Episode 1 of 7 in our series on Top Threats to Good Health
Health Asset Management TM
At Paradigm Health, we believe that your health is your greatest asset and should be managed with even more focus and energy than your wealth. In fact, a core concept in our approach to partnering with patients is what we call Health Asset ManagementTM. Much like you work with a financial advisor to determine your goals and needs throughout life and during retirement, we want to partner with you to manage your health for many years, if not decades, before disease and disability would appear. In financial management, beginning early yields the benefit of compounding interest, and this principle also applies to your health – the earlier you begin, 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.
At Paradigm Health we are committed to a partnership with each patient. This means that we work together to care for you using the best medical evidence and the newest innovations specific to the diseases for which you have personal risk. In this way, we delay or prevent illness and death from the diseases listed below as long as possible in order to keep you active and functional, enjoying your life to the fullest. We care for our patients and take this partnership very seriously, doing our best to promote your health and coordinate your care with compassion and hospitality.
The Journey
Each week over the next few months we will release one post that discusses a top cause of death in US 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 at Paradigm Health to not only treat the disease but optimize health. In short-term, follow along with us as we present our approach to addressing 6 leading diseases over the next 6 weeks.
Health is Wealth
We hope that in this upcoming series you will learn a little more about investing in your health as your most important asset, where making small adjustments now pays major dividends in your healthspan.
Contact us if you would like to meet with one of our physicians and consider developing an individualized Health Asset ManagementTM 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