Prevention: avoidance, deterrence, preclusion, hindrance; most often when we think of the concept of prevention, in general we associate the word with the thought of stopping the actions of another, or someone attempting to hinder our actions: “she prevented him from getting the promotion he deserved, the young teen tried to sneak out of the house at midnight, but his parents prevented him.” Prevention can be a positive action or a negative one, depending upon the situation.

In Health Care, having the preference of Prevention would be more advantages by launching a strike offensively in deterring the attack of an illness, as opposed to a defensive move after the attack of a malady has already occurred. Living life in a care-free manner hoping that sickness will never occur, when the environment in which we live is unfortunately so contaminated with many ailments, is rather primitive thinking. One should prepare for good health, not live in constant reaction to sickness; the time to be aggressive against diseases is before they strike. Once sickness has invaded the body, we are on the defense and have lost temporary control over our good health.

The human body changes over the course of years, years comprised of months which are comprised of weeks, which are comprised of days; therefore it is safe to say that the human body changes from day-to-day! Daily vulnerability to infectious diseases and sicknesses can be determined by the simple verification of the therapeutic state of the body at the time of exposure. Variances in the healthiness of the immune system, age, and other dynamics can be the factor in whether or not exposure leads to contamination, as well as the level of infectivity. Not only is this the case of vulnerability in a single individual, but it is also the case between two individuals: an indication to the reason why one exposed to the same virus as another may not become infected as the other. This suggests that the success of infection of some viruses is not reliant upon exposure/transmission alone, but also upon the therapeutic state of the host body.

Health Therapy through basic practices is a simple Preventive measure to constant illnesses. Preventive Therapy or Preventive Health Care refers to measures taken to prevent diseases or injuries, rather than curing them or treating their symptoms after the fact. It is strongly recommended that understanding be given to the difference between Preventive, Palliative, and Curative Care: Preventive are measures taken to ward off sickness from the body, Palliative are medicinal measures taken to alleviate the body from symptoms of a sickness that has already invaded the body, and Curative are measures taken in finding a cure for the sickness of the body. In “Public” Health Preventive Care one can expect such measures as immunization shots, ingestion of a daily pill, a patch worn outside of the body, or even perhaps some surgical procedure. All of these measures bring with it side effects and/or further complications for the body and require depending upon another for your Health Care status; however, assuming responsibility for your own personal well being puts the control over your body and health status into “your” hands.

There are simple basic everyday measures to be taken in preventing sickness, disease, and illnesses which are relatively so simple they can be easily overlooked. But yet are they powerful when proven to be primary deterrents against bad health and the attack of viruses and bacteria. Before discussing Preventive measures, it is first necessary to understand the course and intent of a virus, bacterium, or disease. We now live in an electronic and computerized world where literally every person is most assuredly acquainted with some form of an electronic/computerized device which can access the internet. Unfortunately, we understand that computer systems are susceptible to viruses called malware, adware, spyware, etc. For the sake of a better comprehension, let’s think in terms of “computer jargon.”

A virus has to first be created; it has to be manufactured by some means or another, it is bad, evil in origin, nature, and intent. A virus serves no purpose idle; it must have a host body/computer in order to carry out its mission of mass destruction. A virus must gain an avenue of entrance into the host body/computer…you must open the door through a mucous membrane/email, etc. in order for a virus to gain access to your operating system. A virus must attach itself to your cells/files for the purpose of imitating them as to go undetected, allowing it time to cause corruption. A virus must begin to intercept and destroy all truths you download into your body/computer, as well as the truths already present, in order to bring total destruction to your body/computer’s operating system.

There are numerous open doors which creates an avenue for viruses, bacterium, and diseases to enter the body; among some of the most common in today’s society are: hypertension 7.8, smoking 5.0, high cholesterol 3.9, malnutrition 3.8, sexual promiscuity resulting in STDs 3.0, poor dietary health 2.8, overweight and obesity 2.5, physical inactivity 2.0, alcohol 1.9, indoor air pollution from solid fuels 1.8, unsafe water and poor sanitation 1.6. The following numbers in each category represents the number of deaths in millions worldwide since the year 2001! In the past nine years 3.0 million People died from sexual diseases and 2.5 million from obesity. The ultimate tragedy is in the fact that all of these sicknesses and diseases were preventable maladies and almost all resulted from what individuals were doing to themselves.

With the understanding that there are several viruses which exist seeking to destroy our operating system, should come the desire to arm ourselves with the knowledge of Preventive Health Care. Secondary Prevention of diagnosing and treating possible illnesses can be minimized with the exercise of basic minimum daily Primary Preventive Care. Using the analogy of a computer system again, here are some basic ways of optimizing your operating system against the intrusion of viruses…

Guard your ports of entrance: eyes, nostrils (mucous membranes,) mouth, skin pores, intravenous veins, and genitalia/anal opening! Viruses must gain an entrance into the body, be careful of what enters the body through these portals; touching the eye with fingers, breathing in toxins and exhaled air from infected individuals, ingesting contaminated water and foods prepared with unwashed contaminated hands, keep skin clean to minimize skin cell deterioration (dryness) affecting its ability to protect soft skin tissue beneath the epidermis and internal organs, when receiving shots…know what’s going into your blood stream, and maintain healthy sexual practices with your trustworthy spouse.

Take out the time to learn your body: recognize what’s normal and pay attention to subtle changes. Know what cells/files are yours and gain a sensitivity to implants. The body, like a computer, always flashes a warning sign when something is threatening its operating system, pay attention and take action, because the act of continually ignoring warning signs will eventually lead to system failure and/or a computer melt down!
The health of the immune system like a computer’s operating system is dependent upon what is constantly downloaded into the body/computer. All computers come with various different programs and software to enhance your experience with its operating system, but what “you” download into its memory can either be good or bad for your computer. Likewise, the human body was created with an amazing operating system comprised of programs (systems) such as a cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, digestive/gastrointestinal, integumentary, lymphatic/immune, musculoskeletal, nervous/brain, urinary, and reproductive system. All downloads (whether mental, spiritual, psychological, emotional, or physical) will affect the body adversely or in a healthy positive manner. Any truths (validated programs/systems) of the body intercepted by viruses (bad downloads) will soon give way to corrupt disks, file implants, and plain bad info which confuses the operating system and sends it into disarray.

The human body was created to update itself year after year continually, so long as preventive measures are taken to keep it at its optimal peak performance; in as much as computers were designed to do the same as long as it remains void of viruses through corrupt downloads. Even with normal wear and tear, and the usual slow down of the body due to natural aging, the human body can still survive sickness/illness/disease free until the course of natural death occurs. With Preventive Health Care in motion some individuals have enjoyed their lives free of drugs, surgery, preventable maladies, and hospital visits for years. With the practice of Preventive Health Care there is absolutely everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Ms. Šahíyena Cheyenne has been a freelance writer since 1989. She has training as a Basic EMT, a CNA, and basic training in Health & Nutrition as a Certified Active Older Adult Strength Trainer and Fitness Instructor with the Y MCA of the U.S.A. and as a Certified Personal Trainer with the Linda Evans Fitness Center. She can be contacted at www.cafesahiyena.com