Prevention is better than cure, the general rule of thumb is that prevention is better than treatment, especially in this day and age where most people believe their medical issues are just a result of bad luck. When it comes to preventing health problems from happening they should look in the mirror and be proud of who they are. The majority of my patients who came for an appointment with me reported having one or more of the following health problems: (1) heart diseases, (2) cardiovascular diseases, (3) diabetes, (4) depression, (5) arthritis, (6) obesity, (7) cancer, (8) flu, (9) back pain, and (10) other miscellaneous health problems. As a medical professional, I must remind all of these patients that each have things that can be prevented or treated. Sometimes you need to think outside of the box when you know something doesn’t work and is likely to fail. In some cases I have done an analysis on what to expect and gave them several options regarding how I will treat them before I even saw them. Here is what I found out. My understanding of what to expect is dependent upon your medical history, age, weight and height, as well as any mental disorders that you may have that will effect how I treat you. Some things that you may find are common diseases that happen to every person at certain times throughout life. Others include illnesses that are usually caused by infections and can be prevented if you maintain good hygiene habits and follow through with your routine exercise plan (I recommend exercising three days per week). Regardless, we should also take into consideration the fact that although there are some illnesses that affect more fortunate individuals, there is also something called “Preventative Medicine” which has helped doctors develop a greater understanding of a person’s predisposition to developing conditions they may never otherwise have gotten used to seeing or experiencing. This includes things like; identifying your family history, genetic factors, the environment that you’re exposed to and what medications you have been given. There are lots of illnesses that can be avoided depending on your efforts and the lifestyle you lead. These illnesses include allergies, bronchitis, sinus infection, colds, sore throats and many other ailments that we don’t see or experience directly but can affect the individual, the illness is not always obvious until after it happens and it is often very difficult to get back to normal even when you do.
For example, I found a few of my patient with colds who were extremely sick every day with no known cause and almost constant coughs. They had no symptoms and still felt fine every day as long as I took them something to eat and a couple of minutes walking around. These patients are a great example of why preventive medicine is important as they showed me how much better it was while being able to avoid the sicknesses they usually would. It wasn’t until they did a physical evaluation on their bodies that said something was wrong with them. From there I learned that they had asthma, a condition in which your airways narrow as a result of a buildup of mucus on the surface of the air sacs. A lot of studies suggest that smokers or those with other respiratory systems related to smoking are most vulnerable to these types of problems and may be very susceptible to suffering from similar symptoms. The same goes for those who have poor breathing skills and other lung diseases that affect normal breathing. This type of disease is more prevalent in older individuals and younger children, because it means that the chances of getting any type of lung illness increases drastically as you grow older. We have many different treatments today, both for preventing and treating diseases but to prevent these diseases we often need to practice Preventative Medicine. To effectively combat the illnesses, it can take time and patience to learn about an individual’s body and their past. By doing so, hopefully you can be successful with finding things that make the symptoms milder. One thing to note is that Preventive Medicine helps you identify the right treatment for the illness. There are several forms of treatment that can help you deal with the condition, sometimes depending on the severity of your case. If you choose the traditional way of dealing with a sick person then it could mean spending nights and days on bed rest, medication and possibly even surgery. On the other hand, though it may seem quite extreme some people may prefer alternative healing methods such as acupuncture for their back pain. I found that my patients who had back pain could go weeks without food and even months without being able to walk. After doing an acupuncture class together with Dr. John and realizing what was happening in their bodies my patient began feeling better. So I went up and presented her to other Physicians and Doctors in hopes of getting others on board. However, my patient said she didn’t want any of that and wanted something else to deal with it. I told Dr. John, then brought the man on board and started teaching him how to use the oils and products that he had been using. He told me his back pain was due to a blocked artery and that there was really nothing that could be done without surgery. I found that there really was no cure for this ailment but I decided one of the main points I made was to educate the man and his wife. While he was away, over dinner my husband taught me how to talk about my patients’ results and what medications worked best for them. This eventually changed his mind and he was willing to try again. Then the next morning my patient asked me if I would accompany her to the doctor’s office where the problem was so that everything could be figured out and fixed. This led to another meeting with Dr. John and his lady friend, but unfortunately, it didn’t fix the issue and she needed more help. She was scheduled to come back in two days and asked if I would arrange a visit with my husband after she was gone. She never returned. In the end, I realized that I had no control over his situation and that unless I got permission from him to see him he wouldn’t have much say in where we saw ourselves going. I ended up calling his wife and seeing if there was anything that she could help us with if we were both stuck in the house. At first it seemed like not worth it, but we eventually fell in love with our new surroundings and decided it wouldn’t hurt too much if I tried to help if he wasn’t there. That night after sleeping, I called to tell him what happened. His wife told me the truth that our two friends had been visiting and the guy got very ill. I told him that my son had died a week earlier and they were now going to meet up. I said to him that she wanted to be ready for what was coming for her and for him. I told him that I felt terrible for him and asked if he understood the reason why. He told me about the surgery and that he thought it would make him feel better, but didn’t know how to get the blood from the blocked arteries back in his body. I told him that he would probably have an opportunity for recovery in one to two years and that the surgery was worth the wait. I told him that if he went through the surgery I would feel absolutely terrible but that it was necessary for him, because it would allow him to live another few years. At first he started asking questions but soon became quiet over the conversation. Eventually he broke down and let me talk to him and we finally had an open discussion about what would actually accomplish the desired outcome. While there was no choice but to go through the surgery, I made sure to explain the steps so he could clearly see what would be involved. Once the anesthesia wore off we were sent in to an operating room to begin the surgery. We had to do a bit of prep, but as soon as the operation began, the nurse said something that I must have never heard before—”Anesthesia!! Now, please be careful! You can ask questions, and that is your prerogative to do so because we are all here to help you. Let’s start with your legs.” We began by removing the bandages, then we turned and the nurse was instructed to place some gauze inside my thigh so that it could stay attached to the area during the process. It’s very easy to slip, which I did and luckily for me was able to keep my leg stable throughout the whole procedure. Following up with the prepping they began cutting through the skin. Soon enough we were only using small amounts of the antibiotics that the doctor had prescribed to treat the infection. Next, we had to remove all the large sections of muscles and ligaments that held up my calf. Finally, once the operation was over we were given a sheet to throw on and then left the room. Once we got outside of the hospital, we had to change into scrubs and return home for more sedation. Unfortunately, we quickly ran out of scuba diving gear and had to buy new ones. This was only the second day back to work after leaving my little boy behind. We had already spent 2 days recovering so I knew I needed to get back to work. We went over the whole scenario and gave them a schedule of what they had to work until they were called off and went home. I told them that if they followed my instructions they were guaranteed to be back in two days. Within two days, we got a call saying that the anesthesia had kicked in and were being taken to the ER. As soon as they got there they immediately started complaining about how they could not move their legs. I told them that the epidural would relieve the muscle spasms and by going into the right spot they would be able to regain their movement in a few hours. The surgery was scheduled for 3 days and there was no point in waiting longer as they should have been out within an hour. They were not
