Preventative Health
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Many male car owners pay special attention to maintaining their vehicles. Buffing, polishing and engine maintenance is part of a regular routine to keep the vehicle in top condition. Women folk pay particular attention to getting their hair done, nails manicured and having the right accessories for daily wear.
However,
when it comes to the maintenance of the human body, many people come up short.
It cannot be found on the priority list of many.
Preventative
Health is one practice that can be applied to reduce the incidence of
non-communicable disease among our populations. The data on non-communicable
diseases in the Caribbean is alarming. It has been established that Cancer,
Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke are the leading causes of death in the
Region.
Preventative
Health consists of various activities that ensure that an individual maintains
a healthier lifestyle. These activities include visiting your family physician
at least once a year and getting a medical check-up; making an appointment with
a wellness coach and or dietitian to determine a suitable dietary programme as
well as exercise routines that will benefit you most, based on your current
medical report; eliminating habits that are known to increase your risk for one
or more of the non-communicable diseases listed and replacing them with good
social habits that when practiced within acceptable limits preserve your health
and wellbeing.
In the
Caribbean we have a habit of saying, “what we don’t know won’t hurt us”. This
may be well- intentioned but it definitely is not true. What you don’t know
will hurt you eventually. As you get older the effects of little or no
preventative measures can spell trouble as you enter your senior years. Amputations,
Kidney failure, heart attacks, lung cancer, aggressive forms of prostate cancer
are among the many conditions that are preventable.
A yearly
medical examination will give your physician an idea of the state of your health in relation to your age.
It will also provide clues to underlying issues that with time and the right
triggers will eventually come to light. Your medical examination can provide
your physician with adequate information, so that warning signals can be dealt
with earlier rather than later. It must be known however, that there are some
conditions that may go undetected until they have progressed significantly. The
risk is still reduced for an individual who embraces good preventative health
practices.
Having a professional
assist you with planning your preventative health program is also worthwhile as
these individuals can readily make recommendations that will best give you the results
you may be seeking. Setting specific health goals can motivate you to accomplish
more. You will always have an idea when you are not hitting your targets, and
you will know exactly what to do to get back on track.
Here are
some simple ideas that you can start with on your own:
·
Regular Exercise
·
Rest (Get your full eight hours of sleep as
much as possible)
·
Drink Water Based on your Body weight (http://www.slenderkitchen.com/how-to-calculate-how-much-water-you-should-drink-a-day/# )
·
If you are on prescribed medication be
compliant and monitor yourself
·
If you are on supplemental treatment be
compliant and monitor yourself
·
Enjoy the Sunshine (Don’t burn yourself)
·
Be Moderate in Everything that is Good
·
Abstain totally from that which is bad
·
Make Time to do Something Relaxing
·
Manage your Stress Levels
·
Take Time for Family
·
Practice Meditation for your Spiritual Life
Research
into the causes of many non-communicable diseases has consistently found that
preventative measures will significantly reduce the risk of succumbing to these
diseases. The preventative measures are simple, but the power to implement
these measures is determined by each individual. The idea is to stop disease
before it progresses to a chronic stage.
Chronic
stages of non-communicable disease can affect your quality of life. Your care
can become burdensome to family members and a drain on finances. It will reduce
your ability to control your own affairs and cause you to become a burden on
the health care system and ultimately, increase the risk of an early demise.
There must
be a concerted effort to place the maintenance of the human body as priority above
inanimate objects and superficial things for the peoples of the Caribbean
Region to experience a turnaround on the effects of non-communicable diseases.
Preventative
Health is an investment in yourself the rewards of which you reap in your
senior years. You will be able to enjoy a better quality of life and a higher standard
of living. Instead of having the hospital as your hotel room and becoming a
frequent flier on an ambulance, you can enjoy your Golden Years - seeing the
world, enjoying your grandchildren or just reminiscing about the past with
family and friends.
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