Have you recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness or medical problem? One of the first things your doctor will likely recommend is a medicinal approach to treatment. This means medications and some sort of therapy to help alleviate symptoms. If you think your health will improve by changing your lifestyle, you’re right. Here are a few ways that you can turn your health around and possibly improve your way of life, depending on what illness you have.
Chronic Pain Issues
Are you living with chronic pain? It can be debilitating and hard to function through everyday life. Whether your pain stems from an old injury or an underlying disease, you may have been on painkillers at one point in time. The problem is most opiates are highly addictive and before you know it; you’re faced with a larger issue at hand—being addicted to prescription pain pills or street drugs.
That’s why it’s important to find a BLVD opiate & painkiller rehab near you that will treat your addiction and address any other underlying health issues you may also be facing. A good treatment center will focus on your mental status, withdrawal symptoms, and helping you cope with stressors and triggers that lead to using. You don’t have to live with chronic pain or addiction. Break the cycle and get help with your pain control.
Heart Disease
Heart disease mainly affects middle-aged and older adults who have high cholesterol or poor diet and let it go untreated. While heart disease can affect anyone at any age, even children, there are lifestyle changes that you can make to help reduce your risk of death or other complications stemming from heart disease. Here are some examples:
- *Daily aerobic exercise.
- *Eating a heart-healthy diet.
- *Getting plenty of sleep each night—at least 6 to 8 hours for the average adult.
- *Reducing stress in your life.
Combining all of these tools can greatly reduce your risk of dying from a stroke or heart attack related to long-term heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart-related diseases kill over 600,000 people annually in the U.S. This is a staggering amount, and you definitely don’t want to be one of those statistics.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the endocrine system. It prevents insulin from being released and used properly in your bloodstream. You may have either Type 1 or Type 2, depending on what your doctor diagnosed you with. Each one is different depending on what your blood sugar history and A1C is. You may have to be on oral medication or take insulin injections to help keep your blood glucose in the normal, healthy range. You can make some lifestyle changes right away to help become healthier and make your blood sugar more manageable. Some suggestions are:
- *Losing weight and keeping your BMI in a healthy range for your height.
- *Eating foods that are low in sugar and low in carbohydrates.
- *Avoiding junk food and processed snacks.
- *Eating small, low-fat meals throughout the day.
- *Seeing your doctor routinely for checkups—including eye exams and heart disease screenings.
Keeping yourself healthy can help reduce your risk for diabetic complications such as heart attack, stroke, obesity and nerve-related conditions.
Gastrointestinal Problems
Have you been having a lot of stomach issues lately? Maybe it’s time to visit your doctor to get to the root of the problem. Conditions and diseases that affect your stomach, intestines and bowels are common in many adults. Everything from diverticulitis to irritable bowel disease can cause unpleasant symptoms that can make daily life challenging. The problem is some serious and sometimes life-threatening conditions can mimic these symptoms, so it’s important to see your doctor right away for proper testing. This could be a CT scan, colonoscopy or endoscopy to help hone in on the main issue. Your doctor may also encourage you to change your diet and avoid certain foods and drinks that could be symptom triggers.
Getting healthy and combating illness starts with daily lifestyle changes. From there, sitting down with your doctor is just as important. With a little ongoing effort, you should see a great improvement in your health overall.