Diabetes, stroke, and heart attack are some of the leading causes or death. They affect many people a year including me. I have had many people in my family that have suffered from these diseases. There are many ways to prevent these things from happening to you.
Diabetes is the number 6 leading cause of death in the United States. It is also known as non-insulin dependent or adult onset diabetes. It is very common in overweight people who are older than 40 years old and are not active. Diabetes occurs when there isn't enough insulin in your body. Insulin is the chemical in the body that helps sugar enter the cells. Some of the symptoms of diabetes are blurred vision, fatigue, being hungry a lot, losing feeling in your feet, the loss of weight, sores that take a long time to heal, dry skin, and being very thirsty. There is no cure for Type 2 diabetes but you can get it under control. Most importantly you must control your blood sugar. You can do this by taking insulin or blood sugar medicine, eating the right foods and exercising. You also must check your blood sugar level every day if you are taking insulin or oral medicine.
More than half a million people in the United States experience a new or recurrent stroke each year. A stroke is the sudden death of brain cells in a localized area. This occurs when the blood flow is interrupted in a part of the brain. When this happens the brain doesn't get the oxygen or nutrients that it needs and quickly begins to die. Symptoms of stroke usually come suddenly. Some symptoms are, blurred vision in one or both eyes, severe headache, weakness, numbness, dizziness, and loss of balance. Treatment for stroke from a blood clot is aimed at dissolving the clot. Thrombolytic therapy is most commonly used, but patients who are ineligible for it may be treated with heparin, other blood thinners, aspirin, or other anti-clotting agents. The risk of stroke can reduced by not smoking, controlling blood pressure, getting regular exercise, maintaining body weight, avoiding excessive alcohol, and by getting regular checkups.