Health is the greatest value for us, but we do not plan and do not secure our health future. And yet effective tools are at hand: a healthy diet, physical activity, check-ups, but also health insurance. Why do we still allow ourselves to be chance in the matter of “to be or not to be”?
«Is this so normal»?
Summer morning, the parking lot is filling up slowly, with every fourth place avoided by drivers with a wide berth. Why? By electrifying orange and white marking: it is estimated that one in four Poles will develop cancer during their lifetime. This is the conclusion from the report of the Alivia Foundation “Access of oncological patients to drug therapies in Poland against the background of current medical knowledge”, published in 2017.
In this way, we wanted to check the reactions of Poles to these statistics. When asked about them, they answer differently. Some people are shocked: “Really enough?”, “People should know about it”, “If only everyone would read it every morning …”. Another topic of cancer is not a stranger: “In my family I have people who fight cancer”, “I was sick myself …”. One of the women of the “oncological tsunami” that sweeps through Poland summarizes briefly: “It’s such a norm”, but is it really?
Contrary to appearances, cancer is an unavoidable fate! We are the forge of our own destiny and our own health, as we are convinced by the campaign initiated by Nationale-Nederlanden. The condition is simple: let’s get started and don’t skip the topic with cancer …
Not only genetics …
The debate about the role of genetic disorders in the development of cancer has been going on for a long time. And although we know that inheritance of the mutation increases the risk of developing the disease, observations of the effects of migration of social or ethnic groups differing in lifestyle show that over 80% cancer incidence in Western countries can be attributed to harmful factors related to lifestyle, diet and the environment around us.
In other words, by following the recommendations of primary prevention, we can significantly reduce the cancer incidence statistics in Poland, while remembering about secondary prevention, we can change the death statistics. One in four of us does not have to develop cancer, and one in five does not have to die from it!
Unfortunately, when it comes to implementing a healthy lifestyle, there is a gap between us and the rest of the EU population. About 24 percent admit to smoking cigarettes on a regular basis. Poles, on average, each of us drinks 136 liters of beer a year, not to mention other alcohols.
We still eat too much meat (61 kg / year) and too little fruit and vegetables. In turn, undertaking physical activity at least once a week is declared by only 28%. Poles, while the European average reaches 40 percent. As a result, excess body weight affects more than half of us.
Low health awareness and postponing preventive examinations “for tomorrow” complete the full picture of “Poland’s health”.
At least, this was the case before the COVID-19 pandemic, which froze our health care system for months. Sometimes difficult for doctors and patients, especially those undiagnosed.
A new approach?
What if we managed our health like time, career or household budget? There is a reason Brian Tracy, a Canadian writer and creator of e-books on personal development and the psychology of success, argued that “our fate depends on our habits.”
In terms of health, it’s easier than we think. The plan for yesterday was to quit smoking and reduce alcohol consumption. “Plan for today” is to step on the weight and check your BMI, measure your waist circumference, 5 portions of vegetables and fruit, 30 minutes of moderate physical activity (it can even be a simple walk) and a phone call … To whom? Rather, for what purpose… – to arrange checkups. From July 2021, you can take advantage of the government health prophylaxis program “Prevention 40 plus”, addressed to all people over 40 years of age.
However, this is not all the “big picture” approach also covers our health and financial security, that is, insurance against serious illness.
In the face of the diagnosis, we should not worry about finances, which unfortunately usually happens in Poland … Additional consultations and tests, nursing care, rehabilitation or psychological help may also be within our reach. When deciding on cancer insurance in Nationale-Nederlanden Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń na Życie SA, a company known for its activities promoting health prevention and supporting cancer patients, we can count on extensive support. Because it is what matters in the disease.