The Paradox of Disease Prevention

There is no way to prove that a person’s efforts to prevent disease actually worked. One can assume that a healthy diet, regular exercise and not smoking will prevent a heart attack. But not every fat, sedentary smoker will succumb to heart disease. The outcome of prevention is invisible: it creates an absence of events.  

There is no drama in prevention. Wearing a seat belt that prevents the need for dramatic surgery will never be featured on a television show. The benefit of reducing stress won’t have an effect by the end of the week. The difficult part of healthy behavior is adhering to the healthy decisions day after day.

Avoidable health risks need to exposed as avoidable and we need to establish a culture that celebrates everyday healthy choices.

Dr. Harvey Fineberg of the Institute of Medicine has written an easy to understand discussion on the paradox of disease prevention. Much food for thought.