Death is a concept that all of us are familiar with, which means keeping yourself alive for as long as possible is the goal for any person. Being able to enjoy every single memory until their dying breath and succumbing to the sweet release of death naturally is quite rare nowadays. With diseases and accidents happening left and right, it seems as though dying of natural age is becoming a rare instance.
Each year, over 900,000 people in America perish prematurely because of the five leading causes of death. However, statistics say that over 20 to 40 percent of these deaths could’ve been prevented.
Don’t let your life be at risk. What if I could tell you that there’s a way to prevent you from dying prematurely from these leading causes of death? Fear not because there is indeed a way, and it is through the information in this article.
The Horsemen Of Death: 5 Leading Causes Of Death In The US
Death is a natural occurrence, what’s not natural, though, is the fact that these 5 were the causes for over 62% of the deaths in the U.S. back in 2010. These are heart disease, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, unintentional injuries, and last but not the least, cancer. To prevent all of these would be to prolong the lives of over 200,000 Americans in each state every year.
Let’s dwell deep into each of these causes and learn what they are and how you can prevent these from happening to you.
1. Heart Disease
Cardiovascular disease is, otherwise known as heart disease, any condition that involves narrowed or blocked blood vessels in the area of the heart, which can lead to heart attacks. The thing is that heart disease can be avoided entirely by having a healthier lifestyle. Avoiding tobacco usage, regular exercise, and a balanced diet is highly recommended.
Heart diseases take the lives of over 610,000 people in the U.S. every year, which is alarming. The statistics mean that this causes every 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S.
2. Chronic Respiratory Disease
These diseases are usually ones that occur when your airway is heavily obstructed by mucus or a result of inflammatory response. Asthma is the most common one affecting over 235 million children worldwide, making it a global epidemic that’s not just prevalent in the U.S. These diseases are more challenging to prevent as there are outside factors that you have to consider. One of them being the environment that you live in.
This doesn’t mean that chronic respiratory diseases can’t at least be minimized or prevented altogether. It can be prevented by avoiding the use of cigarettes (if you use smoke regularly) or by wearing a protective face mask during allergy seasons and days when flowers and trees pollinate.
3. Unintentional Injury
This one is self-explanatory, so we’ll save you the trouble of reading something you already know. Most accidental injuries happen on the job, so make sure to wear appropriate gear when strapping in for work. Lack of seatbelt use, helmet use, exposure to hazardous home environments, and the use of alcohol and drugs can also affect your odds negatively when trying to be safe from unintentional injury.
4. Cancer
This is another worldwide epidemic that is most prominent in the U.S. Cancer is a problem with your cells but is a broad term for different types of cancer. Cancer is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Dwarfing the numbers of even heart disease.
These are methods in which you can avoid this deadly disease of genetics: Avoiding tobacco use, long exposure from the sun, avoiding ionizing radiation, avoiding certain chemicals, lack of exercise, etc.
5. Stroke
According to recent reports, stroke is also considered as a worldwide epidemic that causes 33% of premature death. Moreover, it also ranks fifth among illnesses that cause disability.
Eighty percent of strokes can be prevented by having a healthy diet and center your meals around fruits and vegetables. It’s also important to be physically active and ensure that you are vigorously active for a total of 75 minutes a week.
If you haven’t already noticed, many of these risks and diseases can be avoided by changing aspects of your life, such as personal behavior and your living environment. Your life is precious, and you should be able to enjoy every single second of it.
References: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0501-preventable-deaths.html