Introduction
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: If you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything!
Sadly, few of us truly realize the wisdom in this adage until something goes wrong and it’s too late. Perhaps even sadder, all too few of us fully realize how much we can do to positively influence our health.
The choices you make – everything from what you eat to how often you exercise (or do not), whether you smoke or avoid cigarettes altogether, whether you schedule annual check ups with your doctor or not, can make an enormous difference in your health.
Undeniably, your family history is a factor. Some diseases and conditions are inherited. Yet you can stack the odds in your favor.
Take heart disease, for example, which is America’s number one killer. Lifestyle changes can lessen your odds tremendously.
Heart disease actually falls into an even more general category called cardiovascular disease. This refers to any disorder in the various parts of the cardiovascular system, which consists of your heart as well as all the blood vessels throughout your body.
Heart and blood vessel problems often develop over time. Problems occur when arteries that supply blood to the heart or brain develop deposits of cells, fat, and cholesterol. This build-up is called plaque. Very serious problems develop when plaque forms clots the prevent blood from flowing as it should. This could place you at risk for a heart attack or a stroke.
However, you can do plenty to prevent heart disease or at least lessen your odds of development a problem.
Besides stocking up on heart-healthy items (note the little red heart symbol on products in the supermarket such as cereal, bread and other goods) and adopting wholesome eating habits, you can make other lifestyle changes that reduce your risk factors.
- Don’t smoke! And if you do, quit! Smoking is the most powerful, preventable risk factor for heart disease. Many of the chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, making them more vulnerable to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can eventually lead to a heart attack.
- Do get moving! Regular exercise can reduce your risk of fatal heart disease by nearly 25 percent. If you combine exercise with other lifestyle factors, such as maintaining a normal weight, the reward can be even greater. Remember, do not begin any exercise plan without first consulting your doctor!
- Do eat more healthily a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products can actually protect your heart. Low-fat protein sources and certain types of fish can also lower your risk of heart disease. And eating healthily needn’t mean eating less and depriving yourself. Rather, it means being mindful of what you eat, and learning as much as you can about your choices.
- Do maintain a healthy weight – Those extra pounds you’re carrying around can lead to conditions that increase your odds of developing heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes (see section below). Reducing your weight by even 10 percent can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol levels and lessens your risk of diabetes.
- Do schedule regular check ups with your doctor. High blood pressure and cholesterol can damage your cardiovascular system, yet because neither have symptoms, you need to be checked to know whether you’re impacted. Once you are diagnosed, your doctor can formulate a plan to lower either condition via diet, exercise, medication or a combination.
Many people mistakenly assume that heart disease primarily impacts men. Wrong! The number one cause of death for women in the U.S. is heart disease, not breast cancer, as many assume. In fact, heart disease is responsible for more annual deaths in women (489,000) than all forms of cancer combined, according to the American Heart Association. Yet a mere 13 percent of all women know that heart disease is a major threat to their health, reports that same organization
The second leading cause of death in the U.S., obesity is a disease that affects nearly one-third of the population. In fact, 127 million Americans are overweight, 60 million of them obese, and 9 million of them severely obese.
The consequences of obesity are dire.
People who are obese face a much higher risk of developing about 30 different medical conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, and some cancers.
While advocates call for more research into the causes and a cure for obesity, they also want more complete insurance coverage. Health insurance providers, they say, rarely pay for treatment of obesity despite its serious health consequences.
Likewise, they want the public to be aware that while obesity is a chronic disease with a strong familial component, it is also nurtured by our culture and environment, which tends to be very sedentary and emphasizes high calorie, low-cost foods.
If you or a loved one is obese, make no mistake, it is a difficult situation. Not only do you face a higher risk of developing serious health conditions, you may also face job discrimination, ridicule, and a sense of being an outcast.
First, Consult with your doctor to create a healthy, realistic weight management plan is an excellent place to begin.
Also, you can consider joining a support group in which you can share your struggles and victories, as well as receive encouragement for your efforts. A social worker can help to link you with an appropriate group. Often hospitals offer well-supervised, professionally run groups for people battling weight issues.
You can also look to your community. Some cities and small towns across the U.S. offer public fitness programs, such as Sisters Together in Boston, California’s Project Lean or Philadelphia Fitness Age Challenge. (for more information, go to www.obesity.org).
Surely someone in your extended family or circle of friends is diabetic. An estimated 6.3 percent of the U.S. population is has diabetes. Years ago, a diagnosis of diabetes (“sugar” as it was sometimes called) meant a limited lifestyle, restricted diet and the inevitability of developing other conditions. Today, the prognosis is much more promising, especially given what we’ve learned about healthy lifestyle choices.
Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy needed for daily living.
While diabetes can be associated with serious complications and premature death, people with diabetes can take steps to control it and lower their risk of complications. These complications include high blood pressure, heart disease, circulatory problems, even blindness.
Researchers are still not sure precisely what causes it, although both genetics and lifestyle factors – such as being overweight and lack of exercise appear to play a part.
An estimated 18.2 million people in the U. S. have diabetes. While roughly 13 million have been diagnosed, about 5.2 million others are unaware they have the disease.
- Type-1: The body fails to produce insulin, the hormone that “unlocks” the body’s cells, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. About five to 10 percent of Americans diagnosed with diabetes have this type.
- Type-2: This type results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin) combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have this type.
- Gestational Diabetes: This affects about 4 percent of all pregnant women in the U.S. annually.
- Pre-Diabetes: This condition occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of Type-2. An estimated 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes in addition to the 18.2 million with diabetes.
Although pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition, the good news is this – people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type-2 diabetes simply by adopting simple changes to their diet and increasing their levels of physical activity. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity combined with reducing their body weight by 5 to 10 percent resulted in a 58 percent reduction in diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.
In some cases, people even return their blood glucose levels to the normal range.
What exactly is a healthy diet? Fortunately, it’s not a sentence for bland, lifeless choices. Rather, it’s a way of eating that reduces risk for conditions such as heart disease, stroke and obesity. Healthy eating includes eating a wide variety of foods including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, non-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry and fish. No one food is perfect so including a variety of foods and paying attention to portion size is key to a healthy diet.
Once you’ve made the decision to live more healthily, now what? How do you figure out what constitutes a healthy way of eating? Where do you find an appropriate, nearby support group if you have been diagnosed, for example, with diabetes? Or what if you simply cannot muster the motivation to alter your lifestyle? Perhaps you are dealing with depression.
A social worker can point you in the direction of the appropriate resources, whether that’s a nutritionist who can help you to design an eating plan that’s right for you, or to a mental health professional who can help you to best figure out how to begin a lifestyle change.
are already in the throes of a coping with a disease or condition, or determined to do all you can to prevent one, we can help.
If you undergo surgery, a social worker may help you to understand and ultimately adjust to the lifestyle changes afterward. This could mean linking you to an appropriate support group where you can share your experience with others. It could also mean helping you to understand the importance of taking your medications or otherwise carrying out your doctor’s orders.
Social workers in other settings, such as neighborhood clinics, rehabilitation centers and even doctor’s office may play a role in the prevention of heart disease by educating people about the benefits of healthy lifestyle choices. They may point you in the direction of help, whether that’s a neighborhood fitness center or class to help you to learn to cook healthier meals.
For specific information on diet, exercise or more details on heart disease, obesity or diabetes, turn to these sources.
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