​Naturopathic Medicine and Functional Medicine emphasize greatly the importance of preventative medicine. We go through life day by day, each with our own set schedules and habits. When things go wrong, we get into accidents, or we fall ill, we rely on trusted doctors and health care professionals to help us recover.

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That’s how much of health care works — responsive action taken to treat a sickness or disease already underway.

But what if we could avoid getting sick in the first place? That’s what preventative medicine is all about. Most areas of medicine narrowly focus on a single age group, ailment, or body part. But preventative medicine does not have these boundaries, making it a very broad field.

But what is preventative medicine? And why is it so important?

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WHAT IS PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE, EXACTLY?

Preventative medicine is exactly what it sounds like — it aims to prevent sickness before it happens.

The ideology behind preventative medicine focuses on protecting, promoting, and maintaining health and well-being. It also aims to avert disease, disability, and death on an individual basis, as well as on a large scale in communities and populations.

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Preventative medicine is promoted by all physicians, though some choose to specialize in it. Physicians in this specialty use biostatistics and epidemiology, as well as a mix of medical, social, economic, and behavioral sciences. They may evaluate health services or manage health care organizations. They also study the cause of disease and injury within specific population segments.

preventative medicine is an interdisciplinary branch of medicine that focuses on the whole patient and the many factors influencing their health. It holds a broad scope, encompassing elements of socioeconomics, the role of legislation, health equity, and the disparities found in communities and certain populations.

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WHY IS PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE IMPORTANT?

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, account for seven out of ten deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is why screening and detection have become so critical. Healthy habits are just as critical, including eating well, exercising, and avoiding tobacco use. These help individuals stay healthy, avoid disease, or minimize the effects of disease.

The CDC lists the five leading causes of death in the US as heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, and unintentional injuries. This makes preventative medicine all the more important in avoiding premature death.

Practicing preventative medicine can also lower costs, as 75 percent of annual health spending goes toward chronic and largely preventable diseases in the US, according to the CDC. preventative medicine also fights the productivity drain associated with chronic illness.