{"id":1295,"date":"2017-03-29T10:27:06","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T08:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/?p=1295"},"modified":"2025-07-17T13:26:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T11:26:29","slug":"the-benefits-of-prevention-against-cure-and-the-importance-of-wellness-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/the-benefits-of-prevention-against-cure-and-the-importance-of-wellness-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"Prevention is Better than Cure: The Power of Wellness"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Stay Healthy, Save More: The Power of Prevention<\/h3><\/span><\/div>
Asignificant proportion of the\nNamibian population are exposed\nto various health related risk\nfactors due to a lack of:<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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  • <\/span>interest in wellness programs<\/li>
  • <\/span>sufficient consumer education on the benefits of wellness programs<\/li>
  • <\/span>regular medical check-ups<\/li>
  • <\/span>financial support (affordability issues).<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    <\/h5><\/div>
    The health related risk factors include, but are not\nlimited to elevated cholesterol levels, high blood\nsugar levels and hypertension, which may lead to\nheart disease, diabetes or other chronic conditions.\nThe importance of monitoring your health status\ncannot be overemphasised, as it is easier to stop a\nmedical condition from happening in the first place\nthan to repair the damage after it has occurred.\n<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    <\/h5><\/div>
    What Does Good Health Mean?<\/span>Good health is actively and purposefully behaving\nin ways that leave you stronger, better nourished,\nless stressed, and more comfortable in your body\nand mind. Good health is more than not being sick.\nWhen you are healthy, you enjoy many benefits.\nGood health is a state of wellbeing that requires active\nparticipation on your part.

    \nThere are several components to good health:\n\n

    \n\n1. Physical well-being: energy, nutrition, rest, fitness
    \n\n2. Mental well-being: stress management, self-worth
    \n\n3. Spiritual well-being: peace, gratitude, forgiveness

