How Preventive Healthcare Helps You

How healthy am I? Is my diet helping? Am I getting enough exercise?

If you ask these questions, you're not alone. No one ever wants bad news about their health.

The good news is that with preventive healthcare, you get information based on science to make better decisions.

The idea behind preventive medicine is to stay healthy and to live a long life.

Most people see a doctor when they get sick. However, not as many people visit doctors for regular check-ups to monitor their physical and mental health.

This matters because many diseases are preventable. If you do become sick, conditions are much easier to treat in the beginning.

Preventive medicine takes a proactive, not a reactive, approach. The best time to see a doctor is when you are not sick.

Each year, millions of people die of causes that could have been avoided.

Some benefits of preventive medicine:

• avoid painful or uncomfortable symptoms

• be able to stay active in all parts of your life

• prevent large medical and drug expenses

• make treatment of identified illnesses easier

• increase your lifespan and quality of life

• screen (check) for diseases

• look for risk factors for illness

• stay current on immunizations

• keep a healthy lifestyle (through diet and exercise)

• give up unhealthy habits (like smoking or drinking)

• know your doctor – and make sure your doctor knows you!

These preventable diseases all have screenings you can ask for:

Preventive medicine begins before we are born and continues throughout life. 

You can make lifestyle changes to stay in good health, but sometimes it is not easy.

When is the last time you saw your doctor? If it has been more than one year, book an appointment!