September is National Disease Literacy Month, and as part of this national awareness and educational campaign, UHSM will share weekly tips and tricks for proactive and preventative approaches to health and wellness. Disease literacy month was founded to educate people about their conditions and the associated services needed to make careful decisions so that they can live a healthier life. The purpose of the educational campaign is to improve a person’s overall understanding of their diagnosis, as well as the associated services needed to make care decisions for oneself of one’s family.
In this post we will discuss how to make informed choices, how to take a proactive and preventative approach to health and wellness. By taking small, regular, actionable steps, we can increase longevity. Tools, strategies, and programs are designed to help people feel and stay well-paired with early intervention, to frequently identify symptoms with one’s doctor, before they become more serious or chronic.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Benjamin Franklin
Proactive vs. Reactive Health Care
Let’s talk about the difference between proactive and reactive healthcare. Reactive healthcare is only visiting your doctor or physician when symptoms or problems arise. For example, if you wake up with a cough, fever and body aches, and visit the doctor to get antibiotics, this is considered reactive healthcare. Both you and the doctor are reacting to the symptoms.
Preventative healthcare is taking action, before any symptoms arise. Instead of waiting for the symptoms of a cold or virus to manifest themselves, take a proactive approach by utilizing vitamins, supplements, and by drinking plenty of fluids as a great way to practice preventative care. Booking regular checkups with your doctor is another example of proactive wellness care.
The healthcare system was designed in the post-World-War II era as a “sick care” system. For the most part, the system was not set up to help prevent the onset of disease, but instead to diagnose and treat illness. This reactive approach to health care is both expensive and ineffective in meeting the needs of today’s healthcare population.
Today, healthcare is quickly experiencing a paradigm shift and transforming from a reactive to a proactive system and focusing on preventative methods as a way to improve health and wellness.
So how can you take a more proactive and preventative approach to your healthcare? Here are some wellness tips to help you live happier and healthier.
5 Proactive and Preventative Wellness Tips
- Exercise – Regular exercise and physical activity can improve your health, boost your immune system and give you a longer life. Exercise helps to strengthen your mind and body and can improve energy and flexibility. Whether it’s a morning walk or taking a class at your local gym, it’s important to set aside some time to make exercise a habit.
- Eat Healthy – A healthy diet can help you maintain a healthy body weight and prevent diseases like heart problems and diabetes. Eating more fruits and vegetables, taking supplements and minerals help boost immunity and protect your body from infection. Replacing processed foods with whole foods, snacking on antioxidant rich foods and substituting red meat for lean protein are simple changes that have a big impact.
- Get plenty of sleep – Lack of sleep increases your chances of diseases and the risk of mental disorders like anxiety and depression. Sleep is vital for your body and mind to function optimally. It reduces stress and helps to restore your energy. It’s important to get at least 7 hours of sleep each day to make sure you are happy and healthy.
- Get regular check-ups, screenings and tests – Visiting your doctor regularly and proactively seeking preventative care can include check-ups, immunizations, health screenings and weight management. Regular tests can protect you against diseases such as cancer with screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies for early detection. It’s important to share your family history with your doctor to help prevent or control any conditions before developing any symptoms.
- Avoid smoking and limit alcohol consumption – Smoking and high amounts of alcohol consumption have been linked to many health conditions such as cancer, heart disease and stroke. Be avoiding smoking and reducing the amount of alcohol consumed can help prevent these conditions.
Why wait for symptoms to start and treat them when you can be proactive? Caring for your health ahead of time can prevent disease and illness and help you live a longer life. Being proactive in prioritizing your health can improve your mind and body and maintain your well-being.
“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8
How UHSM Encourages Proactive and Preventative Health
At Unite Health Share Ministries our goal is to empower our community to take a proactive and preventative approach to their mind, body, and spiritual health. Here are some perks of being a UHSM member:
- Access to the best providers with the largest health care networks in the country, the PCHS® PPO Network and CVS Caremark™ Network.
- Noom Membership: Noom is a company dedicated to creating a healthier world. They are committed to helping their users achieve physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
- Fitbod Membership: Fitbod is an award-winning application that leverages AI to provide users with personalized workouts tailored to their goal, ability, and available equipment
- com Membership: Pray.com is the world’s #1 app for daily prayer and faith-based audio content. Experience stronger faith, deeper sleep, and a better prayer life when you download the Pray.com app.
Next Week: To continue with the theme of National Disease Literacy Month and promoting healthier and happier living, UHSM will be sharing more about Growing in the name of the Lord: Wellness from Spirit to Practice.