    \n\nMaintaining good health requires active participation \u2014 through diet, exercise, rest, stress management, and regular check-ups.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Ask Yourself These Questions:<\/h5><\/span><\/div>
    Do you have enough energy to do the tasks set before you?
    Do you get enough rest?
    Do you eat the right kinds of foods in the right proportions?
    Do you feel well?
    Do you feel fit?
    \nThe second component is mental health. If you don\u2019t have a healthy mental state it will be hard for you to live your life to the fullest extent. Are you under stress or are you able to cope with the normal stresses of life?
    Do you enjoy life?
    Are you happy with who you are?
    \nThe third component of healthiness is spiritual health. Whatever your religious beliefs are, do you feel connected to them?
    Do you feel at peace?
    What does forgiving others do for you?
    Do you feel grateful in life?
    \nBeing at peace, forgiving and being\ngrateful are all spiritual practices of good health.\nThis article will focus on physical health. The maintenance\nor improvement of health is done via diagnosis,\ntreatment as well as through the prevention of various\ndiseases. All of us have a role to play in achieving or\nmaintaining good health.\nHere are some of the things you should do to\nbecome and stay healthy:<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    • <\/span>eat a balanced diet and be careful of what goes into your body;<\/li>
    • <\/span>get active and stay active<\/li>
    • <\/span>keep your weight in a good range<\/li>
    • <\/span>get enough sleep<\/li>
    • <\/span>find healthy ways to relieve stress;<\/li>
    • <\/span>spend time with friends and family;<\/li>
    • <\/span> nurture your spirit;<\/li>
    • <\/span>take care of your chronic illnesses;<\/li>
    • <\/span>develop a relationship with a primary care provider and become a partner in your own healthcare<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      What is a chronic disease or condition?<\/h5><\/span><\/div>
      A chronic condition is a human health condition or\ndisease that is persistent or otherwise long lasting in\nits effects and it usually comes with time. The term\nchronic is usually applied when the course of the\ndisease lasts for more than three months.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      <\/h5><\/span><\/div>
      Characteristics of a chronic condition<\/span>When diagnosed with a chronic condition, we have\nto undertake enduring chronic care in order to prolong\nour lifespans. These types of medical care are\ndesigned to improve our welfare, from when such a\ncondition was diagnosed until when such a condition\nis cured or in most instances, until when death\noccurs. During this period of chronic care, a large\namount of money is often spent on treatment procedures.\nCould it be that we have a habit of not paying\nattention to the fact that these diseases are largely\npreventable through wellness programs?\nThe treatment of chronic diseases, contribute immensely\nto the escalating healthcare costs which\nare incurred within the Medical Aid Funds Industry\nin Namibia, which in fact further contributes to the\nunaffordability of private healthcare. Therefore it is\nworth considering Ben Franklin\u2019s words when he\nsaid, \u201cAn ounce of prevention is worth more than\na pound of cure\u201d.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      On Health<\/h5><\/span><\/div>
      Characteristics of a chronic condition<\/span>According to the Namibian 2012\/2013 Health Account\nReport published by the Namibian Ministry of\nHealth and Social Services in June 2015, spending\nin the healthcare sector was quite high compared to\nthat of neighbouring countries with similar levels of\nincome. Eight countries were analysed and Namibia\nwas ranked the third highest during the 2012\/2013\nreporting period, which is why it is important for us\nto know the benefits of preventing chronic diseases\nagainst that of curing such diseases in order to reduce\nthe cost of providing adequate healthcare.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      What is a wellness program?<\/h5><\/span><\/div>
      Characteristics of a chronic condition<\/span>A wellness program is a program that is designed\nto help an individual attain and maintain a state of\nwell-being, especially a state of physical well-being.\nThese types of programs mainly focus on the promotion\nor maintenance of good health rather than\nthe alteration or treatment of poor health. Wellness\nprograms are usually offered through the work place\nalthough Medical Aid Funds also offer them directly\nto their members. Wellness programs entail preventative\nhealthcare measures with the aim of having\nminimal curative healthcare. While curative healthcare\naims at curing diseases to reduce pain or stress,\npreventative healthcare focuses on the early diagnosis\nof diseases, the identification of possible risks\nof developing specific physical or mental problems\nand all necessary interventions to avoid such health\nproblems as well as the counselling thereof.\nAs a member of a medical aid fund and depending\non your age, you may have access to preventative\nhealthcare services at minimal costs.
      Wellness program\nservices may include but are not limited to:<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      • <\/span>preventative health screenings (regular testing\/ screening of blood pressure, blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels)<\/li>
      • <\/span>cancer screenings<\/li>
      • <\/span>weight loss programs;<\/li>
      • <\/span>diabetes management programs;<\/li>
      • <\/span>programs to help you stop smoking;<\/li>
      • <\/span>counselling on issues such as the use of alcohol, smoking, weight loss, healthy eating habits and depression.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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        What are the benefits of a wellness program?<\/h5><\/span><\/div>
        An Employer benefits from having healthy employees.\nEmployees benefit from being healthy and having\nthe assistance they need to address and maintain\npersonal wellness. Many employees show weight\nreduction and improved physical fitness and stamina\nthrough wellness programs. Reports also show an\nincrease in the well-being, self-image and self-esteem\nof employees, while at the same time resulting\nin a decrease in stress levels. Although private medical\ncare can be quite expensive, the prevention of\ndiseases can help avoid the high healthcare costs incurred\nby medical aid funds. Beyond the concern for\nthe health of employees, wellness programs make\nsense for purely practical reasons. Soon after joining\na wellness program, employers may observe a drop\nin absenteeism and sick days. Wellness programs\nalso reduce the number of work-related injuries and\nrepetitive strain injuries. A more reliable workforce\nwill inevitably translate into a smoother work cycle\nand a more robust bottom line for the employers.\nHow can you as an individual stay healthy and<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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        Why is it important?<\/h5><\/span><\/div>
        As an individual, you can stay healthy simply by\nadapting to various good-health practices. This\nwould automatically reduce your chances of suffering\nfrom certain chronic diseases, in the short-run\nas well as in the long run. If you try by all means\nto prevent diseases now through wellness programs,\nyou\u2019ll thank yourself later. The prevention of diseases\ncan thus be considered an investment in yourself.\nChoose to stay in good health now, or pay a large\nsum of money in future to get treatment for possible\nchronic diseases.\n<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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        Good Health Practice<\/h5><\/span><\/div>
        A healthier you, implies less medical expenses for\nyou. Less medical expenses for you, means less\nhealthcare claims incurred by your medical aid fund.\nJoin a wellness program, stay healthy and help reduce\nhealthcare costs.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Stay Healthy, Save More: The Power of Prevention Asignificant proportion of the Namibian population are exposed to various health related risk factors due to a lack of: interest in wellness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medical-aid-and-freindly-societies"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1295"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35559,"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295\/revisions\/35559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namfisa.com.na\/educates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}