Root Cause of Disease Management (Why is it a Better Option?)
The simple definition for disease management is that it is a combination of interventions aimed at managing chronic diseases. Examples of such chronic diseases include diabetes cancer and asthma, among many others.
Chronic diseases that don’t have known cures yet can be difficult to live with because of the drastic changes that they spell for the patient. Disease management is still one of the best strategies to help patients settle into their new lives and to do the needful to prolong their lives and sustain their health.
The overall aim of a disease management program is to prevent chronic disease from worsening. Reducing the symptoms of the disease, a number of breakdowns due to the illness and reducing chances of complications are important benefits of disease management. Patients must cooperate with their doctors to make this a reality.
Treating the Root Cause of Diseases
Effective disease management begins with the understanding of the root cause of diseases. Why do chronic diseases happen ? How do they develop? Why do some symptoms seem worse in some people than in others?
The root cause of several chronic diseases is something called inflammation. Now, inflammation is a very necessary body reaction. It is the way your body detects and defends itself in the presence of an infection, a toxin, injuries, diseases, and other harmful agents. The set of chemical responses from detection to fighting the harmful substances is what’s called inflammation. Inflammation is not of itself harmful but sometimes, things go wrong.
There are two types of inflammation. The first which is acute inflammation is normal and lasts only a few hours to a few days. The second type is called chronic inflammation and this leads to over-alertness of the bodily immune system in responding to foreign objects.
An autoimmune response can get triggered through chronic inflammation and lead to all manner of problems including damage of tissues and DNA. If this inflammation is not treated on time, it could go on to trigger the onset of chronic diseases that people battle with today. Understanding this root cause leads to quick intervention by way of disease management.
The Components of Disease Management
Ideally, disease management has the following components:
- Medication
Administering the proper medicines once a chronic disease has been diagnosed is one of the topmost components of disease management. Medicines are given according to the patient’s needs and in consideration of their medical history. This and other components of disease management are closely supervised by a team of qualified and experienced medical personnel.
- Regular check-ups
Checkups are continuous in disease management to follow up with the patient’s progress. This component is great for close monitoring of a patient living with a chronic disease.
There are many effective ways of carrying out health assessments. One of them is the dried layer blood encryption that non-invasively checks for the presence of inflammation, mineral deficiencies, or heavy metal in your body. The procedure also checks your vitamin level to ensure all’s well.
- Counseling
Health teams are eligible to give sound counsel to patients so that they can experience normalcy while managing their health.
- Training
Simple tests that can be carried out at home by the patients are taught during training and the patients are empowered to take care of themselves. They are also trained to pay attention to their bodies and understand their symptoms.
- Proper documentation
This component is important for keeping a record of a patient’s journey through their ongoing management efforts. Proper records reduce the chances for errors if medications need to be replaced or if certain courses of action have to be taken at any point in the future.
Why is Disease Management a Better Option?
Disease management is by far a better option because it educates the patients about their condition and lets them know what to do to improve things. Below are more reasons to consider disease management.
- Chronic diseases take a long time to treat.
It’s often preferred to prevent chronic diseases from happening in the first place because of how difficult they are to treat. Most chronic diseases take a long time to stabilize and this can be the source of a major setback for the patient. If this happens, it’s preferable to employ disease management options to make the treatment more effective.
- Access to experienced specialists for accelerated improvements.
Disease management programs give patients the opportunity to get checked by experienced specialists. This avails them more in-depth medical attention and higher chances of recovery.
- Patients are taught to take responsibility for their health and well-being.
Through disease management, patients are taught to be responsible and take care of themselves. They are taught how to measure their blood pressure, temperature, and to do other simple tests from home.
- It saves costs in the long run.
Disease management saves patients a lot of money. Swift actions are taken to treat diseases on time and this helps to prevent complications from arising.
Management of Disease with Natural Defence Mechanisms
Natural defense mechanisms are preferable in the treatment of diseases. Disease management incorporates changes in lifestyle, dietary habits, and choice of medication. Let’s take a look at these.
- Dietary Therapy
Earlier in the article, we identified the root cause of diseases as excessive inflammation. This inflammation, which is a natural body response in keeping you healthy, can become increased to the point of damaging the body.
A good number of what causes chronic inflammation is the wrong diet. Processed foods introduce unhealthy components into the body that will have to be broken down someway. If the habit of unhealthy eating continues, inflammation can increase and begin the process of damage to cells, tissues, and organs.
The foods that are implicated in this are processed meat, refined carbs, soda, margarine, and French fries. You’ll be better off taking healthy plant foods such as tomatoes, olive oil, fruits, green, leafy vegetables, and fatty fish instead of red meat.
Supplements and spices such as ginger, lipoic acid, garlic, and fish oil should also be included in your diet. Diet therapy can also include a nutrient therapy like this one.
- Other Lifestyle Changes:
Lifestyle changes such as getting better sleep and constant exercises are also important in treating the root cause of diseases through disease management.
Reduction of alcohol and consumption of probiotics as recommended by your doctor will make a lot of difference in your recovery process.
Final Word
There is no shortcut to disease management, and it’s always better to take preventive steps than corrective ones. We recommend regular checkups to detect if there’s anything in your body that may pose danger to you in the future.
