Preventive medicine – The medicine of the future
By:
Dr Madan M Vasandani
I am sure many of you have friends
who have cancer or someone who has had a heart attack. Many times such
conditions are diagnosed when it is too late. The phrase “If only I knew
earlier” still echoes in our life even till today. In my experience as a
physician I come across individuals from different cultural and educational
background. Many of them know that majority of diseases are preventable but the
golden question is - Are they walking the talk or is it just plain old talk?
Did you know that the number of angiogram and stent insertion in America and Europe
have increased by 20 percent in the past 5 years. This is a sad fact because in
spite of the multitude of information available on the World Wide Web regarding
preventive measure, the incidence of heart attack is still on the rise. This
just proves that changing a person’s way of living is harder than it seems. It
all boils down to the choices a person makes regarding his/her health. You
should be making the right choice to improve your health before it tips to the
wrong side of the fence.
“You are what you eat” is one of the
most famous cliché used till today. It is very true and the cliché stress upon
choice. You choose what you put into your mouth. Make the right choice today to
eat healthier. It is not difficult to have an apple a day, or a bowl of salad
as a side dish instead of fries. Our hunger is like a small kid. It doesn’t
know what is right and what is wrong. It is time to put your mind into what you
are eating. Eat a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, meat and carbohydrates.
If you are looking at a dish and you know it is not healthy then do not even
give it a second thought. Your health is a priority. Being obese is actually a
result of many wrong choices a person makes. Tip the scale towards the healthy
eating side.
Exercise
burns excess calories, improve cardiac health and yes believe it or not to
prevent cancer. The simplest and yet the most neglected type of exercise
anybody, except a baby, can do is walking. Walk to your favorite restaurant,
walk after a meal, walk up the stairs or go for an evening walk with your
spouse. We are always looking for the most value for money gym in town. We pay
the membership fee and end up not going. If you are a busy Monday to Friday,
nine to five (or even more) person, most likely you will not have the energy to
go to the gym. Just be active. Play outdoors with your kids, walk the dog, or
even wash the car. Whatever activity you do just ensure that it is natural for
you. If going to the gym is not natural for you then don’t do it. If you love
to bike, then bicycling is your sport and if you love dancing, maybe it is time
you join a dance club. Loving what you do ensures its longevity
Love your body. It is a marvelous
creation. Like a car our body is also a machine. Every machine needs to be
maintained. When we take our car to the garage, we are actually telling the
mechanic “Here is my car, tell me what’s wrong with it and fix it” Most of the
time we go to the garage for a regular check up. A check up will tell you
what’s wrong with the car and how to fix it. Not only that, it also tells you
how to maintain the car so it is efficient. Do not wait for the car to break
down. If you hear a weird sound in the car that you never heard before, take it
to the garage. We should have the same attitude for our body. Go for a yearly check up to see if there are any
leaks or blocks. A medical check up will also give you information regarding
prevention of disease. Our body goes through a lot, and if we do not maintain
it, the stresses of life will definitely take its toll.
Murphy’s Law says “If anything can
go wrong then it will go wrong” Our body is a marvelous machine. It is faced
with so many different situations on a daily basis. Stresses of life,
pollution, junk food, the EXTREME traffic and many more affect our body. Do not
allow bad decisions to worsen its condition. Take care of it by making the
right decision on a daily basis. Remember it is very unlikely that only a
single factor is involved in causing a disease. Ensure that you do what you can
to improve your health. Think healthy, think…. Prevention.
If your body breaks down or maybe it is time for a check up visit Centrepoint Healthcare . For an appointment
call (6221) 570 6208
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