena Suerte! Good luck!

Karen McConnaughey: Operations Manager for FocusOnMexico.

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