Many chronic diseases have genetic risks, and there are also lifestyle factors to consider. The illnesses range from cancer to diabetes, and smoking is an example of the disease of addiction. To be proactive and delay or prevent chronic diseases is difficult. You can’t just tell someone to just quit smoking as if they can flip a switch and suddenly stop. To start with, the person has to identify the problem, in the case of addiction.
Identify an addiction and seek help
Addictions can be anything from smoking to drinking, drugs, and gambling. Yes, addiction is a type of chronic disease, and the goal here is to try to prevent it.
If you believe that you’re addicted to something that negatively affects your health, you need to identify that you have a problem before moving on to possible solutions. Given the high likelihood of a negative impact on health over time, leading to chronic disease, stopping as soon as possible is optimal.
Identifying the symptoms of addiction or dependency and then aiming to stop it is difficult, to put it mildly. A lot of people with addictions think they have things under control and it’s not a problem. So, “why should I seek help?” they think.
Furthermore, it’s not easy to just quit something that your brain has become used to. Completely quitting by going cold turkey could potentially make things worse given the dangers of withdrawal without being under the guidance of a quality rehab facility.
Thus, speak with experts whenever possible to help you break an addiction gradually. There are many helplines for this if you’re in desperate need of help. There are also many programs from healthcare professionals to help gradually take you off abusing various substances or coping with addictions.
Preventing chronic diseases: Healthy eating and exercise
It’s a good idea to eat healthy too and engage in plenty of physical activity. In fact, these are both common goals to aim for in alternative cancer treatment centers where they focus on a variety of holistic strategies to help one battle cancer, one of the most common chronic diseases that people face.
But, what exactly does it mean to eat in a healthy way and get lots of physical activity? How do you know what’s enough and how much to do to protect yourself from health conditions?
In reality, it’s hard to say just how healthy one needs to eat or just how much physical activity to do. When in doubt, seek the recommendation of your doctor. Many factors affect the answer, including your medical history, medications, current injuries, fitness level, and more.
In general, the goal is to eat as much healthy food as possible and to exercise fairly often so that your heart is healthy. Your weight is often a good indication of how healthy you are and if you’re consuming foods that are good for you.
If you’re slightly overweight, then aim to reduce your calorie intake and try to get more physical activity throughout the day, based on your doctor’s instructions. Not only can this help improve your overall health, but also help protect you against chronic conditions such as diabetes.