The Power of Preventative Medicine
By Meagan Jacobs, PharmD
When it comes to health, people generally fall into two categories: proactive or reactive. As a health care professional, I unfortunately see many more reactive patients. If you are reading this you may fall into the proactive group but not know exactly what preventative medicine is & how powerful an effect it can have on your life.
How can you ensure you are practicing preventative medicine for yourself & your family?
1. 
Eat real whole foods, limit processed foods, sugar, excess alcohol & too many refined carbohydrates.
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
3. 
Preventative visits (often covered by insurance)
- 1x/year = Physical (labs for electrolytes, hormones, kidney function, acid/base balance, & blood sugar)
- 1x/year = Eye Exam
- 1x/year = OBGYN (for females)
- 2x/year = Dental Cleaning
- Other important preventative screenings by age: https://www.harvardpilgrim.org/pls/portal/url/ITEM/E0FBEA288B0C490292907AD29026C4B8
If you are proactive with your health care, you can get ahead of declining health, the onset of diabetes, or the diagnosis of cancer. As a pharmacist, it dismays me to see people talking pills because of the side effects their other pills are causing. However, most of those people think there is no other way. They never consider the fact that the foods they “fuel” their body with everyday are actually slowly killing them rather than fueling them.
I am so passionate about only taking pills that are truly necessary and allowing food to be our medicine. Yet, I am also realistic about the fact that we cannot prevent all diseases or ensure we never get cancer. If we are proactive about our health, we are much more likely to maintain a healthy weight, avoid chronic diseases, and prolong and possibly prevent the diagnosis of cancer. Who wouldn’t want that? We only have this one life, so go out there & live it to the fullest.
Let's return to health, together.
