THE 5 MOST COMMON CHRONIC ILLNESSES LINKED TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Every day, we are exposed to different environmental factors that affect us each in different ways. What many people do not realize is that these factors can actually be harmful to our health and are known to cause numerous illnesses. The amount of these illnesses is currently on the rise, and the key to preventing our children from being affected is simple: education. The Healthy Path Foundation shares the five most common chronic illnesses linked to environmental factors:
Asthma. Although not necessarily caused by environmental factors in all people, the environment is certainly linked heavily to asthma. With 6.8 million children in this country affected by the condition, this issue is becoming increasingly detrimental to their health and wellness.
Type 2 diabetes. Believe it or not, the environment is also linked to type 2 diabetes, which stands as the more common type of the condition. As a major emerging health problem, education is the best preventative way to avoid the onset of this illness.
Allergies. Most people in the United States are affected by environmental allergies. The fact of the matter is that the environment can be an instigator when it comes to food allergies as well. Instances of food allergies within people of the US alone has increased eighteen percent in the ten year span between 1997 and 2007.
Childhood obesity. An extremely delicate issue, obesity in children is becoming a major problem for families all over the United States. In fact, seventeen percent of children between the ages of 2 and 19 years old are affected by this serious illness.
Developmental disorders. Developmental disorders like Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have proven to be linked to environmental factors. Each year, the numbers of those affected steadily rises. Today, one in six children are diagnosed with a developmental disorder of some kind.
