In my last blog, I mentioned that health literacy includes the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the health care system. Today, let's take a look at the part of the health care system that helps to keep us healthy-preventative care.
Prevention is the key is to excellent medical care in most of the world. The US traditionally has thought of prevention as unnecessary. This attitude is reflected in the fact that our original health insurances were hospitalization only plans. Nowadays, people often have health insurance out of a fear of big hospital bills, but they don't use the preventative care that insurers will cover. This is a costly mistake.
Preventative services include seeing your primary care doctor once a year when you are healthy. Parents are pretty good about doing this for their kids, but often skip it for themselves. When you see your doctor, he (no disrespect meant, I'm going to refer to your provider as he) should be asking about your lifestyle:not just do you smoke or use drugs, but your job, your driving habits, what you usually eat and how much you work out. He will run you through a series of quick tests to see how your body is functioning- blood pressure, urine tests, blood tests, vision and hearing will all be screened. He is looking for the earliest warning signs that your body is not handling life well. If all is fine, he should be suggesting small changes you can make to continue to live as healthy as possible. If there are signs that small things are going wrong, he is going to make suggestions on how to improve your health and explain what medical interventions may need to happen if you cannot improve your health on your own.
There are other screening tools that the doctor may order based on your age, lifestyle choices, sex, and family history. Mammograms, EEGs (heart tests), prostrate exams, neurological exams, HIV testing may all be suggested. It's important that you understand the health risks involved in both participating in these exams and in refusing these tests. There are very few good reasons to refuse a screening exam. These are critical ways the doctor has to help you stay healthy. Fear of the outcome should never stop you from taking the test. The earlier the doctor finds something wrong, the easier it is to treat. In my family, my cousin died of skin cancer because he refused to allow the spot on his face to be examined, even when it grew rapidly. Instead of listening to his doctor that he needed to have it checked by a dermatologist when it was small, he stopped going to the doctor. When he finally sought medical attention, it was too late to save his life; the cancer had spread through his body.
Speaking of a dermatologist (skin doctor), prevention may mean seeing a specialist. There are 13,000 known conditions that can affect the human body and no doctor is proficient in all of them. Most are really great at treating about 2000 of them. The other 11,000 diseases will require a trip to a different doctor. It's not a sign that you are seriously ill, it's a sign that your primary doctor doesn't treat that set of symptoms enough. Frequently people see the specialist and then discover the problem is something easily treatable. You want the doctor with the most experience looking at your symptoms and your body.
Preventative care also includes vaccinations. Vaccinations are most often created for viruses that affect our bodies. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics of any kind and are, in general, untreatable. Like the common cold, when you get one of these viruses, you are simply sick until you get better. Many of the viruses for which there are vaccinations create illnesses that kill or seriously maim the infected person. One of the huge fallacies in the world right now is that these viruses are no longer a threat to us. This leads parents to often skip vaccinating their children. The viruses are still out there though. The only virus for which we have a vaccination that does not occur anywhere in the world is small pox; and we no longer vaccinate for that illness. This was a unique virus that only infected humans. Most viruses pass between humans and animals, and so they become impossible to fully eradicate. As more people refuse vaccinations, we will see a spike in diseases that the average American thought were gone. This could leave us vulnerable to an US outbreak of disease that rivals the bird flus coming out of the China and other eastern countries.
In summary, it's important that we all visit the doctor and use the preventative services provided. There may be some legitimate reasons why a particular screening or vaccine is not appropriate for you, but these reasons should not be based on a broad fear of a reaction or the results. If you have concerns about a particular preventative service, talk it over with your doctor. If you are concerned with the cost, mention that to your doctor too. There are lots of free and low cost programs out there to help you with the financial aspects of staying healthy. The programs are there to help keep you healthy.
So then let me ask you, when was the last time you saw your doctor for a well visit? Did your doctor suggest a preventative measure? Did you do it or did you put it off? Why? What are you doing instead of the doctor's suggestion to keep yourself healthy? Is it working? And finally, what can you do today to make sure you are taking good care of yourself? How about scheduling that appointment you have been putting off? It's all for your healthy future!
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