The key to ensuring that you live a long and healthy life is to increase your medical knowledge, partake in annual disease screening services, exercise, eat healthy foods, and immunization. According to data that was gathered by America’s Health 2016 report, some of the top risk factors for diseases are obesity, alcohol intake, smoking, and high blood pressure levels. Addressing these underlying risk factors can drastically reduce your chances of getting chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancers, and heart disease. In today’s post, we take a look at 7 of the most preventable common illnesses.
- Measles
Measles can be best described as being a contagious viral infection that affects the lungs, breathing tubes, and other areas in the body’s respiratory system. People become exposed to measles when an infected individual breathes the virus into the air when they cough or sneeze. The virus can also last as long as 2 hours on surfaces. Data suggest that individuals who are not immune from this virus will definitely get it if they are within close proximity of an infected individual.
- Flu
Statistics indicate that over 60,000 Americans die from the flu virus on a yearly basis. The flu, commonly regarded as a more severe version of the common cold, is essentially a viral infection of the lungs, throat, and nose. When an individual with the flu virus sneezes talks or sneaks, droplets can reach an individual that is within 6 feet.
- Coronary Heart Disease
Most people within the medical field agree that unhealthy lifestyle choices play a major role in the development of coronary heart disease. Additionally, a lack of awareness surrounding the lifestyle choices that contribute to the disease is also one of the factors that contribute to developing this disease. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death among men and women.
- Diabetes
Tens of millions of Americans suffer from diabetes. Even though ethnicity and genetics play a role in the development of this disease, diet and weight are essential when it comes to lowering your chances of encountering this condition. Even worse, millions of people may not know that they have it and only learn through the development of other chronic diseases such as heart attack or vision problems. A combination of becoming familiar with the glycemic index, healthy dietary choices, weight management, and physical activity can slow or even prevent the disease from occurring.
- Gastrointestinal Diseases
Gastrointestinal diseases such as colorectal cancer, GERD, and diarrhea can all be prevented by taking a few proactive steps such as partaking in a healthy diet and getting your rectum and colon screened. This is why individuals 45 and older are advised to get a colonoscopy on an annual basis. Some of the ways you can improve your digestive health include:
- Eat a balanced meal filled with unprocessed foods.
- Increase your fiber intake.
- Consume 8 glasses of water per day.
- Stress management.
- Cancers
Even though the medical community is still trying to understand the underlying reasons why people develop cancers, some cancers actually have preventable causes. For instance, you can drastically reduce your chances of getting skin cancer by limiting your exposure to the sun as well as applying sunscreen. Lung cancer is also preventable as a vast majority of cases are primarily caused by smoking. Additionally, larynx cancer, esophageal cancer, and many necks and head cancers are caused by tobacco smoking as well. Therefore most experts within the medical community agree that you can drastically reduce your chances of getting cancer by never smoking in the first place, as well as limiting your alcohol intake.
- Hemorrhoids
Statistics that were gathered by the National Institute of Digestive and Kidney Disease demonstrate that 1 in 20 Americans suffer from hemorrhoids. It is also believed that over half of all adults over 5, eventually develop hemorrhoids. Although some cases of hemorrhoids may require medical treatment such as surgeries, lifestyle changes can help to prevent you from getting it in the first place. The key to maintaining good digestive health and minimizing your chances of getting this condition is to increase your fiber and water intake.
