The average American costs themselves, their insurance provider, and/or the government $10,345 in medical expenses every year. That number is significantly higher than medical expenses across other first world countries mostly due to the fact that healthcare in the United State is extremely expensive.
With that said, you may be surprised to find out that many of the health issues people go into their doctor for are lifestyle diseases. These are diseases that are fully preventable.
Preventable death via lifestyles affects millions across the globe every year. To help you avoid that same fate, below, our team shares with you ten lifestyle diseases we see most often that you should watch out for.
1. Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. While many people are genetically predisposed to the illness, most suffer due to lifestyle choices.
These choices typically circulate around unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, and smoking.
Avoid those risk factors and you’ll set yourself up to avoid this disease altogether!
2. Obesity
The majority of people in America are overweight. This trend is popping up at alarming rates in children as well as adults.
A combination of poor eating habits and a culture that’s pushing being overweight as being “body positive” has slowed efforts made by health professionals to try to buck obesity.
Understand the food you’re putting into your body. Make exercise part of your daily routine. Educate your children on the merits of maintaining good health habits.
If you do those things, you’ll be doing your bit in promoting a healthier generation.
3. Diabetes (Type II)
Type I diabetes is caused by insulin production issues that occur largely outside of the scope of how you take care of yourself. Type II diabetes is different.
Type II diabetes is one of the many lifestyle diseases that are brought on by consuming inordinate amounts of unhealthy foods. Contracting type II diabetes can lead to kidney disease, heart failure, and blindness.
4. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
IBS is a disease that’s chronic in many people which causes sufferers to frequently experience an upset stomach. It also leads to inordinate amounts of time managing one’s bowel movements.
While IBS does have a genetic component to it, many people blame genetics and cease to work towards improving their condition. Those people might be surprised to find that in many cases, IBS can be treated by adjusting dietary habits.
A growing number of people are finding that their IBS was caused by a food allergy that went undiagnosed, a gluten sensitivity, and a number of other preventable things.
If you suffer from chronic upset stomach, talk to your doctor about tests you can run to see if what you’re putting into your body is contributing to your issue.
5. High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure contributes to heart disease which, again, is the number one health-related murderer in the United States.
High blood pressure is one of the many lifestyle diseases that can be positively impacted by eating right and exercising. Calming activities like meditation and going for walks can also have a positive impact on your blood pressure related issues.
6. Swimmer’s Ear
With the prevalence of headphones in the last couple of decades, an alarming amount of people are beginning to suffer from swimmer’s ear.
This is inflammation in one’s ear canal which gets caused in part by the constant, loud stimulus. Swimmer’s eat can result in permanent hearing damage and even deafness. As of now, about 1 percent of Americans suffer from it.
7. Cancer
Many kinds of cancers are outside of sufferer’s scope of control. Others, however, are lifestyle diseases.
Mouth cancer is a byproduct of chewing tobacco. Skin cancer gets caused by overexposure to the sun. Lung cancer comes from smoking.
If you’re exhibiting behaviors that put you at high risk of cancer, it’s imperative that you curb those behaviors before it’s too late.
8. Stroke
Strokes can cause permanent neurological trauma that can leave people disabled. They can also be deadly.
Many strokes come on as a result of stress, high blood pressure, and poor eating habits. If you’re exhibiting these behaviors and strokes have taken place in your family before, talk to your doctor about things you can do to reduce your risk immediately.
9. HIV
HIV is a gateway disease that can evolve into aides without proper care. Fortunately, HIV is completely preventable.
Safe sex practices and not sharing medical equipment are two of the lowest hanging pieces of fruit when it comes to HIV prevention. There are also certain medications you can take if you’re in “at-risk” communities that can reduce your odds of contracting HIV.
10. Stress
Stress is at the core of a number of lifestyle diseases (as you’ve seen in this article thus far). It’s also something that you can take strides towards reducing at this very moment.
To get started, figure out what stresses you the most.
Is it clutter? Is it kids? Is it work?
Map out where your stress is coming from and start coming up with solutions like hiring this company to clean your house or exploring child care options.
Wrapping Up Lifestyle Diseases Plaguing Americans
Being sick can be expensive and life-threatening. To make sure you’re never sicker than you need to be, heed our advice and do your best to avoid lifestyle diseases.
You, your loved ones and your wallet will appreciate your efforts!
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