Diseases seem like they’re a result of fate; that humans have no control over may fall upon them. It follows by a rolling list of medical bills. There’s no hiding that people spend a lot on their medical bills in the U.S. CNBC has confirmed that over 32% of U.S. citizens have medical debts yet to be paid. Moreover, over half of them have already given up on them.

It’s clear that people are getting ill more, which proves that they’re doing less to prevent these diseases. This sheds light on an area that’s generally overlooked — prevention. If only preventative measures could be bought by insurance, people might follow it. Most people don’t want to put in efforts towards their diet and even cleanliness.

There’s no disease that doesn’t have preventative measures. Even many diseases — if caught earlier — can be cured by avoiding unhealthy habits. Prevention works wonder no matter what the scale of disease is. To battle dengue and malaria, good-quality mosquito traps and liquids are in place. The world faced a pandemic with only precautions at hand. When there was no vaccine, prevention come in handy. Let’s understand how one can avoid fatal diseases at home.

Deadly diseases and their prevention

Among deaths from diseases, heart diseases and cancer take top spots as causes. Combined, these diseases cause 48% of total deaths in the U.S. If we add chronic respiratory diseases to the account, they have 50% of all deaths to their credit. It is not a small number.

The point is even after piling up all medical bills, when there’s no betterment in the mortality rate, the problem is the lifestyle, not the disease or healthcare.

Here are preventative measures for each disease that must be followed:

• Cancer

Cause — This fatal disease is caused by the uncontrollable division of cells inside the body. The cells multiples significantly fast and turn into cancer.

Prevention:

• Look after your diet and maintain your weight
• Avoid smoking and drink in moderation
• Prolonged exposure to UV rays is also a prime cause
• For more safety, go for cancer screenings at regular intervals

• Heart Diseases

Cause- Heart diseases can be of different types like heart arrhythmias which translate to irregular heartbeats and blocked arteries which are called coronary heart diseases. It causes problems for blood vessels and the heart in general.

Prevention: The prevention for heart diseases is the betterment of daily lifestyle,

• If you smoke, quit it.
• Take protein-rich diet
• Exercise at least 5 times a week to maintain a healthy weight

• Chronic Respiratory Disease

Cause: The chief cause is the malfunction of lunges. It can be due to anything including permanent lung damage or damage of the tissues.

Prevention:

• Tobacco is the chief cause of heart diseases. Avoid consuming in and check eateries for the presence of it.
• Heart diseases can be caused by second-hand exposure to smoking. Maintain your distance from people who smoke and don’t smoke yourself.

• Alzheimer’s Diseases

Cause: Irregular accumulation of protein around brain cells causes Alzheimer’s. Proteins amyloid and tau plague and entangle brain cells. This results in the malfunction of neurotransmitters that are responsible for sending signals and memory. Sometimes, it can be hereditary.

Prevention:

• Include fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and low-fat dairy
• Keep the consumption of alcohol to a minimum
• Check groceries for saturated fat.

• Diabetes

Cause: (Type 1)

The exact cause of diabetes is not clear. What’s seen is that the immune system fights the cells that produce insulin. This deprives your body of much-needed insulin as the cells are destroyed.

(Type 2)

Diabetes can build up to become type 2 where cells develop resistance to insulin and don’t allow it to enter them. The pancreas is not able to build enough insulin to overcome this reluctance. This leads the insulin to move into blood flow in spite of cells where it is needed.

Prevention:

• The most important preventative measure is to get yourself checked for diabetes regularly if you have a diabetic person in your family. More than half of the time, diabetes is hereditary.
• Other precautions include maintaining a healthy weight and following a healthy diet.

• Stroke

Cause: Brain cells need blood rich in oxygen otherwise they die. When the flow of blood to your brain is disconnected, the stroke occurs.

Preventative measures:

• Keep an eye on your blood pressure
• Regularly check your sugar levels if either of your parents has it.
• If you’re diabetic, there are more chances of stroke. In this case, you must limit alcohol consumption to a minimum and maintain a healthy weight.

Many people die of these diseases in the U.S. They are the reason why people spend years and years paying medical bills. Cure can be costly, so you must stick to prevention. These are the points that parents point out in childhood but kids ignore. You can polish up on your habits in adulthood as well. The result is always a healthier and happier life.