Medical research has come a long way, and as a result, people live much longer than they used to. However, learning about and practicing preventive healthcare is the best method to prevent disease from happening in the first place. When someone integrates healthy behaviors into their lifestyle, they are practicing preventive care. This type of care takes place before any signs or symptoms of a condition or disease have been detected.
Types of Preventive Care
Below are examples of different types of preventive care:
- Consistent Physical Activity—helps prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer, along with degenerative conditions effecting the muscles and nervous system such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
- Proper Nutrition—eating a wide variety of nutritious foods helps keep the body's systems functioning properly and can prevent conditions such as diabetes.
- Stress Management—helps individuals prevent short-term conditions such as ulcers and long-term conditions such as heart disease.
- Avoiding Tobacco—not smoking or chewing, along with avoiding second-hand smoke, can help prevent emphysema and lung cancer.
- Preventive Screenings—participating in screenings for cancer, heart disease and diabetes allows for proper diagnosis and early treatment.
Preventive Care Benefits
The benefits of preventive care are extensive. Below are some of the most important reasons to practice preventive care:
- Saving—preventive behaviours and treatments have little to no cost. Taking a walk or avoiding second-smoke doesn’t cost anything, and many insurance companies now cover preventive visits as part of their plans.
- Improved mental health—while much of the emphasis is placed on physical health, preventive care also has a positive impact on mental health.
- Quality of life—not only does preventive care increase the length of life, but it also improves quality of life. Those regularly practicing preventive care will have fewer physical and mental limitations and will have a much easier time dealing with the ups and downs of life.
- Improved care—by participating regularly in screenings and checkups, individuals can develop stronger relationships with health care providers and establish a lengthy record of care. This will allow for better treatments as individual’s experience conditions and diseases later in life.
Importance of Preventive Care
Chronic diseases are the leading cause of illness, disability and death in Australia, accounting for 90% of all deaths. In many cases, these diseases can be addressed through lifestyle improvements, screenings and other forms of preventive care.
Unfortunately, many continue to practice unhealthy lifestyles and do not take advantage of preventive services offered by health care providers and communities. Providing proper education, increasing awareness and providing opportunities are all important parts of increasing the prevalence of preventive care.
Preventive care is one of the best ways to prevent diseases and conditions that currently impact many people. The benefits of preventive care are not only physical, but mental and financial as well. Increasing the amount of people practicing preventive care could have countless benefits for these individuals and society in general.
Here at Liverpool Doctors Medical Centre, we are driven by a ‘patient-first’ ethos, we put you at the centre of our health services, empowering you to make choices that are personalised to your health journey. · Our objective is to support the health and wellbeing of our diverse community through the delivery of preventative health care services, providing quality care and education across the generations to support your whole family’s health needs, and deliver broad healthcare to ensure your health is optimum for you to live a happy life.