Who has time for Preventative Medicine

I was musing today about the importance of preventative medicine- the importance of our role in our own health. We hear it all the time- watch what you eat; exercise; quit smoking; schedule annual screening exams; floss! Preventative medicine is a popular topic in men’s and women’s magazines, on television, and everywhere we look. It sometimes can reach the point of over-saturation, yet many of us are not as vigilant as we should be when it comes to preventative healthcare measures.

Often we find that, while there are many things we could be doing to improve our overall health and well-being, and no one is more important in ensuring your health then you, we can get distracted by daily life. And let’s face it; the ritual of flossing is not particularly glamorous. Many of us are over-worked, stressed and busy. Who has the time to work out and prepare healthy meals, let alone visit the doctor on an annual basis?

While these factors may be true, the reality is, the cost (both in terms of time and money) of not following preventative healthcare measures are enormous. While it may be difficult to carve time out of each day to work out or prepare a healthy meal, unhealthy choices can significantly cut into life expectancy. Talk about not having enough time! Financial considerations are another deterrent frequently cited as an obstacle in following preventative healthcare measures. This is a real fallacy. Researchers from Harvard Medical School have led the development of a prototype "return on investment calculator" that can measure the value of prevention services, the team found that for the services provided in 2008, this program, in the long run, will return $36 for every dollar invested. (Harvard Medical School: Calculating preventative medicine’s return on investment: http://web.med.harvard.edu/sites/RELEASES/html/060209_oriol.html).

At the end of the day, the costs in both time and money pale beside the benefits that you can receive by practicing good preventative medicine techniques. So remember; floss, quit smoking, work out, eat right and visit your doctor for your annual check up!