The Benefits of Preventative & Corrective Maintenance for the Body

Preventative care is best started in one’s thirties and/or forties for anti-aging and longevity; however, corrective maintenance can still be beneficial if you are over fifty.   Aging, while inevitable, should be approached thoughtfully and proceed as slowly and as painlessly as possible. 

 Aging is a pathological process for most people.  As the population lives longer they are more susceptible to age-related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, osteoporosis and cancer. All of these degenerative diseases involve the accumulation of toxins and pathogens, which leads to reliance on drugs and surgeries.  

The longer we live on the planet the more susceptible we are to disease. Disease producing toxins come in the form of dysbiotic micro-organisms, fungal infections, heavy metals from teeth, chemical preservatives and pesticides in food, pharmaceutical and recreational drugs, long-term physical and emotional stress, electromagnetic fields, and results in a reduced capacity to excrete.  

The burdened body stores up toxins and deposits them in the lymphatic system and in organs like the liver, kidney and large intestines further blocking detoxification pathways.  This leads to energy dysregulation, stagnation, inflammation, degenerative processes, pain and suffering, disease and death. 

Degenerative disease generally develops gradually over a long period of time with subtle symptoms. If at first ignored, it progresses into cellular and tissue changes that eventually lead to functional disturbances.   An example of this is high blood pressure that if disregarded can lead to a stroke.

To avoid functional decline and prolong health we must consider two types of maintenance — preventative and corrective.  

When we do preventative maintenance we are taking proactive steps for ourselves to prolong health and maximize lifespan before uncomfortable signs and symptoms appear in the body.  Preventative maintenance is best done at regular intervals (ie. every week, every month or every three months) while the body is still functioning well with the objective of preventing or minimizing the likeliness of developing disease.

When we do corrective maintenance we are seeking restoration of function after the body’s symptoms have progressed beyond a tolerance threshold that can no longer be ignored.  This type of reactive maintenance is obviously not where we want to be as it signals deterioration of health. It generally requires more time, effort and money be spent than with preventative maintenance but still has the potential to restore health.   

Complementary Medicine employs many therapeutic preventative and corrective maintenance strategies using acupuncture, nutrition, chiropractics, homeopathy, massage, etc., to help the body detoxify, balance and heal.  

A healthy body requires effective, planned maintenance.  We take our vehicles in for regular service and maintenance, so too must we do for our bodies. What type of maintenance will you do for yourself?