MEDICAL ILLITERACY AND ITS CONCEQUENCES Part 2
WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF YOUR MEDICAL LITERACY?
“The search for the truth and knowledge is one of the finest attributes of man.” – Einstein
Having enough medical knowledge, even for health care professionals, is not possible because the volume of existing medical knowledge is well above humans’ capacity to know and understand. That is why there are so many subspecialty tracts in medicine.
Let us see how much medical knowledge you have. Let me start by asking you a few basic questions about the most seen chronic diseases and what you should do to prevent them.
Q 1- What are the four most common chronic illnesses of old age that cause most of the deaths?
A 1- They are (1) heart diseases;(2) Cancers;(3) Alzheimer's and related neuro-degenerative dementing disorders; (4) Type 2 Diabetes and its complications.
These illnesses could proactively be prevented by regular checkups, early diagnosis, taking proper medications, following a healthy diet and nutrition guidelines, leaning towards Mediterranean type of diet and more plant-based foods, avoiding processed foods, junk foods, dietetic drinks, excess alcohol consumption, not smoking, remaining mentally and physically active, and always remembering that there is no better drink than pure, clean fresh water.
Q 2- Do you know your HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol fractions, and your lipid the LP(a), and Apo H levels?
A 2 – Cholesterol readings as good cholesterol and bad cholesterol are well publicized. However, recent studies have shown that very high levels of good cholesterol are also dangerous, causing arteriosclerosis. Besides diet and exercise, statin medications should be taken to control cholesterol levels.
LP (a) is lipoprotein, elevated levels bring a risk of heart disease and stroke. Apolipoprotein H (apo H) lipoprotein found in LDL cholesterol.
Q 3 – Do you know your Apo E genotype?
A 3 – The Apo E genotype is related to risk of Alzheimer's. If you have a family history of Alzheimer's, you must have this test done. This is not a deterministic gene, but rather a risk associated gene. The risk is only 30 percent. You can alter the trajectory of Alzheimer's by taking certain lifelong measures.
Current studies have shown that having daily vigorous physical exercises, and prioritizing your daily, 7 to 8 hours sleep together with healthy lifestyles and dietary habits, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and related degenerative dementia disorders.
As one can see, having the required medical knowledge for medical literacy skills could be overwhelming. May be in the new future, advanced AI technology will help us always to make right medical decisions in our life.
