[the OlLine Rebel]

Frankly I think there is too much pushing unnecessary medical stuff.

I never had a physical/check-up. My husband does it all the time.

I have had plenty of trouble the last several years, but they were all pretty obvious and I went to the doctor to resolve problems.

I think it’s a way to guarantee doctors some patients and income, just as all the baby-seat nonsense guarantees Graco and Evenflo at least some business constantly.

Meanwhile, it brings up insurance (why for just checking a healthy person?), and puts off for visits people who really, really do have trouble without a doubt. Even those who just have the flu may not be able to get in as fast because all these prior check-ups exist taking up time.

I bring my son in but that is mostly to ensure he gets shots. (Now the doctor is starting to pry about “safety” and helmets and all that BS, also guaranteed income for the bike companies.) I’m not sure he needs to go to a dentist at this age, but the pressure is there and here we are.

[Lou L]

Do you own a house or a car? Do you perform regular maintenance on either--oil changes, air filter changes, painting, cleaning? Do you lubricate your furnace blower, or your garage door? Do you periodically defragment or run spyware on your computer? I would assume you'd say "yes" to just about all of those things.

The human body and its systems are much more complex than anything in your house or home. Depending on your circumstances, it may not always be evident when something is wrong or going wrong in your body--consider an escalating lipid reading, or elevating blood pressure. These are "silent" killers that can lead to diabetes or heart disease. Do you want to wait until you suffer from a bout of pacreatitis or a stroke before you see a doctor and perform some simple tests?