Medical doctors diagnose and treat diseases. But you don't want a disease, so you have to engage in behaviors that keep you from arriving at a disease state. I use the word arriving intentionally. Hypertension and diabetes? It almost always takes at least 10 years to get them. The conditions that lead to a heart attack? They take 20 to 30 years to unfold. Cancer? Researchers know much less about it, but many cancers are lifestyle related. The major cause of cancer is cigarette smoking -- cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco. Entirely preventable. (Many times people get addicted to cigarettes during their youth. Why people mess with cigars as adults is way beyond me.) Eating the standard American diet of processed, refined, fast- and convenience foods contributes as well. As does drinking too much. Having said that, I can't explain why my mother got breast cancer. (And if I ever get cancer of the hands, tell my nonexistent children not to worry about their risk; it came from spending too much time on my laptop.)
Taking good care of yourself requires not a twice-a-year visit but many-times-a-day choices. Choices such as those that: keep you feeling connected with our Creator, however you experience It; that protect the body's need for at least 7 hours of sleep; that help you to drink 64 oz. of water daily, instead of soda pop and/or other artificially sweetened and chemically laden beverages (make the transition by dropping a piece of fresh fruit juice -- orange, lemon, lime, strawberries, etc., into your water for flavor); that reduce the negative stress in your life; that help you eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains; that keep your body moving, whether through physical exercise, walking, swimming, biking, gardening, etc.; that unplug you from electronic devices (says the laptop addict ;); that connect you with supportive friends and community; that engage you in meaningful work; that help you contribute to someone less fortunate than you are and a cause that is bigger than yourself. Choices that connect you with nature. That disconnect you from addictions to anything smoked, alcohol, sex, Crackberries, shopping, religion, or whatever your thing is. That protect your body, mind and spirit from people, places and situations that would harm your wellbeing.
Integrating these types of activities and behaviors into your daily living creates a lifestyle that promotes being well -- mind, body and spirit -- and makes it more difficult for the conditions to create illness to develop.
Also, do not mistake your fashion or beauty routine -- hair, makeup, mani/pedi, etc. -- for anything having to do with your wellness. These things are fun but they deal with your outsides. Health (and true beauty) come from the inside out.