Preventive healthcare involves measures taken to identify and minimize risk factors for disease, improve the course of an existing disease and screening for early detection of disease. Early recognition and prevention of disease is an important part of healthcare because it detects disease at the initial and curable stages thereby preventing complications and co-morbidities. It is also a whole lot cheaper and effective than treating a full-blown disease at a later stage.
Preventive Healthcare also involves health promotion, which is aimed at modifying the individual’s social circumstance and lifestyles so that their health is improved (or maintained) and disease is prevented.
Another aspect of Preventive Healthcare is the early identification of high-risk individuals prone to major life-threatening illnesses like heart disease and cancers. This helps in taking timely, precautionary lifestyle modification measures or treatment.
The ultimate goal of screening is to help people live longer, healthier lives.
Why is Preventive Health Care so vital
Some diseases like cancers cannot be cured if they are diagnosed at an advanced state while some disorders like heart disease may result in sudden death without any previous warning signs.
Prevention, in such cases, is not only better than cure but is often the only option for a healthy life.
Modern lifestyles don’t leave people with quality time for healthy routines. It then becomes necessary that periodic health checkups be done for early detection of risk factors and diseases.
Diabetes, Obesity, Hypertension, Stress, High Cholesterol, Heart Diseases…
Most of the diseases are “silent”, We often do not have any early symptoms. Hence regular screening tests are the only way for early detection.
All these diseases are quite debilitating. They seriously impair normal life and if left untreated, lead to complications and may even cause death.
Fortunately, these diseases can be easily prevented and even fully cured if detected early. Some of these diseases can be ‘managed’ so that you can lead a near normal life. All that you need to do is to make slight modifications in your lifestyle, eat regularly and responsibly, exercise, avoid stress, and sleep well. Regular health check – ups coupled with these lifestyle changes, can go a long way in the prevention, early detection and cure of these diseases.