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Healthcare is something that just about everyone should be concerned with. And yet, it’s also something that we don’t pay much attention to until we start to experience a lack of it.
You might think of a person who eats terribly for years on end, suffers a heart problem, and then pledges to eat well going forward.
Of course, a better approach is to try to prevent problems from occurring in the first place, rather than simply reacting to them.
But exactly what does effective preventative medicine look like, and why should it be a concern?
Early Detection Saves Lives
It’s almost a medical truism that early intervention will improve patient outcomes. In many cases, the difference is vast.
If a condition like cancer or diabetes is caught early, then the available range of treatments is often broader – and those treatments are much likelier to be effective.
As such, screening is a powerful way of driving down risk. If you’re aged between forty and seventy-four, you can go for a free NHS health check that looks for signs of heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions.
There are many ways to keep an eye on yourself physically to catch signs early.
If you are ever uncertain if it is worth going to the doctors for, just know you are better off finding out it is nothing than wondering.
The Role of Vaccinations in Prevention
Vaccinations can all but eliminate your risk of contracting specific illnesses like flu and shingles.
Moreover, by getting yourself vaccinated against these illnesses, you reduce your risk of acting as a carrier and thereby endangering those who can’t be vaccinated.
There are many different vaccinations you are advised to get from a young age, it is always worth checking on the vaccinations you have had previously, making sure you are up to date with them all.
Lifestyle Choices That Act as Prevention
Many of the risk factors of a given disease are likely to be beyond your control. Your genetics are a good example.
If you have a family history of heart disease, then the chances are better than average that you’ll suffer from it, too.
However, there are a number of things we can control. The food and drink we consume and the frequency and intensity of the exercise we do might both drive down risk and help us beat the odds.
For almost everyone, lowering intake of alcohol and caffeine and giving up smoking are beneficial, with practically no downsides.
Sexual Health Screenings Matter Too
If you’re going to be sexually active, then you owe it to yourself and your partners to ensure that you aren’t carrying any sexually transmitted infections.
Getting tested for such infections is often a great way to establish trust in a new relationship. A chlamydia test might be a good place to start, especially if you’re younger than twenty-five.
There is no, and shouldn’t be any, shame in looking after your sexual health, for yourself and any partners you have.
Many are treatable, so if you are ever uncertain if you need to go, the advice is always that it can’t hurt to know you have a clean bill of health. You could even take a friend, make a day of it!
Mental Health Is Part of Preventive Care
Taking care of your health doesn’t just mean focusing on physical problems. Sometimes, the most damaging health problems occur in the mind.
Stress, depression and anxiety are all common in the UK – but these are symptoms that can often be tackled through the right sleep hygiene, mindfulness practice, the elimination of stress-causing behaviours, and (of course) the right diet and exercise.
This isn’t to say doing these things will magically fix your mental health overnight, but they are all great steps to be taking to regain control.
Routine Check-ups as a Habit, Not a Hassle
Getting yourself regularly checked for common problems, or the early signs of them, might seem like an additional hassle.
But if you inculcate the right habits, then going for these check-ups will become second nature.
Establish this as a biannual ritual, and you’re sure to be aware of any problems long before you otherwise would.
If you have big plans for the future, then it’s important to protect them from being derailed by preventable health problems.
In the long run, a preventative approach to health, which incorporates lifestyle changes, frequent check-ups and screening, and a change in outlook, can make a big difference to the quality of your life.
These often don’t take a lot of time to do, and once you’ve done them, you’ll find peace of mind in knowing you have another thing for yourself checked off the list.
