Preventive medicine is the medical specialty that promotes health and prevents disease and is closely associated with occupational health and nutrition. At the end of the 20th century, it became important as public health was concerned with increasing health care costs. The measures adopted by preventive medicine are aimed at collectivities or individuals. Historically, the first preventive strategies were based on the finding that many diseases are transmitted by microorganisms, and that this transmission can be prevented by adopting public hygiene measures such as the establishment of quarantines, the burial of the dead and the creation of systems sewerage. The most important advance was the discovery that immunization protects the majority of the population against many infectious diseases.
Preventive medicine also deals with chronic diseases, and has developed measures such as selective detection programs to be able to identify those who suffer from high blood pressure or cervical or breast cancer. Unfortunately, the selective detection of lung cancer has not provided good results. Governments have tried to prevent diseases by applying standards that ensure the purity of air and water, and the prohibition of the use of food additives that produce cancer in animals. They have also encouraged workplace safety, reducing, for example, accident risks and limiting workers' exposure to hazardous chemicals and radiation. Researchers of human health problems also introduce measures that people can carry out individually to improve their health.
Among the main ones are maintaining a nutritious and balanced diet with low fat content, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and undergoing periodic medical and dental check-ups. Many doctors recommend lowering your cholesterol and salt intake to lower your risk of heart disease. Dentists have introduced the use of fluoride in children to avoid cavities. The public administration also presses on the use of seat belts in cars, especially for children. Doctors and the administration recommend quitting tobacco as the most effective way to combat the increase in lung cancer. The use of protective creams and avoiding prolonged sun exposures are also advised in an effort to prevent skin cancers, although it has been found that these measures are not effective against melanoma, the skin cancer with a higher mortality rate. Certain scientists recommend the massive use of vitamin C to prevent colds and the use of vitamins A and E to prevent some cancers, although these measures remain controversial.





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