Power of preventive medicine

The Cooper Institute, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to promoting life-long health and wellness through three key areas — research, education and advocacy. The research institute has proven the link between exercise and preventing health problems.

“No medicine or supplement can quite replicate a healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, the research institute’s founder and current Chairman Emeritus. Dr. Cooper founded The Cooper Institute and Cooper Clinic in 1970 and still sees patients daily as a preventive medicine physician at Cooper Clinic.

Cooper Aerobics challenges people to “Get Cooperized™” by adopting a healthy living mindset to live better both sooner and later.

“The most important piece of advice I would give to high school students looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle is that your health is your responsibility,” Cooper said. “You need to take the initiative to follow these steps.”

Cooper particularly emphasized the benefits of taking vitamin D supplements.

“Low vitamin D levels can be linked to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis and even some cancers,” Cooper said. “Vitamin D could also be beneficial in preventing future pandemics.”

Senior Meera Malhotra said the institute encourages its employees to live the lifestyle it recommends.

“When I worked at The Cooper Clinic this past summer, they encouraged me to go outside or use my gym pass to work out during my breaks,” Malhotra said. “I really learned the importance of physical care and how to find credible healthcare sources.”

In keeping with the goal of regular and comprehensive physical exams, Cooper Clinic offers a six-part preventive exam. The exam includes a medical exam and counseling with your physician, head-to-toe skin cancer screening, cardiovascular screening via a treadmill stress test, CT scan, laboratory work and analysis with same-day results and nutrition coaching. The cardiovascular screening includes a treadmill stress test to evaluate how well the coronary arteries function and provide blood flow to the heart.

“We pioneered the treadmill stress test in Dallas and have performed more than 300,000 of them,” Cooper said.