News 11. Annual Medical Checkup Has Little Proven Value.

News 11. Annual Medical Checkup Has Little Proven Value. [WORDS] * head off to : ...로 향하다 * assume : v. 추정하다, 생각하다 * not .... necessarily : 꼭 ..하는 것은 아니다 * pilgrimage : n. 성지순례 * routine : 판에 박힌, 정해진, 일상적인 * pelvic : a. 골반의 * rectal : a. 직장(直腸) * testicular : a. 고환의 * peer : v. 자세히 들여다보다 * trigger : v. 촉발시키다, 유발하다 * worst scenario : 최악의 상황/ 경우 * invasive : a. 침략적인, 침해의 * biopsy : n. 생체검사 * ongoing : a. 진행하는, 진행중인 ========================================================================== Finally this evening, reexamining the annual physical exam. Every year millions of Americans head off to the doctor's office for a checkup and most people assume it's a good idea and part of a life style. But according to the doctors we spoke to, it isn't, necessarily. Here's ABC's John McKenzie. For millions of Americans, it's become a kind of pilgrimage, the annual visit to the doctor. These people don't feel sick, but they just want to be sure. Many Americans might be surprised to learn most of the routine tests the doctor performs in an annual checkup have little proven value. For example, there is no evidence that giving people routine pelvic, rectal or testicular exams allows them to live any longer or better. How about a doctor peering into your eyes, nose and throat? What about tapping on the chest? And listening to the heart? Researchers say even checking blood pressure and cholesterol, valuable markers for heart disease, are usually only needed every two to five years for healthy people under 50. Many doctors recognize that much of what they do with a routine physical exam is of little value. But they do it because most patients, when they arrive here in a doctor's office, expect certain basic tests. Some people even demand them. But doctors warn that some of those tests can trigger false alarms, which require "more testing, more doctor's visits, ah, at the worst scenario they can require invasive tests, biopsies and those can cause some quite serious harm." Researchers say perhaps the greatest value with a routine checkup, whether it be once a year, or once every several years, is that people develop an ongoing relationship with their doctor. For that day when they do get sick and require treatment. John McKenzie, ABC News, New York.