Louis Pasteur said, “Whenever meditating over a disease, I never think of finding a remedy for it, but instead, a means of preventing it”. Staying healthy is synonymous with preventing disease but unfortunately we rely so much on curative medical care than preventive healthcare in the world today. Researchers are busy looking for cures while little effort is being made to teach the public the rules that guide the safe use of their bodies.
We all try to read manuals that come with machinery so that we will not misuse them and enjoy them for as long as they are designed to last but the reason why we endeavor to treat these machinery right is because manufacturers place emphasis on publishing rules guiding proper use, troubleshooting and the price to pay for misuse in their manuals instead of emphasizing repairs. That way, damage to machinery is not taken as an act of God and users pay attention to precautions and rules.
Epidemiologists, who study and research the incidence, distribution and control of disease in a population do not communicate the rules guiding the proper use of the human body and how improper use translates to disease directly to the public. Instead, they publish their findings about disease in journals and voluminous academic textbooks that the public do not read. Also, Medical Professionals, especially Doctors and Physiotherapists who are in the best position to educate patients and the public how unhealthy lifestyles cause disease are more interested in treatment prescription than preventive education. That way, people use their bodies how they want to or how people around them feel they should because there is no manual from the experts.
