When it comes to our health, most of us tend to act reactively rather than proactively.
Let’s be honest, most people don’t want to spend money and time on doctor’s appointments unless they feel that it’s absolutely necessary.
But the issue with this approach is that you’ll probably end up spending much more on fixing an issue than you would on preventing it from happening in the first place.
The Importance of Tackling Health Issues Early
It can be hard to explain the importance of preventive health care to individuals who are convinced that they’re completely healthy and don’t believe they need to spend energy stressing about their health.
However, here are 3 key reasons why all of us should practice preventive healthcare.
- It boosts your long-term health
Preventative healthcare means detecting potential health issues before they become genuine concerns.
For instance, if you’re someone who gets routine health checks, your blood sugar levels will be tested regularly. If your healthcare provider observes that they’re increasing, you can start making lifestyle modifications early on to manage and lower your blood sugar before it becomes problematic.
Similarly, if you regularly pay a visit to your dentist, your dental health will also be assessed consistently, allowing you to keep your teeth healthy.
If your dentist spots a cracked tooth or a tooth with an inflamed pulp on your dental exam, you can get elective root canal treatment to save the tooth from being lost. You can read this post to find out what a root canal is.
- It can help you avoid huge treatment expenses
According to numerous studies, it’s much cheaper to tackle health issues early than to look for help only when there’s a health crisis.
Preventative health care will either inform you of issues you need to be wary of — which can help prevent potential diseases altogether — or help you detect diseases before they become too severe, which will help reduce the treatment fees significantly.
Plus, many health insurance plans do cover preventive care expenses even if you haven’t reached your deductible, making it a much more appealing alternative than having to shell out thousands for medical treatments.
- It increases life expectancy
Tackling health issues early on can help boost your life expectancy because it allows you to detect health risks early and treat them more easily.
For instance, if you’re currently overweight, managing your weight and losing excess body fat will boost your lifespan and prevent serious life-threatening diseases like diabetes and coronary heart disease.
How to Practice Preventive Health Care
Now that you have a decent idea about the importance of preventive health care, it’s time to talk about how you can start practicing it.
Here are some things you need to do to stay healthy and prevent future health risks.
Managing your weight
It’s no secret that being obese is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. This is why managing your weight is key for preventive health care.
This includes eating healthy and exercising regularly to lose excess fat and keep that weight off. Here are 3 dieting strategies for weight loss to get you started!
Physical health screenings
There are several physical health screenings that individuals should undergo, depending on their age, gender, and medical record. Some of these include:
- Osteoporosis
- Prostate cancer
- Breast cancer
- Lung cancer
- High blood pressure
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cervical cancer
- High blood cholesterol
- Colorectal cancer
By timely screening for these health risks, it’ll be more likely that your health care specialist will catch a disease in its initial stages, when it’s much easier to treat.
Mental health screenings
When most people think of health care, mental health isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind.
But sadly, mental health problems like depression can lead to one of the major causes of death globally — suicide.
Additionally, mental health issues can also lead to drug abuse disorder, which frequently results in overdose-related deaths.
Plus, poor mental health can also negatively affect our eating habits, relationships, activity levels, sleeping habits, and stress levels, all of which can lead to a variety of other health complications.
This is why screening for mental health problems like depression is so vital and can help individuals resolve those issues early on before they start affecting other areas of their lives.
Vaccinations
Vaccines are one of the most effective types of preventive care because they’re convenient and remarkably effective. Some of the shots you should get include:
- Covid-19
- Hepatitis A
- Pneumonia
- Tetanus
- Influenza
- Shingles
Furthermore, individuals should also get seasonal flu vaccines to get better protection from acquiring the virus, especially if they’re older and more likely to develop health complications as a result of the infection.
General health and wellness examinations
Annual physicals — also known as wellness exams — are important for everyone, regardless of their health history, age, or gender. This is where things like your heart rate, blood pressure, weight, height, glucose, and cholesterol levels are checked.
If you’re facing any health problems, you may also want to get your blood screened for any specific deficiencies.
Lastly, if you’re a woman, you should also get a supplementary annual gynecological exam. This is where a pap smear and breast examination will be performed to screen for cervical and breast cancer, respectively.
In Conclusion
Preventive health care is important because it helps us identify potential health risks early on so we can take steps to resolve them before they turn into serious medical problems.
By managing our weight, practicing healthy habits, getting vaccinated, and undergoing regular physical and mental health screenings, we can all do our part in ensuring our good health for years to come!
