THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH The Chiropractic Resource Organization
 
   

The Leading Causes of Death

This section is compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:
   Frankp@chiro.org

If there are terms in these articles you don't understand, you can get a definition from the Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary.   If you want information about a specific disease, you can access the Merck Manual.   You can also search Pub Med for more abstracts on this, or any other health topic.

 
   

Careful analysis of the tables listed below will demonstrate that the leading killers are all lifestyle–related, and are preventable. Chronic diseases comprise the three leading causes of death in the United States –– heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease –– and they account for nearly two thirds of all deaths. Multiple behavioral risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise often become habitual during youth or early adulthood, and contribute to the development of these chronic diseases over long periods of time.

Our diet is poor since it is composed of foods which are treated with pesticides, picked green, and then processed and treated with preservatives. Our grains are polished of their wheat germ coats, bleached, and then “(re) enhanced” with chemical “vitamins” which our bodies cannot absorb. To paraphrase Dr. Bruce Miller, “Supplementation is no longer an option!” In fact, based on the modern diet, it's the only way we can absorb sufficient nutrients to rebuild our cells, and to offset the stress on our systems from the Environmental Toxins and the other stressors we are exposed to in daily life. Take a look at the   Food Guide Pyramid Page   to see how much you'd need to eat just to stay healthy...and that is only if you were already healthy, and were not exposed to most of the mutagens we are surrounded by!

Other causes of death and disability from injury include: fires and burns; poisoning; drowning; violence, including homicide and suicide; motor vehicle crashes; and lack of use of bicycle helmet, seat belts, and child restraint seats. Injury has a disproportionate impact on children, youth, and young adults. Every day 60 children die from injury, almost 3 children every hour. Each year over 150,000 Americans die from injuries, and 1 in 3 persons suffers a nonfatal injury

Table 1:   Age-adjusted death rates (per 100,000 population) for the 10 leading causes of death, from 1979 to 1991 in the United States

Cause of Death

Number of Deaths

Rate per 100,000

25–44 years – All causes

148,904

177.8

Accidents @ and adverse effects

26,554

31.7

––Motor–vehicle accidents

14,528

17.3

––All other accidents and adverse effects

12,026

14.4

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

22,795

27.2

Malignant neoplasms, including neoplasms of lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues

22,147

26.4

Diseases of heart

16,261

19.4

Suicide

12,536

15

Homicide and Legal Intervention

9,261

11.1

Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis

4,230

5.1

Cerebrovascular diseases

3,418

4.1

Diabetes mellitus

2,520

3

Pneumonia and Influenza

1,972

2.4

–– All Other Causes (Residual)

27,210

32.5



Cause of Death

Number of Deaths

Rate per 100,000

65 years and over – All causes

1,717,218

5,071.4

Diseases of heart

612,886

1,810.0

Malignant neoplasms, including neoplasms of lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues

386,092

1,140.2

Cerebrovascular diseases

140,938

416.2

Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and allied conditions

91,624

270.6

Pneumonia (98.5% of deaths)
and Influenza (1.5%)

73,968

218.4

Diabetes mellitus

46,194

136.4

Accidents @ and adverse effects

30,564

90.3

––Motor–vehicle accidents

7,539

22.3

––All other accidents and adverse effects

23,025

68

Nephritis, Nephrotic Syndrome, and Nephrosis

20,955

61.9

Alzheimer's disease

20,848

61.6

Septicemia

17,340

814.5

From "Mortality Patterns -- United States, 1991" @

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00022217.htm


Review all deaths and death rates for the 10
leading causes of death by these age groupings


1–4 years

4–14 years

15–24 years

25–44 years

45–64 years

65 and over


Thanks to the Disaster Center for this information!


Another way to think about how we make ourselves sick is by
looking at this chart of lifestyle-related causes of death

Table 2


The first thing that should stick out is how far down the list germs are...and right behind them are the Pollutants and Toxins   It looks as though our environment, and our health goals have their work cut out for them!


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