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Hannah
2/29/16
Period 5
Anatomy
Disease Essay
The human body is a constant amazement to us, maintaining a perfect balance and
allowing us to perform extraordinary feats. This idea of homeostasis is both physical and
psychological and is controlled by constant adjustments by the body systems of the liver, brain,
kidneys, nervous system, endocrine system, to name a few. Though they all perform different
functions that allow our body to function at tip top shape, there are also many factors that can
pull our bodies out of this perfect system and lead us into a downfall towards disease. This
change in normality can often times is hard to identify, but normally we can diagnose a disease
by certain signs and symptoms. When homeostasis is compromised, like a body system stops
doing its job or something is ingested that harms the body functions, the body suffers the
consequences. Whether its due to virus, infection of wounds, drug consumption, genetics, age,
or gender, diseases can be found in a variety of types and can lead to death.
Disease is a much more prominent issue in our society than many of us would like to
believe. Among the top are cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Though heart diseases range
from high blood pressure to stroke, they all mostly include diseased vessels, structural problems,
blood clots, and elements of the blood. Obesity involves a disorder of excessive amounts of body
fat. The reason this is an issue is because it increases the risk of health problems as it

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dramatically takes the body away from homeostasis. This happens when a persons body mass
index is 30 or higher and can result in pain to the back and joints, fatigue, affect on mental
health, and snoring. Another disease that is however very rare, it also reflects a part of my diet.
As I never even come close the amount of Vitamin A Im supposed to have per day, I chose a
disease that reflected a lack of Vitamin A and its effects on the body. Vitamin A Deficiency can
be identified by fry eyes, dry skin, infections, or hard time seeing and can lead to blindness and
serious infections. It can be caused by inadequate intake of the vitamin, fat malabsorption, liver
disorders, or a problem with the gut absorbing the nutrient.
The good thing about disease is that often times, with the right care and attention to
homeostasis, they are preventable. The top five preventable diseases are heart disease, cancer,
stroke, lung disease, and diabetes. Factors that qualify them as preventable include a healthy diet,
adequate exercise, avoiding smoking and doing drugs, and protecting against too much UV rays.
The 3 diseases listed above have always been prevalent in the world, but as time has gone on
their prevalence has either tripled or become close to nothing. In the case of heart disease, its
prevalence has increased due to the decline in healthy diet and amount of exercise in the average
American. Same as with obesity, these factors have caused the number of cases in America to
increase over the years to almost 3 million this year. Worldwide, the amounts of cases of obesity
have also increased per year globally, though America remains one of the forefront leaders of this
estimate. In the case of heart disease, it is still prevalent all over the world, but America is not
part of the top 5 countries that this disease has the highest rates in. The reason that these numbers
continues to incline is because fast food and busy schedules have made it difficult for the average
American to take on a healthy and balanced lifestyle. On the other hand, Vitamin A deficiency is
very uncommon and rare in America, as most people receive enough to keep their bodies going,

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but this is not true for all countries. It is most prevalent in Southeast Asia and Africa, along with
pregnant women in low income countries. These malnourished people are not getting the right
amount of vitamin A along with many other nutrients, whereas in America people have the issue
of getting too much of a nutrient or factor of diet. Heart disease and obesity can both be
prevented with healthy diet and exercise, and Vitamin A can be prevented by normal and
balanced intake of Vitamin A, which involves healthy nutrition.
Based on my culture as both white and Hispanic, I am at higher risk to become obese or
contract heart disease than most other ethnicities. Also, being an American, I am influenced by a
society where it is common to have a lack in exercise and a bad diet that make these diseases
very common in the country. However, being a female, I am less susceptible to getting the
disease than my male counterpart. I dont eat a very good diet so it could be inferred that I could
get one of the diseases, more likely heart disease because the amount of exercise I do keeps me
in the appropriate range for BMI. My lifestyle is very busy and fit, which is positive because I
am always moving and keeping my brain challenged and my mental health stable, but it is also
negative because it causes me to make some bad decisions in diet based on convenience and
taste. I am not highly likely to get Vitamin A deficiency because there is enough in my daily
intake that prevents this. There is also the issue of socio-economic status that affects prevention
of disease. When there isnt a lot of money in a home, the cheapest foods are bought and this
often means processed and not very nutritional foods. This can account for a bad diet, but usually
exercise isnt that big of an issue for a family that needs to work to survive. It can also affect the
amount of doctor help they get or the familys ability to afford preventative vitamins or
prescriptions. Cultural influence can also affect a preventative lifestyle. For example, in America
is common culture to eat lots of fast food and not do a lot of exercise which is obvious bad for

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health and prevention. Other cultures, however, practice vegan lifestyle or very minimal and
healthy diets that are good for prevention.
Diseases like the ones mentioned are detrimental to the people of the world and are often
self-inflicted. If more people knew about how to prevent these diseases and actually followed
through with doing so we could decrease the amount of deaths by disease in the world tenfold.
By practicing a preventative lifestyle, including a healthy and balanced diet and amount of
exercise, you can protect yourself from disease and live a full and happy life.

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Bibliography
"Heart Disease." - Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research,
n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
"Obesity." - Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, n.d.
Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
"Vitamin A." Merck Manuals Professional Edition. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a
Subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.,, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
"Micronutrient Deficiencies." WHO. WHO, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.