Prevention

PAP smears, colonoscopies, mammograms…what do these routine screening exams have in common? Often, these routine exams are mistakenly referred to as ‘preventative’ medicine. But, the tests themselves do nothing to prevent a new diagnosis from arising, nor do they prevent chronic disease from progressing. Although routine exams are an essential aspect of our overall health care routine, it is critical that we understand that these screening exams are designed only for ‘early detection’ of disease – not prevention of disease. At Bambú Clinic, our physicians believe that practicing true prevention means we must maintain one eye on the present, and one eye on the future. Preventive medicine does this by encouraging daily healthy habits that will increase health today AND decrease the risk of chronic disease tomorrow. Preventive medicine includes treatments that have the long term benefits of balancing and optimizing normal physiology.

Consider another example, for a moment: the routine prescription of aspirin to ‘prevent’ heart attacks. Physiologically, heart attacks result from complex interactions between various systems throughout the body. In at-risk patients, we find sub-optimal heart muscle function, poor blood composition, high levels of inflammation throughout the body, and hyper-vigilance in the nervous system. Aspirin does not restore balance to any pieces of this puzzle—it simply inhibits the formation of blood clots by thinning the blood. When prescribed to a patient with a nutritionally poor diet (e.g. one high in simple carbohydrates, saturated fats, food additives, refined sugar, and low in vegetable fiber), who smokes and/or drinks alcohol, does not routinely exercise, lacks stress management skills, and has unfulfilling work and/or relationship demands, daily aspirin will do nothing to move them towards better health or cure. In the short view, aspirin may make a blood clot less likely, but it does nothing to balance the heart muscle’s ability to meet the demands placed on it. Without addressing this discrepancy, this patient remains at risk for a heart attack, as well as an increased likelihood of developing liver disease, kidney disease, lung problems, digestion issues, hormonal imbalance, anxiety, depression, autoimmune disease, or cancer.

The physicians at Bambú Clinic believe preventive health care is measured by the future reduction in incidence of chronic illness and degeneration. In addition to a complete assessment of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle-based risk factors, we utilize how patients have expressed dis-ease in the past to determine their susceptibility to future health challenges. We then recommend remedies and other interventions to return the body to balance while providing the tools and support necessary for patients to make life long changes in diet and lifestyle. Using this model, our patients achieve the greatest likelihood of a long, healthy life—free of chronic illness. This is true prevention!