Bullet with your name on it : what you will probably die from and what you can do about it

Everyone’s going to die; the only question is, how? Soldiers refer to this certainty as “a bullet with your name on it.” For each person, though, there can be many bullets — and by knowing where to look, and what actions to take, readers may be able to dodge most of them. Consumers looking for reliable medical advice face a barrage of uncertain, often contradictory, and occasionally deadly misinformation, with as many prescriptions for better living as there are lobbying groups and pharmaceutical companies. Avery Hurt sifts through the chaff of current medical hype to focus on the key health issues that everyone faces. She simplifies the current research on risk factors for heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions so that readers can make meaningful decisions based on their own situations and lifestyles. Through her by-the-numbers approach, readers can adopt preventative steps that lessen their odds for contracting terminal illnesses. Title Page......Page 2 Copyright Page......Page 3 Acknowledgments......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 CHAPTER ONE: What the Numbers Tell Us and What They Don’t......Page 14 It’s a Process......Page 15 The Bugs Are Still Out There......Page 21 Change the Things You Can Change......Page 23 Prevention/Risk Reduction......Page 24 The Risks of Risk-Factor Estimates......Page 26 Not in Our Stars, but in Our Genes......Page 27 The Usual Suspects......Page 35 If Only I Had Known......Page 42 Risk Factors to the Rescue......Page 45 Sources of Numbers: The Good, the Bad and the Alarmed......Page 46 Scary Monster or Misunderstood Giant?......Page 50 The Bad Guys......Page 54 CHAPTER TWO: Cardiovascular Disease......Page 60 Risk Factors......Page 62 Coronary Artery Disease: The Crown Jewel of Heart Disease......Page 67 Take a Quarter of an Aspirin and Call Me in the Morning......Page 70 Heart Failure......Page 73 Cholesterol: Sticky Yellow Ichor......Page 74 Stroke......Page 78 Hypertension......Page 80 How High Is High?......Page 81 Lose It......Page 83 Here’s to Your Heart......Page 86 New Kids on the Block......Page 88 Prevention......Page 91 Seven Countries and Framingham, Massachusetts......Page 92 One for the Ladies......Page 97 Move It......Page 100 CHAPTER THREE: Cancer......Page 102 On the Road......Page 103 Sunshine on My Shoulders Makes Me—Healthy?......Page 106 The Cell that Wouldn’t Die......Page 109 More on Mutations......Page 111 Seek and Ye Shall Find......Page 113 Living Well......Page 116 You Are What You Eat—and Aren’t What You Don’t Eat......Page 117 Immediate Payoff......Page 120 We Are Family—But Just What Degree of Family?......Page 123 Get Moving......Page 124 Stay Slim......Page 125 Breast......Page 126 Colon/Rectal......Page 128 Lung......Page 129 Esophageal......Page 130 Cervical......Page 131 Brain......Page 132 Kidney......Page 133 Testicular......Page 134 Melanoma......Page 135 CHAPTER FOUR: Diabetes......Page 136 The Fruit Basket......Page 137 The Cancer Connection......Page 139 The Nature of the Beast......Page 140 Play Period......Page 142 Dangerous Duo......Page 143 Syndrome X......Page 145 Risk Factors......Page 146 Prediabetes......Page 147 Losing It, Redux......Page 149 Body Mass Index (BMI) Table......Page 151 Calories In/Calories Out......Page 152 Programmed Eating......Page 154 The Big Guys......Page 158 How Much Is “Plenty”?......Page 160 Which Is Which? The Skinny on the Popular Diets......Page 163 Cookbook Tips......Page 165 What about Those Pills?......Page 166 Exercise: One More Rep......Page 170 Don’t Be a Yo-Yo......Page 171 CHAPTER FIVE: Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias......Page 174 Risk Factors......Page 177 Reducing Those Risks......Page 181 Famous People with Alzheimer’s......Page 183 Dry Bones—and Not So Dry Bones......Page 186 Sins of the Past......Page 187 Disease of the Month......Page 188 Risk Factors......Page 190 Boning Up......Page 194 Not Just Calcium......Page 195 Arthritis......Page 197 Risk Factors......Page 198 Joint Protection......Page 200 Food, Again......Page 202 GERD......Page 204 Irritable Bowel Syndrome......Page 206 Gastritis......Page 207 Diverticular Disease......Page 209 Peptic Ulcer......Page 210 Age-Related Macular Degeneration......Page 212 Allergies and Asthma......Page 213 Kidney Stones......Page 214 Gallstones......Page 215 Multiple Sclerosis......Page 216 Herpes Simplex......Page 217 Endometriosis......Page 218 Hepatitis A and B......Page 219 Ulcers......Page 220 Rules of Thumb......Page 221 Index......Page 223 About the Author......Page 225 You've heard all the warnings about what is bad for you and the role family history plays in your health. You've also heard all the advice about what good habits you need to develop. The problem is there's so much contradictory information and hype out there, you don't know what to believe. One thing is for certain: something's going to kill you eventually. Soldiers in battle use the phrase "a bullet with your name on it." Here's the good news-if you know your personal risk factors, you can increase your chances of living a long and healthy life. With no pharmaceutical nor institutional agenda to support, veteran medical reporter Avery Hurt wades through the most current medical information to give you practical, straightforward guidance on your key health issues.