| Physical Address: |
Preventive Medicine Office
172 Inner Loop Road
Fort Irwin, CA 92310
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| Business Hours: |
Mon/Tues/Weds/Fri 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Thurs. 7:30 a.m. - noon
Closed on Federal holidays and
selected training holidays.
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| Contact Information: |
Front Desk:
(760) 380-7349
Chief, Preventive Medicine:
(760) 380-3053
Chief, Occupational Health:
(760) 380-3027
Chief, Public Health:
(760) 380-6027
Chief, Environmental Health:
(760) 380-3026
Chief, Industrial Hygiene:
(760) 380-3195
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| Preventive Medicine for Health and Fitness |
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Preventive Medicine is practiced by all physicians to keep their patients fit and healthy. Public health and general preventive medicine focuses on promoting health, preventing disease, and managing the health of communities and defined populations, in the case of Fort Irwin, a unique military community.
The staff of the Weed Army Community Hospital combine population-based public health skills with knowledge of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention-oriented clinical practice in a wide variety of settings.
The Preventive Medicine section at the WACH is divided into three offices: Environmental Health, Occupational Health and Community Health Nursing.
A POWERFUL CASE FOR PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
Preventive healthcare (alternately preventive medicine or prophylaxis) consists of measures taken for disease prevention, as opposed to disease treatment.
Just as health encompasses a variety of physical and mental states, so do disease and disability, which are affected by environmental factors, genetic predisposition, disease agents, as well as lifestyle choices.
Health, disease, and disability are dynamic processes which begin before individuals realize they are affected. Disease prevention relies on anticipatory actions that can be categorized as primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
Each year, millions of people die preventable deaths.
A 2004 New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) study showed that approximately half of all deaths in the United States were due to preventable behaviors and exposures. Leading causes included cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, unintentional injuries, diabetes, and certain infectious diseases.
This same study estimates that 400,000 people die each year in the United States due to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. According to estimates made by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 55 million people died worldwide in 2011, two thirds of this group from non-communicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and chronic cardiovascular and lung diseases.[4] This is an increase from the year 2000, during which 60% of deaths were attributed to these diseases.
A similar NEJM in 2010 study reported that in the United States, vaccinating children, cessation of smoking, daily prophylactic use of aspirin, and breast and colorectal cancer screenings had the most potential to prevent premature deaths. Preventive health measures that resulted in saving lives included vaccinating children and adults, smoking cessation, daily use of aspirin, and screening for issues with alcoholism, obesity, and vision failure.[
Preventive healthcare is especially important given the worldwide rise in prevalence of chronic diseases and deaths from these diseases. There are many methods for prevention of disease. It is recommended that adults and children aim to visit their doctor for regular check-ups, even if they feel healthy, to perform disease screening, identify risk factors for disease, discuss tips for a healthy and balanced lifestyle, stay up to date with immunizations and boosters, and maintain a good relationship with a your TRICARE healthcare provider.
Some common disease screenings include checking for hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperglycemia (high blood sugar, a risk factor for diabetes mellitus), hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol), screening for colon cancer, depression, HIV and other common types of sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea, mammography (to screen for breast cancer), colorectal cancer screening, a pap test (to check for cervical cancer), and screening for osteoporosis. Genetic testing can also be performed to screen for mutations that cause genetic disorders or predisposition to certain diseases such as breast or ovarian cancer.
Ask your WACH healthcare provider about Preventive Medicine screenings and programs available to you.
START WITH STRESS MANAGEMENT
Stress Management Techniques
Reducing stress is important to your health and well being. Begin by trying different techniques until you find the ones that work for you. Here are some ways you can reduce the stress in your life:
Exercise. Go to the gym with a friend. Take a daily walk. Maintain good eating habits.
Read enjoyable books or magazines.
Practice "active listening." Let others finish speaking, then respond.
Have a special retreat at home. Initiate a "quiet time" at home.
Slow down. Organize and manage your time. Prioritize your "to do" list.
Take some free time for yourself each week.
Be more flexible.
Delegate some of your work to others when possible. You don't have to do it all.
Learn to wait. When you have scheduled appointments, anticipate that you may have to wait. Bring along a book, or something to entertain yourself.
Remind yourself that living is always an unfinished business.
When confronted with a problem, ask yourself, "Will this matter in a week? Next year?"
Widen your cultural and intellectual horizons with plays, concerts, museums, etc.
Open yourself to new friendships.
Remember to "Keep Calm and Carry On"
ABOUT THE ARMY TRIAD PROGRAM FOR FITNESS
The Performance Triad Pilot Program returns the Army back to health basics by emphasizing that the Army family get adequate physical activity, nutrition and sleep to be mentally and physically fit and able to perform at their best.
The Performance Triad complements the Army's Ready and Resilient campaign, the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program and the Defense Department's Operation Live Well program.
THE TRIAD AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
Specifically, the Performance Triad is a comprehensive plan to improve readiness and increase resilience through public health initiatives and leadership engagement. The Triad is the foundation for Army Medicine's transformation to a System For Health, a partnership among Soldiers, Families, Leaders, Health Teams and Communities to promote Readiness, Resilience and Responsibility. The System For Health: MAINTAINS health through fitness and illness/injury prevention, RESTORES health through patient-centered care, and IMPROVES health through informed choices in the Lifespace.
The focus of the Performance Triad is on Sleep, Activity, and Nutrition - key actions that influence health in the "Lifespace" of time that isn't spent with a healthcare provider. As a result, the biggest impact on Health is made by making better choices in our Lifespace.
SLEEP:
Sleep is critical in achieving optimal physical, mental, and emotional health, however, the demands of one's job often make it difficult to get sufficient sleep. In training and on the battlefield, inadequate sleep impairs many abilities that are essential to the mission, such as detecting and appropriately determining threat levels and coordinating squad tactics. Getting optimal sleep starts with learning and practicing good sleep habits before, during, and after deployment. There are many ways in which Leaders and Soldiers can eliminate sleep distractors and practice proper sleep hygiene to ensure that optimal, healthy sleep is achieved.
ACTIVITY
Physical Fitness and Activity are crucial to ensuring our Soldiers perform as elite athletes. Practicing principles of safe and effective training are vital to maintaining physical readiness, preventing injuries, and improving general health. The Triad informs Soldiers and Leaders on how to practice safe running, use proper resistance training techniques, prevent overtraining, and increase daily physical activity among other key topics
NUTRITION
Eating or fueling for performance enables top level training, increases energy and endurance, shortens recovery time between activities, improves focus and concentration, and helps Leaders and Soldiers look and feel better. For Soldiers it is especially imperative to build an eating strategy that will complement the requirements of their mission. The Triad's guidance on nutrition for performance teaches Soldiers about the key nutrients needed to complete mission tasks, describes refueling techniques, and details strategies for creating a nutrition plan.
For more information and to access useful TRIAD TOOLS online visit the link below or speak with your WACH healthcare provider !
USEFULL LINKS:
http://armymedicine.mil/Pages/performance-triad.aspx
http://www.militaryonesource.mil/ |
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