Top Lifestyle Diseases

                                       

Heart Disease

Heart disease is one deadly killer leading cause of death of men and women in our present day. Although some cases of heart disease have a family history behind it, there is much that we can do to prevent heart disease in the future.

 

A basic understanding of heart disease is a good place to start.

 

This occurs when the small blood vessels of the heart become clogged with bad cholesterol and toxins, thereby narrowing of these blood vessels. The clogging particles build up and cause what is known as hardening of the arteries.

 

Once fatty materials start to deposit into the arteries, it becomes tough for blood and oxygen to reach the heart through those pathways. Hence, the heart can no longer receive vital blood and oxygen. Heart attack occurs.

 

While some factors such as family history play a role in heart disease, there are also ways to prevent or eradicate the chances of this deadly illness. This can be done by learning as much about the preventative measures; it is a wise and healthy choice.

Symptoms

 

Some symptoms that you should be aware of when it comes to the health of your heart may be noticeable, while other symptoms are subtle. In whichever case, when such symptom is experienced, a visit with your doctor is imperative.

 

* Shortness of breath could develop from anything from heart disease to asthma. If you are short of breath, do not hesitate to visit your doctor. Do not take it for granted. Visit your doctor.

 

* Dizziness or fainting are symptoms that something is wrong in your body system. If you experience both dizziness and shortness of breath, ensure you visit your doctor.

 

* Pressure – Pressure associated with heart disease is a huge sign that something is wrong. The pressure in your chest or in your arm, neck, and shoulders could be indicative of heart disease.

 

* Fatigue – Sometimes we view fatigue as something that will go away on its own. However, if you have fatigue, it could be your body warning you that something is going wrong somewhere down the road. You may be able to ward it off if you act early enough.

 

Other causes of Heart Disease include high blood pressure, heart disorders, obesity, a lack of exercise, and smoking.

 

 

Diabetes – A large number of new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year

Types of diabetes:

Type I

This can also be called juvenile onset diabetes, it occurs in people under the age of 25. Here, the pancreas becomes an auto-immune problem (the body attacks its own pancreatic cells) whereby the pancrea is disabled and can no longer produce insulin. Type I often run in families and will affect the person for the rest of his or her life. Insulin will be required and perhaps other medications throughout the diabetic’s life.

 

Type II

This type of diabetes usually occurs later in life. Its symptoms are similar to Type I, as excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, frequent urination, fatigue, tingling in the extremities, etc are experienced. – but Type II can often be managed with diet and exercise, especially if detected early. Some sources note that it never really “goes away,” but its severity varies.

Type II diabetics usually have a functioning pancreas; it just doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the insulin it does produce is not processed or recognized by the body any longer ( known as insulin resistance).

Causes:

Diabetes can be triggered by unhealthy, sugar-rich diets and a sedentary lifestyle. This makes the pancreas to become exhausted trying to keep the blood sugar down in response to the constant influx of sugar from the diet.

 

Other possibilities for triggers include high blood pressure and stress. Although this may not have been proven, individuals with high blood pressure are statistically more likely to develop diabetes than those with normal blood pressure.

Stress is often thought by medical professionals that prolonged, unrelieved stress increases the risk of diabetes. Sometimes the stress is caused by trauma or emotional disturbance, somehow making the individual susceptible to developing diabetes.

 

 

Obesity

According to Wikipedia, ‘Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health’

Since obesity is primarily a result of poor diet and/or lack of exercise and is a risk factor for many serious medical complications and even premature death, it is one of the most significant lifestyle diseases of the modern world.

Are you over-weight? The Body Mass Index (BMI) is one important index to determine obesity. The BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by his or her height in meters squared.

Causes of obesity:

Most likely reasons that lead to obesity include; overeating, lack of exercise, genetic predisposition, psychological problems and extremely slow metabolism.

Effect of obesity

Obesity can result in reduced life expectancy, heart disease due to high cholesterol level. It increases stress on the body joints.

To keep obesity at bay, you must endeavor to shade off excessive weight through dieting and exercise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cancer

Cancer is said to be a wild growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancer occurs when the body’s normal control mechanism fails to function.   Body cells do not last forever. When these cells become old, they do not die; instead grow out of control, forming new, abnormal cells (this is not a normal situation). These abnormal extra cells may form a bulk of tissues called a tumor. However, it must also be noted they are different types of cancers, but not all of them forms a tumor. (a good example is leukemia. it does not form tumors).

There are over 150 different types of cancer, while many factors are beyond your control, you can reduce your risk through a variety of lifestyle choices.

 

 

 

How to Help Prevent Cancer

In most cases, cancer is an abnormal development of cell due to a certain lifestyle of choice. This includes lifestyles like smoking, excessive exposure of oneself to sunlight, exposure to certain toxins among others.

