If you want to maintain your youth, health and be at your very best you had better first pay attention to the BIG CHALLENGES, the ones that will age you faster and kill you younger. Mess up on these and the rest won't matter. The following information has been recreated from multiple sites including US Government Online Publications.
The first step is getting checked or screened for potential problems. Many of us seem to think that if we ignore a problem it will go away - nothing is father from the truth.
The three leading causes of death in women add up to over 50% of the total mortality rate. That means if you can change a few things and avoid these 3 problems your expectation of health and long life double. The leading three, in order, are: Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke.
Below I have broken out the biggest individual causes of mortality in women and added some basic recommendations. These are all common sense things, and you still must seek proper medical attention. But remember, knowing the problem is half of solving it.
1. Breast Cancer. Talk with your healthcare team about whether you need a mammogram or better yet a thermogram. Recent studies have shown that thermograms are a better alternative for several reasons. Either way, get checked. Angelina Jolie had preventive surgery for a very good reason.
2. Cervical Cancer. Have a Pap smear every 1 to 3 years until you are age 65 if you have been sexually active. If you are older than 65 and recent Pap smears were normal, you do not need a Pap smear. If you have had a total hysterectomy for a reason other than cancer, you do not need a Pap smear. The Pap smear is considered the best form of prevention known.
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3. Colorectal Cancer. Have a screening test for colorectal cancer. Several different tests-for example, a stool blood test and colonoscopy-can detect this cancer. Your health care professional can help you decide which is best for you. Some studies suggest that people may reduce their risk of developing colorectal cancer by increasing physical activity, eating fruits and vegetables, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding tobacco.
While there is no accepted evidence for cancer cures through better living and nutrition, there is mounting evidence for increased risk of cancer without these things.
4. Depression. Your emotional health is every bit as important as your physical health. Talk to your doctor about being screened for depression especially if often have the following symptoms:
You have felt down, sad, or hopeless.
You take little interest or pleasure in doing things.
Although depression is a highly treatable condition, some forms of depression may not be preventable. That's because depression may be triggered by a chemical malfunctioning in the brain. When depression is caused by chemical imbalance it may not be possible to prevent it - it is definitely treatable. The latest medical studies confirm that depression may often be alleviated or sometimes prevented with good health habits. Proper diet, exercise, and taking time out for fun and relaxation, may work together to prevent a depressed mood.
5. Diabetes has become the scourge of today and yet Type 2 (or adult onset diabetes) is considered by professionals to be preventable in 9 out of 10 cases. Get screened for diabetes if your blood pressure is higher than 135/80 or if you take medication for high blood pressure. Diabetes (high blood sugar) can cause problems with your heart, brain, eyes, feet, kidneys, nerves, and other body parts. Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes, a serious disease in which blood glucose (blood sugar) levels are above normal. Most people with diabetes have type 2. An estimated 79 million Americans over age 20 have prediabetes. Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they usually have "prediabetes".
Diabetes prevention is proven, possible, and powerful.
Diabetes was ranked as the sixth leading cause of death for all Americans in 2006. Sixty-five percent of people with diabetes die from the related complications of heart disease and stroke.
6. High Blood Pressure. Have your blood pressure checked at least every 3 months. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. High blood pressure can cause strokes, heart attacks, kidney and eye problems, and heart failure. You can take steps to prevent high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle. These steps include maintaining a healthy weight; being physically active; following a healthy eating plan, that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low fat (or none at all) dairy foods; choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium; and, if you drink alcoholic beverages, drinking in moderation. Nearly all processed or prepared foods are artificially high in sodium. The average American consumes between 2 and 5 TIMES the healthy level of sodium (salt). Almost one in five premature deaths each year is caused by high blood pressure, a study claims.
7. High Cholesterol Levels. High cholesterol increases your chance of heart disease, stroke, and poor circulation. Have your cholesterol checked regularly if:
You use tobacco.
You are obese.
You have a personal history of heart disease or blocked arteries.
A male relative in your family had a heart attack before age 50 or a female relative, before age 60.
The good news? If your total cholesterol level exceeds the desirable level of 200, or if your low-density lipoprotein ( LDL, or "bad") cholesterol is not at your goal, getting it down to a safer level could be easier than you think. In fact, with simple lifestyle modifications people often see significant reductions in cholesterol within six weeks.
There are no verified numbers for deaths from high cholesterol, because it causes many problems which then lead to death.
So what do you need to do? Get the regular screenings you should to know the truth about your health. If you avoid the truth you do not prevent it, you actually bring it to pass sooner rather than later.
Screenings are tests that look for diseases before you have symptoms. Blood pressure checks and mammograms are examples of screenings. You can get some screenings, such as blood pressure readings, in your doctor's office. Others, such as as mammograms, need special equipment, so you may need to go to a different office.
After a screening test, it's important to ask when you will see the results and who you should talk to about them. Pursue your good health jealously - you only get one body. Don't wait for them to tell you, seek out the information, and if you don't think your doctor is taking your health as seriously as you are - change doctors.
For additional information on diet and cancer, visit:
Of the seven BIG CHALLENGES listed, ALL are positively effected by making simple changes in lifestyle, specifically, changes in habits & diet such as controlling caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, salt, and sugar intake and a moderate exercise regimen. These changes can bring back the blossom of health and greatly add to longevity.
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