Preventive Care: Here’s How to Give Yourself the Gift of Health
James Grant, M.D.
| 3 min read
James D. Grant, M.D., is senior vice president and chief medical officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Dr. Grant is a native Michiganian and graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed his post graduate training at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology, completed his recertification in 2008 and is an associate examiner for the Board.
If you have a home or a vehicle, you most likely put some time and effort into general maintenance. Things like filter changes for your home HVAC system or oil changes for your car help keep things running smoothly and prevent problems.
The same is true for your own health. Regular preventive care helps keep your body running smoothly, prevent problems and detect health conditions in their earliest, most treatable stages.
Preventive care includes many strategies, actions and habits that contribute to your well-being, including:
Health screenings and vaccinations
Preventive screenings, such as certain blood tests, mammograms and colonoscopies, can identify health issues early, often before symptoms arise. This can lead to successful treatment and management. Vaccines help prevent certain diseases and infections. Your doctor can help you determine which vaccines and tests you might need and when.
Routine check-ups and annual physical exams
Regular physician visits keep your health care team current on your well-being and enable your doctor to monitor your health, make care recommendations and adjust treatments if needed.
Lifestyle modification
Maintaining healthy habits helps to reduce your risk of developing many chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
- Eat a balanced diet, limiting foods high in fat and drinks high in sugar.
- Get regular physical activity.
- Manage your stress.
- Maintain good sleep habits.
Simple actions that promote a healthy lifestyle help maintain your overall health.
Family history
If you have a family history of certain conditions like diabetes, heart disease or cancer, you may be at increased risk for developing these diseases. This makes preventive health particularly important because screenings, check-ups and lifestyle modification can play a crucial role to delay, reduce or even prevent you from getting these conditions.
Knowing about your family health history empowers you to make informed decisions about your own health. Here are some items to know about you and your family’s health:
- Does anyone in your family – parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles – have any heart and vascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, dementia or any other known hereditary or genetically transmitted disease?
- How old were they when diagnosed?
- If a family member has passed away, what did they die from and how old were they?
A personalized preventive care plan
When you and your physician discuss your family health history,you should consider creating a personalized preventive care plan. This helps you receive the most appropriate screenings, treatments and lifestyle recommendations to manage your health effectively.For example, if a family member has a condition, you may need some screenings earlier than the routine timeline.
While your genetics or family historymay increase your risk of a chronic condition, disease is not necessarily inevitable. Preventive care enables you to be proactive about your health.
Give yourself the gift of health. By adopting a healthy lifestyle, staying on top of screenings and working with your doctor, you can lower the chances of developing chronic diseases. That’s an investment that can improve your well-being and help you live a longer, healthier life.
Image: Getty Images
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