In recent years there has been a gradual move away from traditional medicine – treating the symptoms of disease when they become evident – towards preventative medicine, and this is continuing to gain traction. There has been a growing awareness around the benefits of preventative medicine – not waiting until you’re sick to seek help – and taking steps to reduce the likelihood of becoming ill in the first place. But what is preventative medicine and why does it matter? And why is this approach to healthcare becoming increasingly popular?
Many find the traditional approach to healthcare is lacking. In 2022 the former secretary of state for Health and Social Care in the UK during a speech at the Royal College of Physicians, stated that cardiovascular disease alone costs society more than 18 billion pounds every single year. With the NHS spending an estimated 40% of its costs on treating conditions that are preventable. The economic burden of this is huge.
Sadly, the vast majority of people are familiar with the heartache and suffering associated with losing a friend or family member to illness. This could be another reason more individuals are choosing a preventative approach to healthcare – to not only prevent the onset of disease, but to discover them early on when they are most treatable.
What is preventative medicine?
What does preventative medicine look like for the average person? Preventative healthcare begins at home, and there are many different lifestyle changes you can make today that can have a real positive impact on our health for the future.
Dietary changes
Many health conditions are closely linked to food and what we put into our bodies. Maintaining a healthy weight plays a large part in disease prevention, with overweight people being more at risk of developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease. In addition, a recent study published in the British Medical Journal has shown that there is a link between ultra-processed foods and mortality – those eating ultra-processed diets have a higher mortality rate. But what are ultra-processed foods?: Those containing high levels of colourings, sweeteners and other chemicals to improve the flavour and texture. Some examples of ultra-processed foods include those artificially sweetened and high in sugar like biscuits, fizzy drinks, and processed meats like sausages and ham. A diet rich in whole foods and with minimal ultra-processed items is a great place to start.
Monthly screening
Screening is a key aspect of preventative healthcare, and a very simple form of screening you can do at home is to check your breasts or testicles for any changes. Check your breasts or testicles monthly for any abnormalities in the appearance or feel. Unsure how?
How to check your testicles: Whilst in the shower use your hand to carefully check for changes in size and shape of each testicle, by rolling each testicle between your finger and thumb gently. You should be looking for lumps, and any changes in texture or firmness. If you notice anything that is out of the ordinary, no matter how small, you should book an appointment with your GP.
How to check your breasts: Remove your bra and lay your hand flat against your breast. Push firmly and ase circular motions to feel the entire area around the breasts, right up to your neck and under your armpits. You should look for any lumps, swelling, rashes, discharge, and any changes to the texture of the skin. If you notice anything that is not normal for you, you should book an appointment with your GP.
Regular exercise
Exercise has been strongly linked to better health. In fact, one study showed that individuals who exercised or moved vigorously for 150-299 minutes each week had a 21-23% lower risk of all-cause mortality. The NHS states that exercise may help to reduce risk of major illness and death by up to 30%. Not only this, but it is also beneficial for better mental health.
Focus on stress reduction
Reducing stress might be one of the most beneficial things you can do for your health to prevent illness. Stress, especially when chronic, causes inflammation in the body. Inflammation is known to negatively impact the body and can contribute heavily to – and trigger – a whole host of health conditions. But it can also affect the gut lining which can dramatically lower the amount of many nutrients we absorb from food.
When chronically stressed the body diverts the energy we get from our food away from non-essential functions and diverts them to deal with the stress response. Now consider the fact that the majority of us eat diets high in processed and low in nutrients. Many of us just aren’t getting enough vitamins and minerals to support the body whilst being chronically stressed. Chronic stress can result in symptoms including low energy, feeling tired all the time, insomnia, inability to focus, brain fog, digestive issues, headaches and more. We know that dealing with stress is a challenge, so how can you reduce its impact on your body to give you time to deal effectively with the source of stress?
In addition to stress management techniques such as regular exercise and mindfulness activities, you can utilise medical treatments such as IV drips to help restore and repair processes that are important for energy production within the cells. They deliver high volumes of vitamins and minerals to your bloodstream without having to bypass the gut, where much of the goodness from food is lost before it can reach the cells. Supporting your body in this way means that you have the energy needed to implement stress management techniques and work on minimising the root cause of the stress.
Managing lifestyle risk factors
Smoking and alcohol consumption both have a really high correlation with health conditions. We all know that smoking has been associated with lung cancer but did you also realise that it can delay healing, increase risk of complications, increases the risk of stroke type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and more? Cutting back or eliminating smoking and alcohol from your lifestyle can be very beneficial as a preventative healthcare measure.
Take action today to improve your health in the future
Taking a preventative approach to healthcare not only lowers the burden on society but helps you live a happier, healthier, and better quality of life for longer. If this sounds like something you would like to pursue, the best approach to this is to speak to a functional medicine doctor and let them know your concerns and your healthcare goals