However, there are certain proactive steps you can take to help prevent cancer. Stay healthy.

 

How You Can Prevent Cancer from Happening to You

If there is no trace of cancer in your family history, then you probably will not wish to raise cancer tendencies. Prevent cancer by taking the following proactive steps;

 

  1. Reduce your sugar intake. It has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt that cancer develops and flourishes very well in a glucose-rich environment. A lifestyle with more sugar and less oxygen can increase the chances/risk of getting cancer.

 

  1. Endeavour to maintain a proper body potential Hydrogen (pH). A reasonable high pH level is Alkaline and rich in oxygen. Cancer does not flourish in an alkaline environment. To keep your pH above 7.0, drink a lot of water, reduce the amount of meat in your meal, reduce your consumption of sweets, and eat a lot of raw vegetables.

 

  1. Regular exercise to keep your body active to eliminate any form of abnormal cell development even at an early stage.

 

  1. Get enough and the right amount of sleep. Your body needs that time or rest to rejuvenate cells.
  2. Vitamin and mineral supplements will help maintain and check healthy body chemistry.
  3. Don’t use tobacco products. This goes for smoking or chewing. Tobacco products are linked to many different types of Cancer including lung, bladder, cervix, kidney, oral cavity, and pancreas.

If you avoid tobacco products at all costs, then you might have reduced the risks of developing cancer.

  1. Use a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor to protect yourself from excessive sunshine. Avoid excessive midday sun. It destroys the skin’s melanin. In addition, avoid skin bleaching.
  2. Ensure you are up to date on your immunizations. This protects you from certain types of viruses which are capable of limiting your chances of getting cancers. Hepatitis B and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) are two key vaccines to take note in this case. HPV is associated with cervical cancer.
  3. Avoid risky lifestyles such as unsafe sex and sharing needles/sharp objects which can lead to infections. HIV or AIDS increases the chances of getting cancer of the liver, anus etc. This is a sexually transmitted disease. Sharing needles increases your chances of Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.
  4. Ensure you keep a date with your doctor regularly to screen for cancers. This will help diagnose any problem and prevent it from metamorphosing into cancer.

 

Nothing, in life, is guaranteed. However, you will be healthy if you adhere to these tips.

 

 

Hypertension

This is a long-term condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries remains high. The blood pressure is a quantity of the force with which your blood is pumped around your body. It can also be said to be the pressure that your pumped blood places on the walls of your arteries that carry blood away from your heart.

High blood pressure is often a result of a fatty diet, and a failure to exercise regularly. Stress can also be contributing factor.

It must be mentioned that for many people, high blood pressure has no symptoms whatsoever. Even in a situation where someone is suffering a symptom that could suggest a blood pressure problem, this sign may be so mild that it may look like there is nothing wrong.

 

 

Factors that cause High Blood Pressure

  • Being seriously overweight or obese.
  • Sleep apnea – This is a brief period when you stop breathing while asleep. This, in turn, causes a pause in breathing. When you make effort to breathe, the air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud noise termed as snoring. Overweight people are particularly susceptible to this kind of situation.
  • Lack of exercise causes your heart works harder to pump blood around the body
  • The family history of high blood pressure is quite likely to create a similar problem.
  • Tobacco usage – Certain chemicals in cigarettes and tobacco can cause damage to blood vessel walls, thereby increasing the work that your heart has to do to pump blood around your body.
  • Stress can be a big contributory factor to high blood pressure.
  • Excessive Sodium (salt) intake can result in increased fluid retention, which in turn leads to increased blood pressure.
  • Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of heart problems, particularly if this excessive consumption is continued over a long period of time.

 

Effects of High Blood Pressure

Brain problems: Uncontrolled blood pressure can result in damaged or narrow blood vessels in the brain,

By restricting blood flow to a certain part of the brain can cause the cells of that particular area of your brain to cease functioning either temporarily or permanently. Hence, that part of your brain dies and that carries a significant risk such as death.

 

Kidney problems

The main function of the kidneys is to filter your blood to remove unwanted waste products which are then discharged from the body. If there is a kidney problem, the ability to function is somehow reduced. Hence, a kidney damage can take place.

 

 

Limbs and eyes

It can damage any area of your body where there are blood vessels. Hence, it is possible that high blood pressure can have an adverse effect on both your eyesight and movement of parts of the body.

 

 

 

 

Cirrhosis of the Liver This is the damaging of the liver due to

This is the damaging of the liver due to the effect of alcoholism. It is accompanied by an inflamed liver, weakened consciousness, a loss of appetite, as well as jaundice. It is irreversible and results in premature death.

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