FORT POLK, La. — The Military Health System is committed to the long-term health and vitality of the nation’s warfighters, their Families, retirees and civilians. Part of maintaining readiness is preventing the onset of diseases and injuries that pose a threat to the defense community.
In 1735, Benjamin Franklin published a letter, “Protection of Towns from Fire,” in “The Pennsylvania Gazette” that began with the now famous phrase, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” His letter was meant to illustrate that the monetary cost of fire prevention was much less than the devastation of a fire.
This phrase is easily applied to 21st century medical science and MHS who state that it’s easier to prevent injury or illness than recover, especially from chronic conditions.
Total Force Fitness describes the medical and dental prevention dimension as the ability to sustain health and wellness and facilitate restoration to meet medical and dental standards of fitness for duty, return to duty and medical readiness. This means proper preventive health care keeps service members ready for duty, minimizing impacts to the mission from injuries and illness.
Lt. Col. Michelle O’Neil, a registered nurse and the emergency department officer-in-charge for Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, said medical preventive care is more than meeting annual periodic health assessment requirements to be “green” in the Army Medical Protection System.
“To me it is a culmination of facets that make up total well-being: How we fuel our bodies, get enough rest, ensure we are active and incorporate cardiovascular and strength training exercises along with flexibility or range of motion exercises that are vital to health and injury prevention,” she said. “Soldiers should seek help when we need it; whether for managing behavioral health symptoms, working towards recovery from habits like smoking or drinking excessively, to visiting the Army Wellness Center for assistance with optimizing your health.”
O’Neil said medical preventive care is important for readiness and overall wellbeing.
“I would want to know that the Soldier to my left and my right is focused and physically capable of performing their mission," she said. “Lack of sleep, poor nutrition and not maintaining physical fitness impact combat effectiveness and job performance.”
Capt. Larry Zhang, a dentist and doctor of dental surgery at Shira Dental Clinic, said oral health is critical to Soldier readiness.
“Dental issues, left unchecked, can cause debilitating pain for Soldiers in a training environment or on the battlefield. The pain can become their focus instead of the mission,” he said. “In the Army, annual dental exams are required while some civilian providers recommend check-ups every six months.”
Zhang said during exams dentists look for anything that could potentially cause Soldiers pain and distract them from their ability to focus on the job.
“Preventive dental care is important,” he said. “When we repair a tooth, it’s better than it was before the repair, but it will never be as good as the original, so we need to keep an eye on it to ensure the repairs are maintained.”
Zhang said by practicing good oral hygiene and getting regular exams and cleanings, Soldiers can stay focused on their mission and not on a sore tooth.
Lt. Col. D. Scott McIlwain, outgoing chief of preventive medicine and the hearing program for BJACH, said hearing is a critical Warrior sensor that increases survivability and lethality.
“When hearing loss is present, the ability to conduct auditory tasks is greatly diminished. Good hearing is required to perform such tasks as localizing sound, gauging auditory distance, identifying a sound source and understanding verbal orders and radio communications,” he said. “This multidimensional sense provides an indispensable amount of information on the battlefield. Good hearing can mean the difference between life and death in combat, as well as in training.”
McIlwain said hearing loss is an invisible injury that is often viewed as having little or no impact on military operations. He said sound is frequently the first source of information a Soldier has before direct contact with the enemy. Unlike visual information, auditory cues come to us from all directions, through darkness and over or through many obstacles.
“Often, Warriors are exposed to an explosion, such as an improvised explosive device or a mortar round, and have no apparent injuries, but they can sense their hearing has decreased and tinnitus is present,” McIlwain said. “With no visible injuries, the Warriors return to their duties. This is where the term ‘invisible injury’ is derived. Hearing loss can affect home and social life. Prevention of hearing loss is important for quality of life.”
TFF recommends taking care of yourself through diet and exercise, staying up-to-date with recommended screenings and regularly communicating with your healthcare provider. Something that seems like a small problem now can get worse through neglect or continued overuse.
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 01.25.2021 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 387505 |
| Location: | FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 88 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Total Force Fitness: Emotional, behavioral, social fitness, by Jean Graves, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
