This week’s chapter on CV, Cancer, and diabetes was a lot of information on these topics that I never knew much of. Lung cancer was the only topic that I was more aware of because my grandfather had lung cancer when I was just a baby and it was the only relative when I was growing up to know to have cancer. More recently, my family had found out that my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer and that came as a huge shock to our family, because there was no history of that in our family. These topics were always concerns for my family and growing up I was always made aware to always follow up with doctor appointments and to always ask questions when needed. I was fortunate enough to have my family emphasize the importance of staying on top or more so ahead of my health, and so now I always make sure that I do stay healthy and learn all the ways I can do so.
This has a lot to do with my health aspect for this semester because as much as I want to have a healthy body, I want to be aware of what that means and different ways I can add things into my routine to allow myself to stay healthy, lose the weight I want to, and be more knowledgable of the things I put into my body. This week has been a great time for my health aspect since I have been able to try a lot of new recipes or looking up foods I should be adding into my diet to help with that. There has been so much news coming out due to COVID – 19 and I have been paying attention to the foods that they say we should try to have to boost our immune systems, so we have had a lot of oranges in our diet in my house and leaning other healthier habits or foods to start having to help our bodies. Now, going back to this chapter I enjoyed learning more on these topics and even taking the time to do my research learning on things such as, risk factors for metabolic syndrome and what recommended cholesterol levels were.
Before this, I never knew what metabolic syndrome was, by learning that it is the increased risk for atherosclerotic heart disease three times the normal rates, it might be something I should know. I always try to learn as much as I can on these things that have to do with our health in a way that I can be mindful to keep myself healthy and on top of these things rather than hearing about health risks or problems because of putting risks in my lifestyle. I liked learning the section on dietary modifications that may affect heart health. Especially because of my health aspect, I want to learn things that I can add to my diet and lifestyle to keep my healthy and not at risk for any problems. Eating lots of fiber, consuming 2 grams of plant sterols a day, and cutting down on dietary sodium, are things that I have been already doing because of my health goal and learning this just motivates me to continue these new healthy habits.
Also, I know it was just briefly touched on but reading about Human Papillomavirus was interesting. I always knew about it and remember at check-ups always checking off that I got that vaccine, but never knew what it was or what the vaccine was. I never knew how common it was in the United States for men and women to be infected with this and how important it is to stay healthy and to take care of yourself whether that is with doctor checkups, diets, lifestyle choices, or whatever it may look like for you. Picking up new healthy habits can be tough and at times discouraging, but I think allowing yourself to constantly stay aware of what great things it can do for you and lower your risk can motivate you to keep on with your goals and learn more.
Samantha Lundrigan - Health & Wellness 