Health in the MidAdult Years
Heart Disease - Cancer - Menopause - Obesity

Heart Disease

There are 2.5 times as many men as women that are victims of heart diseases. A heart attack occurs when parts of the heart fail. Many diseases can cause the heart to fail, which in turn, can cause a heart attack. Congestive heart failure is described as when blood is no longer being pumped from the heart to the rest of the body.

When the blood can not be pumped to the body, due to any number of causes, it will soon over flow and start to swell parts of the body. These parts include the heart itself, the liver ,the abdomen, the feet, the legs, and the lungs. When the lungs are affected, this leaves the body feeling weak and fatigued.

Hardening of the arteries or arteriosclerosis is described as inelasticity and thickening of the arterial walls. This will cause a lack of blood flow to the heart, brain, and other vital parts of the body. This occurs anywhere in the body. Coronary artery disease is where your arteries become clogged. The disease is called coronary atherosclerosis. This disease happens very slowly, over 20 to 30 years, however, it can begin at 20 year of age or even earlier. By the middle 40's, a person can have a sudden heart attack. In addition, coronary atherosclerosis may also severely weaken the persons heart leading to congestive heart failure.

Any one of the above can lead to a heart attack, or in themselves, cause death. A heart attack occurs when part of the heart fails, for any of the above reasons. When a heart attack occurs, for whatever cause, the heart will not get enough blood to itself. This causes the muscle in the heart to grow weak. When the muscle grows weak, it deprives itself of even more blood, and so on. Finally, the muscle can no longer operate. This leaves the heart unable to function. The consequence is death.

For more information, visit the American Heart Association website.

Cancer

Cancer is not a single disease with a single cause. In fact, there are many forms of cancer with many different causes. Cancer begins at a person's cells. If a cell receives a cancer promoting stimulus from a virus, radiation, hormone imbalance or any multitude of other suspected carcinogenic,agents, it may begin to mutate. Cancer occurs when a cell reproduces or grows abnormally.

Smoking plays a considerable role in lung cancer. After a person has been smoking for a number of years, the lining of cells in the lungs and the bronchial walls will become damaged. This allows for the precancerous cells to begin their malignant growth. The damage caused by cigaretts does not stop at lung cancer. A smoker can also develop cancer of the esophagus, cancer of the stomach, cancer of the pancreas, and so on. The child of a smoker, who smokes themselves, is 15 to 25 times more likely to develop lung cancer.

Menopause

What is Menopause?

One of the significant changes which occurs for women during middle adulthood is menopause. Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstruation stops. This normally occurs between ages 45 and 60. In the United States, the average age is 51. The reason menstruation stops is that the ovaries begin to produce lower amounts of hormones, thus causing periods to become irregular and eventually to stop completely.

What are the symptoms?

There are many different symptoms of menopause. Some of the psychological symptoms may include: anxiety, depression, tearfulness, irritability, sleeplessness, less desire for sex, and/or lack of concentration. Some of the these symptoms could also be a result of other dramatic life changes one may go through during this time in their life. For example, usually at this time in a woman's life her children may leave home, maybe a loss of parents, retirement, or becoming a grandparent.

Some of the physical signs of menopause are: irregular menstrual periods, hot flashes, night, sweats, disturbed sleep patterns, vaginal dryness or discomfort, dry skin. The previous symptoms may be apparent for only a matter of weeks, however they could go on for many years. They could be sporadic or they may occur regularly.

How to be Diagnosed?

Often times, menopause is diagnosed through your personal medical history. Usually, your physician will order blood tests and/or a pelvic exam will be administered.

How to be treated?

First, we need to recognize that menopause is not a disease, it is a natural part of a woman's life cycle, and it isn't always neccesary to be treated. However, with menopause, estrogen levels in the body decrease. This increases certain health risks such as osteoporosis and heart disease. This is the reason why a lot of women choose to take estrogen supplements. These are sometimes refered to by ERT or HRT (estrogen or hormone relpacement therapy).

When making the decision to take ERT/HRT, we must take a look at the advantages as well as the negative consequences. Estrogen Replacement Therapy is prescribed in the form of tablets, patches or cream. The treatment time usually lasts for several months, however some women choose to stay on it indefinitely. Here are of the most important factors to consider:

PROS: prevent osteporosis, benefit heart, benefit blood vessels, steady/consistant hormone levels.

CONS: estrogen-related cancer

What should I do?

It is reccomended to get a mammogram every 2 yrs between ages 35 and 55. Also, it is encouraged to eat foods high in calcium and low in saturated fats. Consistant cardiovascular activity/excercise is also very beneficial.

For more information visit the Menopause Online page.

Obesity

What are the causes of obesity?

There are many factors that can cause obesity. Those causes can be divided into three main categories: genetic, environmental, and psychological. We most often tend to look at genetics as the main cause of obesity. If you look at the population of people that are overweight, it tends to run in their families. In fact, in one study, researchers found that children who were adopted had a weight closer to that of their biological parents as opposed to their adopted parents. This might suggest that we are predisposed to our weight.

Some research suggests that even though genetics play an important part in our life, we must also realize that our environment plays a significant role. Environmental factors include our eating habits, and how our activity level. We cannot change our genetic make-up, but we can choose what we eat, and how active we are. Learning how to choose more nutritional meals, recognizing when you are hungry or just craving food because you are bored, and becoming more physically active has allowed people to lose weight as well as keep off those unwanted pounds.

Still yet, some reasearch suggests that there are psychological causes. For example, they may have an eating disorder. One of the major eating dsisorders is called "binge eating disorder." It is when people eat large amounts of food and feel like they cannot control how much they are eating.

Another cause of obesity is illnesses such as hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome and depression. Certain nuerological problems can contibute to one's obesity. Some drugs may contribte to being overweight; anti-depressents and steroids have been know to result in weight gain. These conditions are known to cause about one percent of obesity in America.

What are the consequences of Obesity?

Health risks as well as psychological effects accompany obesity. Someone who is forty percent or more overweight is twice as likely to die a peremature death than an average-weight person. Obesity is also seen to be correlated with some serious medical conditions. These include: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes. It is also common for those who are obese to have certain types of cancer: colon, rectum, prostate, cancer, gallbladder, breast, uterus, cervix, and ovarian. Some other diseases include: gallbladder disease, gallstones, osteoarthritis, pulmonary problems, and sleep apnea. Doctors generally agree, that the more obese a person is, the more likely he or she is to have health problems.

Some other consequences of obesity are more psychological. For example, one who is obese may be suffer emotionally because of the emphasis society places on physical appearance. Society also seems to relate attractiveness to slimness, especially in women. Many assume that those who are suffering from obesity are gluttonous, lazy, or perhaps both. However, more and more evidence contradicts this assumption. Still, feelings of rejection, shame and depression are common.

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