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As a Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Natasha Zajmalowski ND believes in Proactive Healthcare – making positive and direct changes in the areas of your health over which you have control.
Given that many medical conditions are preventable and controllable, every health care interaction with Dr. Natasha Zajmalowski ND includes Proactive Health Care support that addresses this simple fact: your health depends on your choices. The premise is simple: an individual who has access to a Naturopathic Doctor who provides you with systematic information and skills to reduce health risks is more likely to eat healthy food, engage in physical activity, reduce substance use, stop using tobacco products, become increasingly aware of their impact on the environment, and spend their money in a more health conscious way. These risk reducing behaviours can dramatically decrease the incidence of preventable disease and chronic conditions.
To be PROACTIVE in our own health we need to invest our energy and time into areas where small changes can make the greatest impact. Perhaps the two most significant aspects of our lives that can sometimes feel beyond our control are related to our local air quality and the genes we inherit, yet each in its own way can be optimized to improve our own health.
Though we cannot directly control the quality of the air we breathe in Essex County, we can greatly influence the quality of air we breathe in our own home. It is well known that we are exposed to more toxins in the home than outside. By reducing our use of harsh chemicals in the form of air fresheners, hair sprays, common household cleaners and beauty care products, we greatly improve our in-home air quality which reduces stress on our lungs, liver, skin and brain function. Our children stand to benefit the most from these very important changes.
We are equally unable to control which genes we inherited from our parents, however, we can greatly influence which genes are turned on and off. An emerging and exciting new field of genetics known as EPIGENETICS is identifying the dynamic nature of genes and how genes can be activated (or not) depending on what sort of environment they are exposed to. This means that what you eat, how much you sleep, how active you are, how much stress you are exposed to, and the relationships you have in your life will all determine which inherited genes get turned on or off. By knowing your family history, current state of health and goals, you can take a proactive approach to your health on a very elemental level. Why wait until something is wrong to make positive health choices?
Many diseases and undesirable health outcomes can be prevented, yet our current healthcare system does not make the best use of its limited resources to support this process. Most current health care systems are based on responding to the acute symptoms and urgent needs of patients: testing, diagnosing, relieving symptoms, and expecting a cure are hallmarks of contemporary health care. While these functions are appropriate for acute and episodic health problems, a notable disparity occurs when applying this model of care to the prevention and management of chronic conditions.
Proactive Healthcare is inherently different from health care for acute problems because it offers step by step, self implemented changes that provide the satisfaction of knowing you are doing everything you can to live the best life possible for yourself and your family. Small steps are as important as a system overhaul. Those who initiate change, large or small, can experience benefits today and create the foundation for success in the future.
~Paracelsus~
