Preventive medicine is quite promising. In Russia, this technique is not yet popular either among doctors or among ordinary people. However, European specialists have been actively developing this area for several years.
So, preventive medicine is engaged in the prevention of various diseases. As a rule, preventing a disease is much easier than curing it, so this technique is gaining more and more popularity.
How does this technique differ from prevention?
At first glance, both preventive and preventive medicine are doing the same thing, but this is not entirely true. The main difference between these directions is that preventive measures, as a rule, are aimed at a rather large group of people, while preventive medicine is engaged by each person individually, taking into account the characteristics of a particular organism. Thus, the specialist works with each patient according to an individual approach system, which significantly increases the effectiveness of the measures taken.
Types of prevention
Specialists distinguish primary and secondary prevention. Primary activities include taking vitamins, maintaining an active lifestyle, and so on.
Also, this includes the activities of world health organizations and various government programs. For example, this is a ban on the release of toxic industrial wastes into the atmosphere. Primary events are equally useful for each person, and it is rather pointless to introduce an individual approach in this case. But in the case of secondary prevention, the situation is slightly different. The main method here is medical examination of the patient. However, it should be noted that in many cases this approach is not able to help identify the disease in the initial stages, although it is precisely such measures that are often taken in Russia.
Popularity in Russia
So far, this direction in the Russian Federation is very poorly distributed, and the clinic of preventive medicine is a completely rare phenomenon. In our country, such an approach was officially recognized only in 2012, so this industry is only just beginning to develop.
Currently, there are a lot of unfinished moments in the domestic healthcare system. In particular, a family doctor should deal with the prevention and, to some extent, prediction of the occurrence of ailments. However, in most cases, the disease is recorded only upon treatment by the patient. At the same time, due to national characteristics, Russians go to the doctor only with pronounced symptoms or even at the stage of a serious chronic process. This is due to the fact that specialists do not have enough time or energy to carefully monitor the health of the citizens entrusted to them. Therefore, specialists in preventive medicine are rarely found in Russia, but usually they have many clients among people who carefully monitor their health.
Procedure for preventive medicine
After contacting the appropriate doctor, he will ask for an examination. Today, experts diagnose the general condition of the body using the most modern equipment, which allows to achieve maximum accuracy in compiling the overall picture.
There are a number of standard tests, the delivery of which provides for preventive medicine. A blood test, for example, for tumor markers helps to recognize cancer in the first stages, as well as identify other diseases that tend to affect the structure of the blood. Analyzes are also being collected to determine metabolic and hormonal indicators, after which the specialist will be able to compile an individual list of possible diseases and factors that can lead to their development. Next, the doctor will give recommendations for maintaining health and will propose a plan for a variety of medical procedures that will minimize the likelihood of ailments.
What is taken into account when compiling a picture of hazardous factors?
When compiling a list of possible diseases, the doctor takes into account:
- Genetic characteristics of the patient. Today, there are a variety of methods for identifying a genetic predisposition to certain ailments. It is also worth remembering that some diseases can be inherited.
- Ecological situation. If the client lives in an area with poor ecology, the specialist will definitely take this into account when making the forecast. The nature of the pollution also affects diseases, for example, the presence of a large amount of ozone and some other substances in the air can lead to atherosclerosis. Is it worth noting that smoking or drinking heavily affects the condition of the body.
- Working conditions. Many people are engaged in hazardous work, as a result, their immunity is reduced, they are often exposed to stress that does not pass without a trace. Work on construction sites is often accompanied by the inhalation of a large amount of industrial dust and harmful substances. If a person leads a sedentary lifestyle, then this is not the best way affects his spine, which leads to many problems. Almost every profession has its “own” diseases, so this cannot be ignored.
Thus, preventive medicine is a very important and promising area. Thousands of specialists from all over the world contribute to the development of this technique, new studies are regularly conducted to allow doctors to more accurately predict possible diseases.
Preventive Medicine Methods
After the doctor presents a general picture of the state of the body and determines the most likely risk factors, he will be able to draw up a plan for the prevention of possible diseases.
A secondary goal of therapy is the general healing of the body in order to increase resistance to other ailments and increase life expectancy. The main methods of preventive medicine include genetic and biochemical studies, as well as several innovative ways to study the internal systems of a person.
Areas of preventive medicine
Currently, the most popular area of preventive medicine is the development of methods for the early diagnosis of ailments. As you know, the manifestations noticeable on ultrasound, radiographs, etc., are signs of already actively developing diseases. To detect ailments, long before the appearance of such signs, modern diagnostic methods are used, for example, over the past decade, many new techniques have appeared to detect irregularities in the functioning of human internal systems, which made it possible to make better forecasts. Nevertheless, many ailments are still difficult to diagnose in advance, and in the next few years, more than one important discovery is likely to be made in this area.
Also, specialists are trying to invent more effective methods to reduce the risk of diseases and ways to stop the development of diseases, which is also important.
Which is better: traditional private clinics or a center for preventive medicine?
Comparing these two types of institutions is not entirely correct. The system of work of specialists in preventive medicine is fundamentally different from the traditional healthcare mechanism, because doctors are trying to prevent ailments, and not to cure existing ones. Conventional clinics work with diseases that are at least at the third stage of development. There are many reasons for this. It is at this time that symptoms appear, with the help of which comparison it is possible to judge with a sufficient degree of certainty about the presence of a certain ailment.
Private institutions often take a lot of money for their services, but if traditional research does not help to identify the disease, then specialists simply will not be able to start treatment. Preventive medicine is aimed specifically at the early detection of ailments and reducing the likelihood of their development. Therefore, if the disease is already progressing, you need to contact specialists in the field of traditional medicine.
How to find a doctor?
There are not many professionals in this field in Russia. One of the best specialists in the domestic segment of preventive medicine is Professor Alexander Poletaev. This specialist has many scientific merits and titles, and in 1985 the Ministry of Health of the USSR awarded him the badge “Excellent Health”. According to A. Poletaev, preventive medicine is one of the most important methods of combating ailments, since it allows you to identify the disease even before its active development. The professor is also a member of the American Society of Neuroscience. In other words, Alexander Poletaev, for whom preventive medicine has become a lifelong business, is a true specialist in this field. His merits are highly regarded in the scientific community.
Alexander Poletaev (preventive medicine, Novosibirsk) is ready to help everyone who cares about their health and wants to prevent all kinds of diseases. But making an appointment with a professor is quite difficult, so it’s best to contact a special medical center that he oversees.
Fontanka Center for Preventive Medicine
The clinic on the embankment of the Fontanka River, 127 offers a full range of services. This Center for Preventive Medicine is very popular, doctors of all specialties work in it, specialists advise clients and give them recommendations for improving health. Specialists have at their disposal the most modern technologies, due to which the diagnosis of patients' diseases is most reliable. Doctors of the clinic practice an individual approach to each client. The medical complex has established effective interaction between rooms and laboratories, so that people are served as quickly as possible.