Today, preventative healthcare is more important than ever. When most people think about healthcare, the first thing that comes to mind might be the treatment of medical conditions. However, a large aspect of healthcare is the prevention of illnesses. This is known as preventative healthcare and consists of procedures like physical exams, blood tests, vaccines and immunizations, and general screenings.
According to the CDC, 60% of Americans have preventable chronic diseases. Heart disease is the leading cause of death, followed closely by cancer and respiratory disease. These conditions are the drivers of America’s $3.3 trillion in healthcare costs. Most of these are preventable with the right lifestyle and treatable if diagnosed in time.
With a little care and a few lifestyle changes, you could significantly optimize your wellness. Here are some preventative care changes you should incorporate into your life as soon as possible:
Eat the Right Foods
It goes without saying, but a large part of wellness is dependent on the food we eat. Practice eating with a focus on savoring flavor and increasing energy rather than obsessively focusing on weight. Highly refined foods should be switched out for fresh whole foods like whole grains, fruits, veggies, and legumes.
It’s also vital to limit saturated fats or trans fats and aim to eat more foods rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Doing so can cut your risk of cardiovascular disease and improve symptoms of depression. Eating the right foods in the right quantities can greatly determine how we feel, and impact our health in myriad ways. Thus, it’s important for you to ensure that you have good eating habits that keep you happy and healthy.
Balance Exercise and Rest
Both exercise and rest are key to maintaining your health in the long run. Regular exercise, as well as adequate sleep, are the pillars of a healthy body. You should try to move your body every day, but incorporating exercise into your life doesn’t have to mean regularly going to the gym for a hardcore workout. Everything from getting enough steps in daily to joining a dance class counts to going for a hike out in nature counts as movement.
Secondly, you should make sure you are getting the right amount of sleep every night. The importance of sleep is well researched, and sleep deprivation can have grave consequences. As stated by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), “ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.” Sufficient rest is essential when it comes to brain function, emotional well-being, and physical health. The amount of sleep you require will differ over the course of your life.
Practice Safe Sex
Practicing safe sex is integral to preventing the contraction of sexually transmitted disease (STD). While abstaining from sex dramatically reduces the risk of STDs, its practicality is debatable. An article on Family Doctor states that contraceptives, like condoms, are the safest way to reduce the risk of STDs.
It is worth noting that even practicing only safe sex doesn’t completely eliminate the chances of contracting an STD. Thus, for sexually active people, it’s important to get tested for STDs at some point in life. For instance, experts recommend getting tested if you’re about to get involved with a new partner. Ideally, both partners should be tested before engaging in sexual activity.
There are many ways to get tested for STDs, ranging from seeing your general practitioner to approaching a local low-cost community health clinic. Do your research, then choose the option that best suits you.
Get Regular Checkups
To know the status of your health, it is important to visit your doctor for regular checkups and screenings. Regular checkups allow doctors to detect any diseases you might have and treat them before they lead to dangerous symptoms or develop into chronic conditions.
Preventative care is part of most insurance and health benefit plans, so you need not worry about additional expenses. All the same, make sure you know exactly what your health insurance includes so that you aren’t hit with surprises later. It may be worth considering getting supplemental or secondary insurance, especially for dental or eye work. These help cover procedures like implants and braces that could prevent unnecessary expensive complications later in life.
For women, it’s also crucial to get regular gynecological screenings. These are especially useful in the early diagnosis of conditions like breast and cervical cancer. As stated by experts at Augusta Oncology:
The earlier your doctor catches cervical cancer, the better your chances of successful treatment. When the cancer is still in the early stages and it only latches on to a small area of your cervix, it’s much easier to treat. As soon as cancer spreads to other organs or tissues nearby, the treatment becomes much more difficult.
The same is true for breast cancer, which can be treated more effectively the earlier it is diagnosed. Learn how to do a monthly self-exam so that you can detect abnormalities as soon as possible.
The saying “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” is famous for a reason. Frequent checkups are one of the key components of maintaining your health and preventing the onset of illnesses. Even if you have no health complaints, it is prudent to ensure that these are part of your wellness routine. With these preventative health tips, you can maximize your long-term health and wellness.
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