Preventive Medicine

I INTRODUCTION

Preventive Medicine, medical specialty that promotes health and prevents illness. In the late 20th century this specialty gained importance as United States public health officials became concerned about the increasing cost of health care. Preventive medicine strategies can focus on the population or on individuals.

II POPULATION-BASED PROGRAMS

Historically, the first preventive strategies were based on the awareness that disease transmission can be stopped by public hygiene measures such as quarantining people who are ill, removing the dead, and providing sewage systems. A major advance was the discovery that immunization can protect people against many infectious diseases.

Preventive medicine is also concerned with chronic disease and has developed such measures as screening programs to identify individuals with high blood pressure rift gold and those who have breast or cervical cancer. Unfortunately, screening for lung cancer has not been as successful.

Governments have attempted to prevent disease by requiring greater purity of air and water and by prohibiting the use of food additives that cause cancer in animals. Federal regulations in the United States also promote safety in the workplace, for example, by requiring the removal of accident hazards and by limiting employees’ exposure to chemicals and radiation (see Occupational and Environmental Diseases).

III INDIVIDUAL ACTION

Researchers in human health problems also uncover actions that people can take individually to improve their health. Primary among these are maintaining a nutritious and balanced diet with a low fat content, getting sufficient sleep and regular exercise, and having periodic medical and dental examinations. Many physicians recommend reducing the intake of cholesterol in the diet to cut down heart disease. Dentists have introduced the application of fluoride to children’s teeth to prevent tooth decay. Public health officials also stress the use of automobile seat belts, especially for children. Physicians and health officials encourage people to stop smoking as the most effective way to combat the increasing occurrence of lung cancer. People are also encouraged to wear sunscreens and avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight in an effort to prevent skin cancers,rift gold although these measures have been found to be ineffective against melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Some scientists advocate the massive use of vitamin C to prevent colds and the use of vitamins A and E to prevent some cancers, but these measures remain controversial (see Vitamin).