| What is a lifestyle disease? When you think of a | | | | it just adds to the problem. What about the beer |
| disease you usually think of the H1N1 swine flu or | | | | ads which try to be funny to make people watch |
| tuberculosis something you can catch from | | | | and remember them. |
| someone. A lifestyle disease is associated with | | | | It is all about choices. What we eat and what we |
| your environment, by the way you live your life | | | | feed our children is our choice. You see children |
| and the choices you make everyday. | | | | now days getting things like childhood diabetes |
| When you go out and eat a lot of junk food | | | | which was unheard of 20 years ago. These |
| everyday, drink too much alcohol, smoke, lie on | | | | lifestyle diseases are spreading at an alarming rate |
| your couch and watch TV all day these things all | | | | and are turning into an epidemic. They are just as |
| contribute to you getting what they call non | | | | deadly as the swine flu or TB. This affects all of |
| communicable diseases. These are diseases like | | | | us some how. It may be our spouse, parent or |
| diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart disease and others. | | | | child. Even our finances, if you are sick you cannot |
| Our lifestyle choice c many times in the beginning | | | | go to work. |
| start out as minor issues like a little weight | | | | It also adds to the burden of our health care |
| problem, then a sore knee. If we continue with | | | | system like increases in our medical insurance |
| that lifestyle then obesity slowly sets in and the | | | | premiums, lack of hospital beds, doctors and |
| sore knee turns into a major knee joint problem | | | | nurses. It also adds to the burden of the state |
| that doctors many times recommends operation | | | | when people sign up for free health care program. |
| instead of losing the weight which caused it in the | | | | We need to teach the people to get them making |
| first place. I see it happening everyday to my | | | | wiser choices like eating more fruits and |
| friends. | | | | vegetables versus cookies and burgers. Getting |
| Hang on it gets worse. Over time this person | | | | them to get off the couch and outside and start |
| gets diabetes and not to mention high blood | | | | taking walks which by the way costs no money. |
| pressure and other joint problems like their back | | | | In fact with better choices they will actually stat |
| and shoulders. From here they start to develop | | | | to save money which they spend on junk food, |
| heart related diseases. When I talk to them about | | | | bad snacks, tobacco and alcohol. |
| their problems they show me a handful of pills | | | | It all starts with education. Some how we got to |
| they take so they do not have to lose the | | | | teach people what is good and healthy to eat |
| weight. In other words they do not want to | | | | versus what is bad and the consequences are. |
| change their lifestyle. | | | | Not only people with lack of education are |
| People now days want to treat the symptom and | | | | teaching their children the wrong lifestyle. We got |
| not the cause of the problem, yet they complain | | | | to protect our children from these diseases. They |
| all day that their knee is so sore. They tell the | | | | learn by watching us and what we eat. We got to |
| doctor to give them a stronger pain killer. Next | | | | stop feeding them the junk and sweets or at |
| thing you know they are scheduled for knee | | | | least have a limit. |
| surgery. Why? The signs are all there that it is | | | | Children today spend far too much time indoors. |
| the weight that is causing the problem. Now these | | | | You got to get them off the computer and to |
| are smart people. They are just ignorant of the | | | | turn off the TV. Get them outside and playing in |
| fact that they got to change their lifestyle. | | | | the yard. They need to exercise and they can do |
| Imagine the problems uneducated people and their | | | | it just by running around. |
| families with little medical care have. Their health | | | | Sometimes education in the schools will actually |
| problems are far worse. | | | | rub off on the parents at home. Schools are now |
| A lot of this is due to lack of proper health care, | | | | spending time and money to teach children about |
| low income, poor eating choices, lack of education | | | | proper diet and health issues. This in turn can |
| and not enough exercise. Also poor common | | | | influence the choices their parents make at the |
| sense plays a big part in the choices people make | | | | grocery store and where they decide to dine out |
| because even educated people get these lifestyle | | | | and how often. But we cannot only depend on |
| diseases. | | | | our schools and our children. We must educate |
| We are bombarded all day by advertisements for | | | | the adults; make them aware of the problem the |
| the newest double chocolate chip cookie or some | | | | causes of them and the consequences. It should |
| new burger place opening up does not help in fact | | | | in the start in the home from the parents. |