Edwin Brock in his poem, Five ways to kill a man, said that the simplest and most neat form to kill a man would be leaving him in the 20th century.
You see the author of this book already prophesied the easiest way to kill a man is to leave him in the twentieth century because of the increased toxicity and new kinds of diseases breaking out. The 21st century is not much safer either.
The recent pandemic has been acting as a glaring reminder of how delicate life truly is. Add to that the alarming discoveries we are making. For instance, cancer-causing compounds were recently found in the popular heartburn medicine Zantac.
To learn more about Zantac stomach cancer, and other modern health risk factors, continue reading this article.
Risk factors contributing to diseases
You might hear your parents or relatives complaining about their blood pressure, but have you ever noticed or thought about why it is happening to them? Is it a result of their conscious choices or because of other reasons?
There are several risk factors for one or any disease, it can be because of physical inactivity, or because of the conscious choice of consuming potentially harmful components. To understand this better let us categorize these risk factors into different categories:
Health services associated risk factors
Lack of access to health services or restricted health services can affect the medical attention you seek. Sometimes the medication provided by an authorized health service provider can also cause grave harm to an individual.
For example, Ranitidine was sold under the brand name Zantac, which was used for heartburn, and acidity has been recalled from the USA market.
In a recent discovery, it was discovered that Zantac consisted of NDMA, a carcinogenic compound, at dangerously high levels. The health issues that Zantac causes are as follows:
- Various kinds of cancers such as peptic cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, etc.
- Liver failure and Kidney failure
- Hepatitis
- Cardiovascular effects such as hypertension
- Central nervous system effects causing agitation and hallucinations
- Blood disorders such as reversible anemia
Behavioural risk factors
These factors include the conscious choice we were talking about earlier such as the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, physical inactivity, and poor diet. These factors can be easily exterminated by the individuals’ choices and behaviours. It is a voluntary choice of an individual that makes him sick and results in diseases like liver cancer, kidney failure, high cholesterol, and other endless health problems.
Physiological risk factors
Factors that associate with your physical anatomy can be brought under this category of risk factors. Factors like abnormal vein compression resulting in May Thurner Syndrome, Pelvic Congestion Syndrome, Nutcracker Syndrome; or diabetes due to dysfunctioning of the pancreas causing overproduction or insufficient production of insulin. This may or may not be voluntary factor-like behavioural risk factors.
Environmental risk factors
Global warming is not only causing shifts in temperature and weather conditions but also is the reason for many health issues. Hot temperature increases the ozone concentration which has the potential ability to damage the tissue of the lungs. The extreme weather condition results in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and premature death. It also affects the productivity of land growing grains and vegetables.
Demographic risk factors
Risk factors that relate to the age or population subgroup based on their occupation, income, area, etc. You might think how demographic factors are related to any health risk? But think of it this way, a person working in a power plant is more prone to diseases like Boilermakers’ Bronchitis, and a coal mine worker is exposed to the disease like Coal Worker Pneumoconiosis. And countries like Lesotho, China, Pakistan, etc with a high incidence of tuberculosis can justify the demographic aspect of health risk factors.
Genetic risk factors
It is obvious from the name that a genetic factor is because of the individuals’ genes. You might have blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, Sickle cell disease, Alzheimer’s disease, etc because of the presence of disease in your family. One should be aware of the diseases in your family history so that one can take preventive measures in advance.
Emotional risk factors
One should never avoid their mental health. Your emotional health and mental health are as real as any physical risk factor. A healthy body with deteriorated emotional health is like a hollow. Emotional risk factors such as depression, anxiety disorders, and panic disorders can also be one of many causes of unhealthy life.
Preventive measures
It is important to take preventive measures to be better prepared for an unknown war within. Preventive measures include:
- Regular health checkups
- Choosing healthy lifestyle
- Eating proper, nutritious food
- Practicing Conscious eating
- Take your medications timely
- Avoid consumption of medication not authorized by the FDA or prescribed by a doctor
- Avoid consumption of alcohol, tobacco
Conclusion
With so many diseases breaking out, the toxic environment we live in, and the busy schedule we have, we never know what could be underlying within us and we never know when it is going to be diagnosed and treated. So it is important to take preventive measures for a better quality of life.
