Preventative medicine? What really works?
There is much debate about whether population screening for medical conditions is really useful in the long run. When you look at the figures for screening performed on healthy people it is amazing what a small chance you have of both picking up some sort of health problem and of prolonging and saving a life as the result of a screening test. Huge numbers of people have to go through procedures, all with some sort of risk, to produce an incredibly small change in the overall chance of saving or prolonging life.
That being said there are a few things that I believe are worthwhile in terms of preventative medicine. Here are three simple ones that come to mind:
1. To me, preventing pregnancy when you don't wish to have a baby is the by far the most significant intervention that you can make in the life of your patient. I am amazed at the privilege that we, as a nation, have in being able to choose when we wish to have a baby. And these days there are great improvements in the types of contraceptives available. Take the contraceptive ring, widely used across Europe, which only needs to be remembered on two days a month, the day you put it in and the day you take it out. And preventing pregnancy, with all the risks to health that pregnancy entails, turns out to be a worthwhile health prevention intervention.
2. Vaccine preventable diseases are another form of preventative medicine that I can really believe in. We now effectively have two anti-cancer vaccines, not widely known as such but both the hepatitis B vaccine and the HPV vaccine prevent cancer. In Australia and the US and many parts of Europe Hep B is given on the national immunisation program at birth. Hep B is transmitted by blood to blood route and so can be picked up by treading on a used needle on the beach, it can also be sexually transmitted. And hep B causes liver cancer in a small percentage of people who are infected with the virus. So to me, that is an obvious one. Less well known is that the HPV vaccine, currently only given to girls in the UK but also to boys in other parts of the world, has reduced the incidence of head an neck cancers as well as cervical cancer in women. As well as these vaccines the annual flu vaccine does a great job of reducing your chance of catching flu, the whooping cough vaccine given throughout life reduces the chance of whooping cough. The Australians have got this one sorted - you need a whooping cough vaccine to get a visa to go there these days - they have realised that the 100 day cough is worth preventing at all costs.
3. I have always thought that an annual glaucoma eye test has to be worth it. A little puff of air into the eye gives you a measure of the pressure within your eye. A raised pressure within the eye can cause gradual but permanent loss of vision if left untreated and it's such an easy test. I suggest it to all my patients once a year after the age of 50.
There are lots of other health prevention tips that are worth thinking about. I am forever reminding my patients to keep fit, drink less and manage stress in their lives.
Wishing you a happy and healthy 2016
Dr Amanda Northridge
That being said there are a few things that I believe are worthwhile in terms of preventative medicine. Here are three simple ones that come to mind:
1. To me, preventing pregnancy when you don't wish to have a baby is the by far the most significant intervention that you can make in the life of your patient. I am amazed at the privilege that we, as a nation, have in being able to choose when we wish to have a baby. And these days there are great improvements in the types of contraceptives available. Take the contraceptive ring, widely used across Europe, which only needs to be remembered on two days a month, the day you put it in and the day you take it out. And preventing pregnancy, with all the risks to health that pregnancy entails, turns out to be a worthwhile health prevention intervention.
2. Vaccine preventable diseases are another form of preventative medicine that I can really believe in. We now effectively have two anti-cancer vaccines, not widely known as such but both the hepatitis B vaccine and the HPV vaccine prevent cancer. In Australia and the US and many parts of Europe Hep B is given on the national immunisation program at birth. Hep B is transmitted by blood to blood route and so can be picked up by treading on a used needle on the beach, it can also be sexually transmitted. And hep B causes liver cancer in a small percentage of people who are infected with the virus. So to me, that is an obvious one. Less well known is that the HPV vaccine, currently only given to girls in the UK but also to boys in other parts of the world, has reduced the incidence of head an neck cancers as well as cervical cancer in women. As well as these vaccines the annual flu vaccine does a great job of reducing your chance of catching flu, the whooping cough vaccine given throughout life reduces the chance of whooping cough. The Australians have got this one sorted - you need a whooping cough vaccine to get a visa to go there these days - they have realised that the 100 day cough is worth preventing at all costs.
3. I have always thought that an annual glaucoma eye test has to be worth it. A little puff of air into the eye gives you a measure of the pressure within your eye. A raised pressure within the eye can cause gradual but permanent loss of vision if left untreated and it's such an easy test. I suggest it to all my patients once a year after the age of 50.
There are lots of other health prevention tips that are worth thinking about. I am forever reminding my patients to keep fit, drink less and manage stress in their lives.
Wishing you a happy and healthy 2016
Dr Amanda Northridge
Your cells are your foundation for health. If your cells begin behaving or functioning abnormally, your foundation will begin to crumble, leaving you vulnerable to a wide range of health problems. The body is incredibly resilient and efficient, but over time, a poor diet and lifestyle may weaken the health and vitality of your cells. The food you eat is also the food your cells consume, so by eating nutrient-dense food, you provide your cells with the support they need to keep your entire body healthy. Start stocking your fridge with some of the best foods known to support proper cellular health.
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