Introduction
This paper explores the destructive behaviors that cost our health. The paper points out the medical implications of destructive health behaviors, and the best remedy to the problems. Keeping to the right health behavior keeps us from diseases (Corbin et al 3). It must be noted that a number of ailments in our generation are self-inflicted through unhealthy eating habits, lifestyle, and the environment, which unfortunately cannot do much about.
Apart from eating into our resources in the attempt to seek treatment, it also causes time wastage through the process of seeking medical attention. Through this report, seeks to establish a behavioral routine that can enhance my health. I also seek to develop a resource material that will be of help to many others suffering due to lack of the right knowledge. In this paper, I will deal with destructive health behaviors such as; stress, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, diabetes, and cancer.
Stress
Stress and anxiety emanate from situations we perceive as difficult to us in life. Issues such as traffic, work strain, death of loved ones, sickness, debt, or troubled childhood, can initiate stress. These are issues we can not avoid in life and is therefore important that we devise strategies for dealing with stress so that it does not harm our health. Resorting to negative activities such as smoking, drinking, or being irritable can break our health. Both our mind and body need relaxation from the active activities of the day. Stress imparts continuous portions of nervous tension on our cardiovascular system which causes heart ailments.
Stress increases the levels of epinephrine and cortisol hormone in our bodies. High levels of these hormones cause high blood pressure by raising cholesterol levels. Stress can also lead to reduced blood supply to the heart due to constriction of the coronary arteries, resulting in a heart attack or arrhythmias. (Corbin et al 44). Stress can be managed well by first identifying the actual cause of the stress and learning how to control the cause of stress.
We should begin by ignoring less important issues in our life and instead focusing on things that add value to our life. Engaging in physically involving activities such as; sports, dancing, and joking allows the body to metabolize the extra catecholamines and thus restore the normal body condition. Physical activities also allow the muscles to relax at the end of the activity. We should learn to be positive about each issue that comes our way rather than spending much of our time worrying about our problems. We should learn from past errors and use them as a dashboard to better our future (Corbin et al 37)
Tobacco
Cigarette smoking is a major cause of major killer diseases such as; bronchitis, cancer, and liver infections resulting from the deposition of tar, nicotine, and other poisonous compounds in our lungs. The build-up of smoke residues in the blood vessels leads to reduced blood flow. Besides, smoking also destroys the epithelium membrane of our blood arteries, which results in hypertension blood coagulation.
A combination of entire smoked toxin causes heart irritation that can result in cardiac arrest. This is a health hazard behavior that can be avoided by following laid-out procedures and avoiding smokers’ company. Addicts can be assisted to undergo a rehabilitation program.
Alcohol
Alcohol consumption is not only harmful to our health but also results in addiction. Alcohol causes addiction, retards the brain, and increases blood pressure. It is also a major cause of some cancer ailments such as; mouth cancer, besides being a cause of muscle and bone ailment. Addiction to alcohol results in mental exhaustion and hung hovers. In severe cases, alcohol may result in loss of sight.
Alcohol addicts exhibit withdrawal symptoms, loss of memory, anxiety, sleep disorder, sexual dysfunction as well as being confused. Dependency on alcohol causes liver cirrhosis and nervous breakdown (Corbin et al 33). Alcohol causes temporary brain impairment that has been a major cause of road and factory accidents and injuries. Such accidents can cause permanent disability to people. Pregnant mothers who consume alcohol have a high chance of giving birth to children with deformities or disorders.
Alcohol addiction can be treated through rehabilitation programs through a gradual reduction of the amount of alcohol consumed by the victim per day. Developing other leisure activities can provide a partial solution especially to those who use drinking as a leisure activity to kill boredom.
Drugs
Drugs are substances which if taken into our body systems alter their normal functioning. Drugs are taken either to cure ailments, for leisure, or to give the user a good feeling. Drug abuse can cause severe health problems and even cause death. Drugs can also cause lifetime brain damage, heart attack, amputation of organs as a result of destroyed body parts, infertility, cancer, and addiction.
Drug addiction results in dependency in which the victim can not do any productive work without using the drug. Drug abuse is a common and growing concern all over the world. Drug trafficking across various countries of the world is a major problem that governments are struggling to stop. This is because of the bad effects that drugs have on the citizens.
Drug abuse can be avoided by avoiding bad company and rehabilitation to those who are addicted. The public should be educated on the risks of drugs and their abuse. Celebrities should not be used to advertise harmful drugs as they have a strong appeal to the youth. The parents or any older person should not use these drugs especially in the presence of children, since the youngsters are susceptible to copying what they see their elders do.
Diabetes
This is a state where the body fails to balance the normal blood sugar level because of insufficient insulin. Failure by my body to produce sufficient insulin leads to an increase in the blood sugar level. The opposite is also true. There are two well-known types of diabetes. That is diabetes mellitus sometimes called ‘Juvenile diabetes’ as it is usually prevalent in young children. This is a situation where the body produces little or no insulin, thus the sugar level increases.
The second type of diabetes is caused by the resistance of the cells against insulin even though its adequately produced. Diabetes can be hereditary or self-imposed. Diabetes is mostly associated with overweight, excessive eating, and lack of bodily activities. Without early identification and treatment, diabetes can weaken the male anatomy, cause loss of sight, stroke or even lead to a heart attack.
Occasional physical evolvement, maintaining an appropriate diet eats and loss of weight is proper corrective measure (Corbin et al 48). Physical exercises help in burning up the fat in the body, enhancing the metabolism of glucose and fats. It also increases the receptivity of insulin and thus reduces the danger of diabetes. Lack of insulin can also be remedied with insulin injection.
Cancer
There are several causes of cancer, the most common cause results from exposure to harmful radiations from the sun (Corbin et al 43). Red meat and some finely processed foods also cause cancer of the stomach, colon, and even rectum. High-level sugar consumption as well as eating fatty foods can also cause cancer (Corbin et al 44). Some chemicals found in certain cosmetics such as mercury have been proved to cause skin cancer. Some cancer types affect only particular gender; prostate cancer for example specifically affects men while cervical cancer affects women.
The chances of suffering from cancer can be reduced by avoiding foods that have high levels of cholesterol and fats. Physical exercises are also an effective remedy for some of the causes of this disease. There are also food types whose nutritional contents help in reducing the chances of suffering from cancer. Such foods include; soy and herbal tea. Herbal tea has a substance that obstructs the multiplication of cancer cells to other body parts.
Conclusion
There are several destructive behaviors that cause health problems. These behaviors are addictive but can be avoided by keeping the correct company, choosing appropriate leisure activities. It is important to learn how to manage issues in our lives that can cause us stress. This enables us to be able to deal with stress and reduce its effects to our health.
Physical exercise is an important aspect to adopt in our lifestyles. It is a natural way of helping our bodies to be able to fight most ailments. We also need to maintain an appropriate diet, free of fats and cholesterol contents. Fats and cholesterol contents are major causes of health problems.
Works Cited
Corbin, B. Charles, et al. Concepts of Physical Fitness: Active Lifestyles for Wellness. New York: McGraw Hill Inc., 2006