Preventive Medicine

So preventive medicine is a big deal these days, which I think is a great thing because illnesses that can be avoided should be avoided. But I do think that there's also something to be said about the rate that people are getting sick these days. Are we really able to prevent cancer with more frequent screenings? The answer to that is, yes and no.

There are some types of cancer that are much easier to treat if they are caught early and some that are virtually impossible to get if preventive measures are taken. But what about the other ones? The ones that show no warning signs and cannot be prevented? Are all of these extra tests really what we need?

I think it's great that someone can avoid a negative diagnosis, but I think it's irresponsible to put blinders on to all other forms of illness. While it's not good to live in fear of what may happen, I think it's also bad to act as though nothing will ever go wrong. Preventive testing is excellent, but until the day it gets rid of all possible diseases, we still need to be aware of what's happening around us.