What Is Self Care?

Self Care is health care provided by you at home to take care of your health and prevent disease, Self Care is preventative."

-Jennie Franklin

Self Care is "the practice of activities that individuals initiate and perform on their own behalf in maintaining life, health and wellbeing."

-Orem

We all perform self care without being aware, from taking time off work when we are sick, to making the decision to see a medical doctor or not. From taking cold medication to protecting our skin from the sun. The Self Care that is a good alternative to Medical Care is much more, it is health care provided by you at home to prevent ill health, disability and noncommunicable diseases.

It is health care that you initiate at home after you've been diagnosed with a disease or have been treated by a health professional. It is health care that will prevent complications of disease and hasten recovery. Self care is easy and FREE to implement; all it takes is commitment, determination and education. We provide the education.

Just as health professionals receive formal education to provide health care, we as individuals must receive consumer health education to provide Self Care.

Why Self Care

No longer is the doctor the only answer to our complaints, nor treatment the best way to manage disease.

Responsibility has shifted; we are expected to take control of our health and the responsibility for being well.

1-Health care must be preventative and not curative.

2-People are dying prematurely because there was no cure.

3-Non communicable diseases have become a global burden.

Just as a doctor builds a PRIVATE practice, we must build a SELF CARE practice.

Just as a doctor maintains his/her private practice, we as individuals must maintain our self care practice.

Where do you start?

A good place to start is with consumer health education, it is so simple, anyone in any country can start immediately.

Starting is as simple as making a change. Changes to:

• What you eat/how much you eat

• Exercise

• Are you overweight?

• Do you get enough sleep

• Do you smoke

• Are you exposed to air pollution

• And many others

Small changes will get you starte; one at a time will do.

Click the banner for info on preventing heart disease, an important self care activity.

For more on self care and to start on a Self Care Plan, Click Here.

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