If you take a step back and look at it, preventative care is often overlooked in our Western medical system. By doctors, nurses, you, me, and everyone in between. Instead of talking about how to prevent chronic disease, we are inundated with advertisements for how to treat chronic disease and medical misinformation. The next “miracle cure” is always right around the corner.

What if we spent more time focusing on prevention? What if those treatments for diseases were used only after preventative measures were maximized? What if we thought about how to keep ourselves from becoming ill in the first place instead of worrying? I cannot remember a time when I went to the doctor for a yearly check-up and lifestyle factors (such as sleep, food I consume, stress management, etc) were ever addressed.

Many of the top causes of death in the United States are largely preventable including heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. WOW! Now that is worth paying attention to! I will say it again, many of the top causes of death in the US are preventable. What does that have to do with the current state of our world? Everything!

While I’m not here to debate the specifics of the pandemic, what I would like to discuss is the grim reality that, in my opinion, we are being pulled further away from prevention than ever before. Instead, we are focusing on not spreading COVID-19. While we may still need to be concerned about that, the reality is that the death rate from COVID-19 does not compare to the other top causes of death, as of this writing. Maybe that will change, but I am hopeful that it will not. By focusing on prevention, we automatically put ourselves in a better place to successfully fight off COVID-19 if we should contract it, but also, we will improve our general health.

With many hospitals and clinics closing for non-emergent people and procedures, I cannot help but wonder if those mortality rates for diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes will go up. According to the news, many elective surgeries and general procedures were postponed for several months, many are still not doing a full schedule of procedures. What does that mean for us? We may have put off medical procedures, check-ups, and follow-ups either because the clinic or hospital canceled or because we were/are scared to go in due to concerns about contracting the virus.  

So, what can we do? If you need medical care or suspect you need medical care, fear of the virus should not stop you from going to the doctor or the ER. But what is really important right now is to focus on prevention. I mean that both as a way to prevent COVID-19, but also as a way to prevent other diseases and the top causes of death. Point blank, we need to focus on our immune system. In upcoming articles, I will have more specifics on how the immune system works and ways to help keep it in tip-top shape. For now, I will offer you these basic things you can do to help your immune system. Coincidently, these are also things we can do to help prevent COVID-19. 

·      If you are overweight, make it a priority to get to a healthy weight. This can be tough, but remember, it really does matter and even a few pounds can make a difference.

·      Clean up your diet. The more whole plant foods you consume, the better. Not only do plants contain fiber which helps to lower cholesterol and excess weight, but plants contain antioxidants that help with everything from inflammation, immune support, and eliminating free radicals.

·      Get into a regular sleep pattern. This may be incredibly difficult if you are working from home and are less active. While we sleep, each organ of the body goes through a detoxification and regeneration process. The body is hard at work while we catch those zzz’s and messing up that cycle can have negative impacts across the board.

·      Stop smoking and vaping. Smoking is the number one risk factor for many diseases and vaping is just not safe, especially when there is a respiratory virus going around.

·      Get regular exercise. That means every day if you are physically able to. That does not mean you need to start training for marathons (by all means, if that’s your thing, go for it, but you won’t find me running any time soon!). Find activities that you enjoy, and will, therefore, stick to, and get at it! Physical activity also helps to regulate sleep patterns.

Above all else, be kind. Treat others the way you want to be treated. We need to show compassion to those around us. We are all doing the best we can right now. We are in survival mode and this is all new. We may not agree with everything someone says, but more often than not, they are still coming from a place of love. Everyone wants what is best for themselves, those around them, and for the world. And we can all use a little more kindness.

Stay tuned for upcoming articles to help your immune system live its best life!

Peace, love & kale!

Lindsay

References:

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  (2017).  National Health Expenditures 2017 Highlights.  Retrieved from: https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-andReports/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/highlights.pdf

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).  (2019).  Health and Economic Costs of Chronic Diseases.  Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/costs/index.htm