Primary prevention is your first line of defense against chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Its focus is on preventing health problems from happening in the first place, or developing further.
Primary prevention is also about taking care of yourself and staying healthy by eating right, exercising regularly, and seeing your attending physicians doctors to manage or monitor any previous medical conditions you may have had in the past.
So what are the things that you need to monitor in order to stay healthy? Keep reading to find out.
5 Things To Look Out For
Even if you don’t feel any pain or sickly symptoms, you should make it a habit to visit your primary care provider for regular checkups to avoid health issues in the future.
Here are the things that they need to look into during a preventive care visit:
- Blood Pressure. It is very important to check your blood pressure because it can help identify if you have any cardiovascular problems and thus ensure that you take the right steps to address these.
High blood pressure, for instance, can lead to heart disease, strokes, kidney failure and other serious conditions if left unchecked. - Blood Sugar. Checking your blood sugar involves identifying the amount of glucose in your bloodstream. High blood sugar can cause serious health problems—and if you’re not careful, this can lead to complications such as kidney failure and vision loss.
If you have diabetes, keeping track of your blood sugar levels will help you manage this condition better. - Cholesterol. This type of fat is found in the blood and plays many roles in your body, including helping to make hormones and build cell walls. But too much cholesterol can lead to heart disease and strokes—two of the leading causes of death worldwide.
- Cancer Screening. These screening tests are designed to detect cancer before any symptoms show up. Since there are no symptoms for most cancers, this is the only way to catch them early. With early detection, patients can opt for less invasive treatments while having a better chance of survival.
- Osteoporosis Screening. Osteoporosis is a skeletal condition that is characterized by low bone mass and deteriorating bone tissue, leading to weaker bones and higher risks of fractures. Osteoporosis screening is an important part of preventive care because it helps doctors find out if you are at risk for osteoporosis, or if you already have it so that you can take necessary steps for treatment or prevention.
Primary prevention can help you stay healthy and reduce your risk of illness. It can also help you save money on healthcare costs further down the road.
One important thing to remember is that primary prevention is always better than invasive treatments or cures. You’ll never regret nipping a problem in the bud before it has any chance at all of causing serious harm (or worse, death).
Whether you’re just after a simple check-up or are looking for comprehensive healthcare for your family, our doctors here at Mason Park Medical Clinic in Katy, TX are ready to help with our preventive care services.
