The Importance of Prevention

Most of us avoid doctor visits like the plague. If we do schedule a visit it’s at death’s door or when we wake up feeling like we were just hit by an 18-wheeler. Anything less (pick-up truck or SUV) usually merits little more than an aspirin before we drag ourselves off to work. It probably has something to do with our genetic make-up, but very few of us are willing to go to the hospital and submit our bodies to a battery of exams if we are feeling fine and dandy. We prefer to remain blissfully ignorant of what could be going on inside our bodies even if this lack of knowledge has the potential to lead us to an early grave.

Fortunately, in the last decade preventive medicine initiatives such as corporate wellness programs have gained ground as businesses have learned that it is much less costly to keep people healthy, than it is to treat the debilitating consequences of diseases later on.

High-tech equipment such as MRI’s and CT scanners have become commonplace, allowing doctors to literally look inside our bodies and detect potentially harmful threats before they become untreatable. Gastroenterologists use probes with cameras to travel deep inside our rectum in search of unwelcome visitors such as polyps or tumors. In the lab, blood and urine tests are used to diagnose disorders such as anemia, high blood sugar and high cholesterol, as well as diseases such as cancer, diabetes and early Parkinson’s disease.

It is hardly surprising then that a growing number of companies are now using corporate wellness programs to lower their healthcare costs while at the same time nipping incipient enemies such as stress, heart disease, and cancer right in the bud.

“A yearly visit to the doctor is a great way to keep our health on track and to prevent future complications”