An Ounce of Prevention

By Janice Lane Palko

They say an ounce of prevention is a worth a pound of cure. But when it comes to your health, prevention can sometimes be confusing. Every day it seems we are confronted with a new medical study or health warning. If we’re not being cautioned about the dangers of wearing non-supportive flip-flops and developing the malady of “flip-flop feet” we’re being advised that too much or too little sleep can make you obese.

So how exactly does one know what to do to ensure good health?Fortunately, there are many professionals and entities at work every day whose job it is to research, develop and provide consumers and medical professionals with the best in health care information.

For instance, did you know that there is a medical specialty specifically devoted to heading off illness and disease before it occurs? Preventive medicine, the branch of medicine devoted to preventing disease in individuals and population groups, is one of the 24 medical specialties recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The board sets the standards for physician specialty certification, which helps to assure a physician’s expertise in that particular specialty. Their website, www.abms.org, maintains a database of physicians who are board certified.

Most people are familiar with the government agency the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but you may not be as familiar with its associate entity The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Both the NIH and the AHRQ fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While the NIH is responsible for biomedical research, the AHRQ leads federal research on health care quality, costs, outcomes and patient safety. The AHRQ has many responsibilities, one of which is developing health guides to help individuals to keep track of their preventive care.

Also, the AHRQ sponsors the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). One of the missions of the USPSTF is to evaluate the benefits of individual services based on age, gender and risk factors for disease and then to make recommendations about which preventive medical services should be incorporated into medical care.

The task force comprises primary care clinicians who are recognized for their expertise in prevention, evidencebased medicine and primary care. Researchers are constantly conducting studies, and the USPSTF and this independent panel of experts systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness and develop recommendation for clinical preventive services. The USPSTF maintains a complete list of guidelines on its website that helps to guide you in all aspects of health care, including dental and vision directives. To view this comprehensive list, visit their website at: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/ uspstfix.htm.

Your physician is also a major asset in your quest to prevent disease. Because there is still so much that isn’t know about the human body and how it works, what causes disease or how to prevent it, studies are ongoing and new information is constantly submitted for review and directives are open to revision. Your doctor should be aware of the latest health directives, and he or she can advise as to what steps you should be taking to maintain or improve your health.

No matter how many agencies and physicians may be working to develop the latest and best information in preventive care, ultimately, you are your best tool for preventing disease. You must be an advocate for your own health. A physician can recommend screenings and lifestyle changes, but only you can make the appointment or implement the changes.

Besides the quality of life issues, there are added benefits to preventing disease. With the high cost of health care and treatment of disease, it makes fiscal sense to prevent illness too. Many health insurers recognize the benefit of preventing disease too and cover health screenings.

Preventive medicine guidelines vary from individual to individual based on age, gender, race, risk and medical history. If you are not sure exactly what screenings you should be receiving or measures you should be taking, contact your physician. Also, the Mayo Clinic offers a very helpful website that gives general preventive guidelines. After registering at the site, you just plug in your age and sex, and a personal health screening guideline is produced for you. The guideline details what screening or screenings are advised, how the screening is conducted and why this measure is indicated.

You may want to print it out and take it along with you on your next doctor’s visit. To access Mayo Clinic’s website, visit www.mayoclinic.com.

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