Maintaining good health

By Mayo Clinic Staff

When you think of adult health, you may think about ways to stay healthy. They might include doing all you can to prevent cancer, getting vaccines, and washing your hands well and often. That's a good start. The choices you make every day go a long way toward better adult health.

It's just as important to take note when you have symptoms too. Know when to see a health care professional. Serious symptoms might include weight loss for no known reason, changes in bowel habits, shortness of breath or sudden headaches.

And of course, regular physical exams and screening tests are an important part of staying healthy. Learn which screening tests you need and how often to have them. Finding a condition early could be the key to successfully treating it.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Oct. 10, 2023

See also

  1. Fingernails: Possible problems
  2. 7 signs and symptoms not to ignore
  3. A very happy brain
  4. Alzheimer's sleep problems
  5. Anger management: 10 tips to tame your temper
  6. Are you thinking about suicide? How to stay safe and find treatment
  7. Back exercises
  8. Bad food habits at work? Get back on track in 5 steps
  9. Belching, intestinal gas, gas pains and bloating
  10. Bone health tips
  11. Calcium
  12. Can psoriasis make it hard to sleep?
  13. Cancer-prevention strategies
  14. Children and gender identity
  15. Colon cancer screening
  16. COVID-19: How can I protect myself?
  17. Herd immunity and coronavirus
  18. COVID-19 and your mental health
  19. Long-term effects of COVID-19
  20. COVID-19 travel advice
  21. Dental floss vs. water flosser
  22. Desk stretches
  23. Different COVID-19 vaccines
  24. Does sunscreen expire?
  25. Domestic violence against men
  26. Domestic violence against women
  27. Dry mouth relief
  28. Eye dilation: Necessary with every eye exam?
  29. Feminizing hormone therapy
  30. Feminizing surgery
  31. Fight coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission at home
  32. Maintaining healthy fingernails
  33. Flu Shot Prevents Heart Attack
  34. Forgiveness
  35. Friendships
  36. Gynecological care for trans men
  37. Hand-washing tips
  38. Transgender health concerns
  39. Health issues for gay men
  40. Health issues for lesbians
  41. Heart attack prevention: Should I avoid secondhand smoke?
  42. Hidradenitis suppurativa and sleep: How to get more zzz's
  43. Home Health Hazards
  44. Sleep guidelines
  45. How social support spurs you
  46. How to take your pulse
  47. How to heal cracked heels
  48. How to heal cracked skin at thumb tip
  49. How to sleep well during time changes
  50. How to take your temperature
  51. How to trim thickened toenails
  52. How well do face masks protect against COVID-19?
  53. I have atopic dermatitis. How can I sleep better?
  54. Infidelity
  55. Injury Season for Snow Blowers
  56. Investing in yourself
  57. Job burnout
  58. Keep the focus on your long-term vision
  59. Lack of sleep: Can it make you sick?
  60. Considering LASIK surgery
  61. Leg pain after prolonged standing or sitting
  62. Lost in Space
  63. Managing psoriatic arthritis at work
  64. Mammogram guidelines: What are they?
  65. Masculinizing hormone therapy
  66. Masculinizing surgery
  67. Mayo Clinic Minute: Fingernails are clues to your health
  68. Mayo Clinic Minute: You're washing your hands all wrong
  69. Mayo Clinic Minute: How dirty are common surfaces?
  70. Mayo Clinic Minute: Sleep Spoiler - Tips for a Good Night's Rest
  71. Mayo Clinic Minute: The many benefits of petroleum jelly
  72. Measles vaccine: Can I get the measles if I've already been vaccinated?
  73. Melatonin side effects
  74. Mental health
  75. Mayo Clinic Minute: Moisturizer tips from a dermatologist
  76. Nail ridges
  77. Napping do's and don'ts
  78. Office ergonomics
  79. Oral health: A window to your overall health
  80. Infographic: Organ Donation Donate Life
  81. Infographic: Paired Donation Chain
  82. Infographic: Pancreas Kidney Transplant
  83. Passive-aggressive behavior
  84. Personal health records
  85. Personalize your wellness journey
  86. Piercings: How to prevent complications
  87. Summer skin rashes
  88. Prescription sleeping pills: What's right for you?
  89. Safe outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic
  90. Boosting self-esteem
  91. Sensitive teeth
  92. Shaving hair
  93. Shaving too close can cause skin problems
  94. Mayo Clinic Minute: Shining the light on SPF in sunscreen
  95. Sitting risks: How harmful is too much sitting?
  96. Skin care tips
  97. Antihistamines for insomnia
  98. OTC sleep aids
  99. Sleep and psoriatic arthritis
  100. Sleep tips
  101. Sleeping positions that reduce back pain
  102. Good posture tips
  103. Office stretches
  104. Age-related vision problems
  105. A look inside your eyes
  106. Proper lifting techniques
  107. Sun damage
  108. Tattoos
  109. Test anxiety: Can it be treated?
  110. Protect thin skin
  111. Mayo Clinic Minute: Tips for dealing with dandruff
  112. Understanding gender identity
  113. Travel Safety
  114. Mayo Clinic Minute: Uncovering UPF in clothing
  115. Using if-then statements
  116. Vaccine guidance from Mayo Clinic
  117. Vaccines for adults
  118. Keratoconus
  119. Neck stretches
  120. Seated stretches
  121. Standing stretches
  122. Upper body stretches
  123. Wrist and forearm stretches
  124. What are superbugs and how can I protect myself from infection?
  125. When to brush your teeth
  126. Winter Skin Care
  127. Wrinkle creams