Prevention Helps Everyone

Posted by Anthony Lee Aug 1, 2009

I have said it before and I will say it again: Prevention is the best way to live a long and healthy life.

Imagine, for example, the consequences of not eating right, not exercising enough, and choosing to smoke and drink. The first thing that may occur is obesity, which can lead to problems like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, osteoarthritis, and obstructive sleep apnea. These problems, in turn, have their own complications, such as heart attacks, strokes, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure. Let's not forget difficulties with sleep, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Just imagine how any of the above diseases requires at least one type of treatment, whether medical or surgical. Now picture the amount of money that goes into all of it. One thing automatically comes to mind: disability. I'm not just talking about the physical inability to do things in life. I'm also talking about financial burden, regardless of how much health insurance coverage one has. Just being preoccupied with such problems can significant impact one's quality of life.

These physical and financial constraints have a ripple effect on everyone else. Think about how a patient's family can be affected. I won't list examples of this, but I'm sure you can think of at least a few. I will say, however, that treatment of active disease does impact society. It is often cited as a factor associated with rising healthcare costs, shortages of nurses and doctors, and lost work productivity. All of this, of course, can circle back and affect the individual.

This is why prevention of disease is the way to go. It takes some discipline and effort, but if one can accomplish this task, it can do wonders. Trust me. It'll help everyone in the long run.