Treating What Matters - the Top Threats to Good Health
Treating What Matters
A data-driven look at the top threats to long-term health—and how proactive management can help prevent them.
Part 1 of 7 in our series on the Top Threats to Good Health
Health is your greatest asset and should, as such, be managed with even more focus and energy than your wealth - an approach few of us take. A core concept in our approach with patients is what we call Health Asset Management. Much like a financial advisor determines your goals and needs throughout life and retirement, Health Asset Management is the concept of managing your health starting years (preferably decades), before disease and disability might appear.
In financial management, starting early yields the benefit of compounding interest. This principle applies equally to health – the earlier you start, the longer you have to prevent disease and address health conditions, and the more likely you are to prolong your healthspan and likely your lifespan as well.
Good News, Bad News
Seventy-six percent of all U.S. adult deaths in 2023 were the result of the top 15 causes listed in the table below. The bad news is that these numbers are real and up to date. Notice that many of the diseases listed are chronic conditions that often exist undetected for many years before they are diagnosed and treated.
The good news is that this doesn’t have to be the case. There are well-known risk factors for many of these diseases, and with proper assessment, planning, and intervention their development can be prevented or greatly delayed. If you have already developed one or more of these conditions, there is often much more that can be done for you than is typically offered by the modern healthcare system. There are several reasons for this (e.g. cost, risk-benefit, level of medical evidence in specific populations, and more) which we won’t cover in this article but will delve into in future posts.
The Journey
Over the next several weeks, we’ll examine some of the most common causes of death in U.S. adults. We will go into what the risk factors are for the disease, how it typically progresses (including early and late signs and symptoms), and how it leads to loss of function and impacts overall health. We will navigate through the latest medical data for detecting these diseases early, how to prevent them, and strategies we use to not only treat the disease but optimize health. Follow along as we present our approach to addressing 6 leading diseases over the next 6 weeks.
Health is Wealth
We hope this series provides insight into how small, proactive health decisions today can yield significant long-term benefits.
Contact us if you would like to meet with one of our physicians and consider developing an individualized Health Asset Management™ plan. We will meet with you to learn about your goals and see how we can partner with you to coordinate and manage all of your health and wellness needs. We welcome the opportunity to build a healthier future for you and your loved ones.
With Care,
Dr. Matt and Dr. David
