7 Reasons Why Preventative Care is Better Than Reactive Care
If you want to improve your health, but feel overwhelmed with where to begin, you’re at the right place. Dr. Jean Ann Beaton, a board-certified internal medicine physician at Dupont Private Health is here to discuss seven reasons why preventative care is better than reactive care.
Most people have heard the term “preventative care” and understand that it involves things like getting regular checkups and screenings, but what exactly are the benefits of proactive health maintenance over reactive illness-oriented treatment? From improving diagnosis accuracy to lower costs, preventative care offers several advantages over reactive care which makes it a great choice for any patient concerned with their health. Read on to learn more about why preventive care is a smart approach and how it can improve your overall wellness.
1. Preventative care helps to identify and address underlying health issues before they become more serious or require more costly intervention
Preventative care is an important part of health maintenance for people of all ages. Regular check-ups with your doctor can allow for early detection of any underlying medical issues before they become more serious. This is true whether you have a known medical condition or if you are feeling well and have no complaints. This allows you to address underlying issues as soon as possible so you can avoid costly treatments that could arise from untreated illnesses down the road. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - it pays to be aware of and maintain your overall health proactively. According to the World Health Organization, 80% of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancer could be prevented with improvements to diet and lifestyle. At my practice, I create a wellness path customized to you, your current health concerns, your family history, your schedule, and your preferences.
2. With preventative care, the risk of developing chronic conditions or illnesses can be significantly reduced
By making minor lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, eating nutritious meals, and maintaining healthy body weight as well as scheduling annual checkups with your doctor, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing chronic and life-threatening conditions or illnesses. Regular preventive care visits give doctors an opportunity to screen for diseases early and help manage existing medical issues. This allows you to stay healthier for longer periods of time, resulting in an improved quality of life. Research shows that those who practice preventative care have higher levels of overall vitality and lead healthier lives compared to people who do not practice it. So if you want to keep your mind and body functioning at their best, investing in preventative care is essential.
3. A well-planned preventive care program can help ensure that people stay healthier for extended periods of time.
Through careful planning and creating strategies to maintain well-being, people can take responsibility for their health instead of waiting for something to go wrong in order to get help. A preventive care program accomplishes this by allowing medical practitioners to access a person's medical history and create plans tailored to fit their specific needs. This way, risk factors that might lead to illness or diseases can be addressed early on and monitored over time, while current conditions are treated so as to prevent any further discomfort or progression. In addition, preventative care provides an opportunity for users to educate themselves about their individual health risks and learn ways they can manage them more effectively.
4. The cost of medical treatments is often much lower when preventive measures are taken beforehand.
Much of our health, our well-being, and our financial stability can be safeguarded if we take preventive measures against illnesses in the first place. Many diseases, such as many types of cancer, can be prevented or delayed when healthy habits are adopted. Eating adequately nutritious food, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle all play an important part in helping to reduce the likelihood of developing medical problems. While it is true that medical treatments are sometimes necessary, making changes to your lifestyle ahead of time can significantly reduce the cost of medical treatments required as you age. Developing an understanding of how your health and lifestyle choices can benefit your wallet provides an excellent incentive to value prevention first and interventions second.
6. By catching illnesses early on, preventative healthcare reduces the need for invasive treatments and surgeries later in life.
Preventative healthcare can be a real lifesaver in more ways than one. By catching any potential illnesses or health issues early on, you are able to stop them from progressing and minimize the chances of needing invasive treatments such as surgeries later on in life. This is because common diseases like hypertension and cancers in various forms will be caught at the earlier onset of symptoms. Since this can reduce their need for advanced medical treatments, it helps with reducing associated medical costs and planning for the future. Ultimately, preventative healthcare serves as an important safety net against some of the most severe illnesses that can affect our lives.
7. Preventative care is empowering
People often treat their health in a reactive way. They wait for symptoms to arise or for a condition to become unbearable before seeking medical support. Preventative care, however, is proactive. Instead of sitting and waiting to get sick, you adopt habits that make sickness or illness less likely. Instead of reacting to symptoms and only tending to health crises when they occur, preventative care helps prevent them from emerging in the first place. Preventative care encourages people to take responsibility for their own health.
Overall, preventive care is an important part of staying healthy, reducing risks of chronic diseases and illnesses, and helping individuals to make informed choices about their own health. Taking proactive measures now can save time, money, and energy in the future; it also helps to ensure that any issues or conditions are caught early on before they become more serious or expensive. Preventative care should be embraced as an essential component of a healthy lifestyle.
I offer physical exams, health screenings, and lifestyle recommendations to keep disease at bay. If you would like to learn more or request an appointment, you can do so here.
If you'd like support with your health, reach out to Dr. Beaton's office today.
This article does not constitute the practice of medicine, healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always talk to your healthcare provider regarding your specific medical needs.