We live our lives day by day, following our own schedules and habits. Most of those habits come down to simple decisions: Coffee or tea? Walk or drive? Nap or workout? But on the days those habits get overlooked by illness or an accident, we call our doctors and health care professionals to help us recover.
And that’s how most of us think of health care, as a treatment for an existing illness. But what if, rather than treating illness when it happens, we could avoid getting sick at all? That’s where preventive health care comes in. Dr. Yasmany Dominguez, Primary Care Provider at The Medical Group of South Florida emphasizes that check-ups and screenings are there to help prevent illness, disease, and other under-the-radar problems.
You may not think twice about visiting the doctor unless you’re sick. While this is common practice, consider yearly check-ups. These preventive measures will help you live a healthier life.
Here are several benefits of preventive health care and why it’s so important to stay on top of your health.
1. Increase Lifespan
The benefits of preventive health care start with extending your life. The more proactive you are the better prepared you’ll be. Make sure you’re scheduling important screening tests. These age-appropriate tests will give you a good sense of your health every step of the way. This is one of the best ways to prevent diseases like cancer, diabetes, and mental illness.
2. Pay Less Over Time
Preventive health care can save you money. It does so in two ways. It will lower the long-term cost of disease management by catching them early. If you wait on fixing a health issue, medical bills skyrocket.
The second way preventative health care saves you money is through full coverage thanks to insurance. Most insurance will cover your preventative services; thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Take advantage of no deductibles, copay, coinsurance, or other out-of-pocket expenses.
3. Vaccinations Prevent Infections
Vaccines are an important part of preventing infectious diseases. Aside from the common flu vaccine, vaccinations prevent infections like measles, mumps, diphtheria, and other harmful viruses.
Vaccinations can be a scary thought for some. Research has shown that vaccines are safe. It’s important to push hard immunity against specific diseases. Look at the success of vaccines with smallpox.
4. Live an Active Life
We want to be active. When you’re held back from activities, your health can drop off. These spurts of sedentary life can come about because of underlying conditions. Take measures into your own hands. These tests show the benefits of preventative health care.
A simple physical can help you understand your body, especially at the moment. The longer you put off your feelings regarding your body, the more likely you’ll find yourself unhappy and unmotivated.
5. Doctor Recommendations
When you’ve scheduled your appointment, a doctor will give you a full scope of your potential health risks. These doctor recommendations are a valuable tool and one of the benefits of preventative care. These include a lot of what we already covered, but there’s more to the puzzle.
Doctors can ask important questions like family history with the disease. This could be a telltale sign of something you may need to check up on. For those individuals with chronic conditions, doctor recommendations can help with changes in various conditions. Reduction in symptoms and improving your life is the goal. Make sure you’re taking your doctor’s recommendations.
6. Control a Problem
The theme of preventive care is catching something early. Say you do have an underlying health issue. Controlling the risk factors of different causes of death can’t happen without preventive care. This could be avoiding tobacco, maintaining weight, proper exercise routines. All of these things can be developed and built upon after a preventive care visit.
There are strategies to help you control a problem that leads to health risks. Millions of Americans suffer from addiction and other health-related problems. Control yours early in the process. Serious trips to the hospital can be avoided by managing your life in a responsible way.
7. Metric Benefits of Preventive Health Care
Improving the metrics and system of health care overall makes for better treatment. The more individuals that take advantage of preventive health care, the more sound these services are.
Proper health care plays a crucial role in the delivery of care. Without information, we can’t have causation. This means that more people willing to visit the doctor early before a situation gets worse will lead to better health care. Reporting and monitoring can push change in health care overall.
Take Your Health Seriously
These are only a few benefits of preventive health care. There are hundreds of other reasons you should take these visitations seriously. Life happens fast. Take the time to pay attention to your body.
Routine cardiovascular exams save thousands of adult lives every year. Vaccinations save about 42,000 children annually. Preventative health screenings increase life expectancy, especially among 30 to 49-year olds.
Even if you aren’t experiencing a health concern today, make sure you’re scheduling your yearly tests. Age-appropriate tests are important. Checkups can help determine your diagnostic readings and work to prescribe medication that treats underlying conditions.
Your health is serious. Schedule an appointment today. Understand the importance of preventative health care.