5 benefits of preventive health care that could save your life
Getting regular medical checkups is one of the best gifts you can give yourself to maintain your health and well-being. Chronic diseases account for 7 out of every 10 deaths of Americans per year and result in 75% of healthcare costs in the U.S.
Chronic diseases are preventable when detected early through screening tests. Diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease are easier to treat in the beginning.
What Is Preventive Medicine?
The goal of preventive medicine is to maintain good health throughout your lifetime and to extend your lifespan. Having a checkup each year and getting recommended screening tests is the best way to do this.
Most people don’t think twice about a visit to their doctor when sick. But many don’t understand the necessity and benefits of preventive care. This is more often the case for younger people, who are not as worried about their health as older folks.
Without preventive care, chronic diseases will cost more and cause more damage to those who have these conditions.
Benefits of Preventive Health Care
Prevention of chronic diseases involves self-care like eating a healthy diet, having a consistent exercise routine, and giving up unhealthy behaviors (smoking cessation, drinking). And seeing your doctor once a year for a physical and mental health screen throughout every stage of your life is imperative.
Five benefits of preventive care include:
Not having painful or uncomfortable symptoms of a chronic disease
Ability to be active and take part in life
Prevents large medical bills or bankruptcy
Increases lifespan
Treatment of chronic diseases is easier
Interventions providing education about changing unhealthy behaviors should begin with school-age children and continue to workplaces And access to health services needs to be equal for everyone.
Death from chronic diseases is much higher for minorities and those living in poverty.
Important Screening Tests
Getting age-appropriate screening tests for chronic diseases is the best way to detect or prevent them. The five top preventable diseases include:
Heart disease
Cancer
Diabetes
Mental illness
Vaccination-preventable infections
These chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. Thus, the importance of preventive health care begins at conception and continues throughout a person’s life.
Heart Disease
There are a few tests needed to determine your heart health. These include:
Blood pressure
Blood levels of lipoproteins (cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and HDL)
Body mass index (BMI)
You should have your blood pressure and BMI tested at every checkup. Your blood pressure is important because you won’t have any symptoms if it’s high. And you should have a lipid profile blood test done at least every 4-6 years and more often if it’s abnormal.
Cancer
The type of screening test depends on the type of cancer your doctor wants to rule out. It is important to catch these cancers early when there is a better chance of curing it. They include:
Breast cancer (mammogram)
Colon cancer (colonoscopy)
Prostate cancer (digital exam and PSA)
Cervical cancer (Pap smear)
A screening mammogram is the best way to find breast cancer even if you don’t feel any lumps during a breast exam. Doctors suggest getting an initial mammogram around age 45. If it’s normal, then yearly exams should begin at age 50.
A colonoscopy is a procedure that checks for cancer in your colon and rectum. For people who are at low risk should have one done at age 50 and every 10 years after if the initial one is negative. It also detects polyps, which are precursors to cancer.
There are two screening tests for prostate cancer: the digital exam and a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA). You’ve probably heard the “turn your head and cough” instructions during a digital exam. The doctor can feel an enlarged prostate or if there are lumps. The PSA tests for an enzyme that is high with prostate cancer.
Cervical cancer is the only type of cancer that is preventable by a vaccine. The major cause of this cancer is human papillomavirus (HPV). Both boys and girls can get the Gardasil 9 vaccine around 11-12 years old to prevent HPV infection.
Cervical cancer is the most treatable form of cancer if it’s caught early. You should have a Pap smear every three years until age 65. Or you can have both an HPV test and Pap smear and every five years after age 30.
Diabetes
7.2 million or 23.8% of people with diabetes in the U.S. haven’t received a diagnosis. Diabetes leads to other chronic health conditions like heart and kidney disease. Early detection and control of blood sugar levels reduce the risk of future problems.
You should have screening tests for Type 2 diabetes every year after age 45. Tests include a fasting glucose level or a hemoglobin A1C level. A fasting glucose level over 126 mg/dL or a hemoglobin A1C level over 6.5% means that you have diabetes.
Mental Illness
Those who suffer from it, face stigma and serious complications if they don’t get help.
It is unfortunate that conversations about mental illness occur after a tragedy. Screening can prevent or reduce suicide, homelessness, and imprisonment.
Parents need to begin mental health education and awareness in early childhood. Waiting to get help for a child until the teenage years may end in a crisis or even death.
Vaccine-Preventable Infections
Vaccinations are important to prevent serious infectious diseases and their complications. Most parents in the U.S. have never seen the devastating effects of vaccine-preventable infections (measles, mumps, diphtheria, pertussis) in children.
There is a great deal of controversy over vaccinating children in the media based on false data. Many research studies have shown that vaccines are safe and don’t cause autism.
Herd immunity involves vaccinating large populations against a specific disease. It was important to the success of the smallpox vaccine. The smallpox vaccine eradicated it from the world in 1980.
Doctors recommend specific vaccinations from birth into the teenage years. You can get a schedule of when to vaccinate your child through your pediatrician.
You also may need certain vaccinations when traveling to different countries. Doctors who specialize in travel medicine are experts in this area.
The Bottom Line
It is apparent that the benefits of preventive health care are important in curtailing chronic diseases. There are some lifestyle changes you can make on your own to maintain good health and well-being.
Smoking cessation, moderate alcohol use, eating a well-balanced diet, and exercising at least three days a week will boost your energy levels. Not everyone can achieve these goals. This makes it important to see your doctor for regular checkups.
The goal of preventive medicine is for you to enjoy your life without having unpleasant symptoms. And enjoying your life leads to a better overall quality of life.
- 23-Jun-2020
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