08/04/2026
Sustainable Health Care: A Vehicle to Optimal Health & Well-being
Recent times have highlighted the importance of health, the absence of disease. Covid-19 forced us to learn behaviours like social distancing to ensure that we don’t become infected with this pathogen (germ) and that we minimise its spread to ensure the sustainability of our communities’ health.
Infections evoke fear and we may feel like victims in the midst of a disease outbreak. This can be especially worrying in the face of infections caused by pathogens that are resistant to our modern anti-biotics, which have been a mainstay of our healthcare system for years.
With any infection, there are two main factors facilitating for progression. Firstly, the virulence (ability to cause disease) of the pathogen and secondly, the susceptibility of the host. Do you know that there are strategies that add additional layers of defence against disease?
Sustainable HealthCare capitalises on the body’s inherent ability to heal. It acknowledges the virulence of an organism but the focus on disease prevention is more than just strategies to avoid and kill the pathogen, it’s about building effective immune systems.
Allergies, cancer, auto-immune conditions, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and resistant infections are common-place in our modern society. These diseases are often multi-factorial and difficult to cure with traditional methods. Our current strategies for treatment are aimed at managing symptoms and in some cases relying on medication to help alleviate the negative effects of drugs that are necessary.
This can be an unsustainable avenue for example auto-immune disease that is treated with immuno-suppressive drugs can predispose to infection. If infection ensues with a resistant bacteria this places the patient in a compromised situation. Sometimes the infection may only sensitive to an anti-biotic which can have side effects such as kidney failure. This approach ultimately brings us to a point where it is difficult and sometimes impossible to restore health.
With this model, our striving as scientists to quantify, manipulate and control biological systems, it can be difficult to take a step back and give credence to the body’s inherent ability to heal. Sustainable HealthCare is not just about science but also about the art of healing. Health professionals who understand this model work towards the well-being of their patients, not merely treating disease but embracing a discipline of healing and prevention to facilitate optimal health.
Sustainable Health Care advocates strategies to empower and educate people about improving, maintaining and taking responsibility for their health and well-being as well as the health of their animals. This model:
Encourages long-term health and well-being (physical, mental and emotional) as opposed to simply treating and managing symptoms (less reliance on pharmaceutical drugs). It aims to get to the cause of the health issue to restore and sustain health.
Supports and capitalises on the body’s inherent ability to heal which is often over-looked by our modern medical model and is needed by the world at all times, especially during disease break-out.
Integrates the benefits of our modern healthcare strategies for optimal results.
People who take responsibility for their and their pets’ health and well-being and make conscious decisions to support and sustain health and well-being (and are ideally supported to do so by their HealthCare Professional) are generally rewarded with optimal health for themselves and their pets. This means that they can be the best that they can be which in turn enhances their lives as well as others who they interact with.
If this model was to widely accepted and instated it would likely facilitate a greater quality and quantity of life for many in addition to enabling people to have peace of mind knowing that with this model, we are contributing to the well-being of our environment, helping to sustain a healthier planet.
