Top Killers You Can Neutralize
By Gray, Richard
Why wait for cures? Here are some ways you can keep the deadliest diseases at bay. The common cold may be with us forever, but we can guard against the deadliest diseases among us right now.
Practicing preventative measures increases the odds of avoiding these killers, and that’s better than pinning hopes on white- smocked scientists in beaker-laden laboratories finding cures.
“A lot of people don’t really understand how powerful preventative measures can be. But we do,” said Frank “Mac” Maguire, M.D., senior vice president of health care services at TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Tricare’s West Region contractor.
TriWest has an entire department called Population Health Improvement that administers educational disease management programs encouraging self-management skills and improved collaboration with health-care providers to tackle these killer diseases. It’s part of Tricares focus on disease prevention for servicemembers and their families.
Tricare is your preventative weapon of choice when hitting the microscopic beachheads of disease. Clinical preventative services are a critical component of the Tricare program and include colorectal cancer exams, colonoscopy, mammograms, prostate cancer exams, skin cancer exams, testicular cancer exams, and thyroid cancer exams.
Another preventative weapon is your genetic history. “Knowing your family and personal health history can help identify your risk factors for getting some of these diseases and the benefit of screening for them earlier,” said Kathleen Sobera, TriWest’s director of Population Health Improvement. “With early detection, many of these killers can be eliminated or minimized as threats.”
Use these preventative recommendations from TriWest and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) to keep these top- five killers at bay:
No. 1: Heart Disease
Men tend to develop heart disease sooner than women, and it can cut them down in the prime of life. About 25 percent of heart- disease-related deaths happen to men between the ages of 35 and 65- 10 to 15 years sooner than for women. Reduce the risk of heart disease and its deadly partner, coronary artery disease, by treating conditions that contribute to them, notably high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
“There are simple things you can do to protect yourself,” Dr. Maguire said, including the following:
* Don’t smoke or use other tobacco products.
* Eat a varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and avoid high- fat foods.
* Maintain a healthy weight.
* Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
* Have your cholesterol tested.
* If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar under control.
* Get regular blood pressure checks.
* Take a daily dose of aspirin, if your doctor OKs it.
No. 2: Cancer
Cancer in various forms is the second deadliest killer, and lung cancer is the most common cause of death for both men and women, according to the CDC. Not surprisingly, the best defensive measures against cancer are much like those for heart disease:
* Don’t smoke or use other tobacco products.
* Eat a varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and avoid high- fat foods.
* Maintain a healthy weight.
* Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
* Limit your exposure to sun, and use sunscreen.
* Drink alcohol only in moderation, if at all.
* Be aware of potential cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) in your home and workplace, and take steps to reduce your exposure to these substances.
* Have regular health screenings, such as mammograms, cervical cancer screening, colonoscopies, prostate exams, and blood tests.
* Learn your family medical history and review it with your doctor.
No. 3: Stroke
The third-most-effective killer, stroke, can paralyze even if it doesn’t kill, and although it strikes equally at men and women, men have a better chance of surviving.
Some risk factors are beyond control, such as family history, age, and race, but the leading cause-high blood pressure-certainly can be controlled.
Other preventative measures for strokes include the following:
* Lower your intake of cholesterol and saturated fat, and get your cholesterol checked.
* Get regular blood pressure checks, and if it’s higher than normal, control it.
* Don’t smoke.
* Control diabetes.
* Maintain a healthy weight.
* Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
* Manage stress.
* Limit alcohol consumption.
* Talk with your doctor about taking a daily dose of aspirin.
No. 4: Lung Diseases
Sometimes associated with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is fourth on the deadly list. It’s a group of chronic lung conditions that include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Men who smoke are 12 times more likely to develop COPD than men who have never smoked.
Here are some other preventative measures:
* Don’t smoke.
* Avoid second-hand smoke.
* Minimize exposure to workplace chemicals.
No. 5: Diabetes
Diabetes affects the way the body uses blood sugar (glucose). Excess body fat is an important preventable risk factor, and 80 percent of people with diabetes are overweight.
The CDC estimates that one-third of men with the most common form of diabetes don’t know they have it until they develop complications, such as impotence, nerve damage, vision loss, or kidney disease.
Prevention includes these measures:
* Maintain a healthy weight.
* Eat a varied diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat foods.
* Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
* Get your fasting blood sugar level checked periodically.
* Know your family’s diabetes history and discuss it with your doctor.
“Many of these preventative measures have the same things in common,” Dr. Maguire said. “So what’s important is to change any habits that are harmful and to embrace new, healthy choices. It takes about two months to change a lifelong habit. But when you do, you’ll stay healthier and live longer.”
Mr. Gray is an Army veteran and an editor for TriWest Healthcare Alliance, an ROA STARs partner.
Copyright Reserve Officers Association Aug 2008
(c) 2008 Officer, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.