Other data also confirms the 2024 study claiming huge health declines in the USA. It's time WE take control - it's up to all of us to take better care of ourselves and our loved ones - to prevent these diseases from shutting us down.

Personally, I want a full life: I want a calm & happy mind, physical strength & mobility, and the best quality of life to do all the things that make me happy. How about YOU?

First, let's look at the major health risks, and the remedies to prevent or help manage the symptoms. The natural remedies below are fairly easy changes you can adopt into your daily life.

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional. I have researched the following remedies listed on several medical sites. A couple of these remedies I have personally watched others use them, however, some of you may need treatment from medical professionals. Talk with your doctor, especially if you have existing health concerns, take medications, would like help for a child, or are pregnant/nursing.

My definition of natural remedy = natural remedies are done without medication, and can prevent or manage the symptoms of an illness/disease. In some cases, medical treatment may also be needed. Natural remedies practiced daily will result in a healthier & happier you.

Top Health Risks in USA

Since heart disease is the #1 cause of death and disability, I'll focus on the common causes that lead to heart disease.

Per Center for Disease Control - Top causes of death, 2023.

1. Heart disease - 680,981

2. Cancer: 613,352

3. Accidents (unintentional injuries) - 222,698

4. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases) - 162,639

5. Chronic lower respiratory diseases -145,357

6. Alzheimer’s disease - 114,034

7. Diabetes - 95,190

Per National Institutes of Health - Reviewed 2025, but no publish date.

1. Heart disease & stroke - leading cause of death.

2. Cancer - 1.6 million new cases per year.

3. Opioid addiction - over $504 billion cost for prescription misuse, doesn't include street variety fentanyl or heroine.

4. Infectious diseases - 23 million get sick each year.

5. Diabetes - affects 30 million adults & children.

Huge Health Declines in USA. How to Remedy?

Heart Disease

Heart disease is the NUMBER 1 cause of death not only in the USA, but worldwide. According to the World Health Organization it accounts for 16% of all deaths in the world. That's almost 1 in 5 people.

Heart disease is caused by damage that we knowingly, or un-knowingly cause our heart. It can also be caused by factors beyond our control, like being born with a heart defect, certain medications, or family history.

Heart disease is primarily caused by the following:

• obesity, unhealthy diet

• inactivity

• excessive alcohol, smoking

• high blood pressure, high cholesterol

• chronic stress

Chronic Disease

• In 2024, the CDC Center for Disease Control reported: 5 of the top 10 causes of death are preventable & treatable.

• As of 2024, 60% (6 in 10) have at least 1 chronic disease. 42% (4 in 10) have 2 or more chronic diseases. WHY.... HOW?

• The CDC says chronic disease is he #1 cause of death and disability in the USA.

• Chronic disease includes: heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and excessive alcohol.

• Health declines in the USA have been increasing over the past 20 years.

This is the America - why, and how can our health and health system be failing so badly? The good news is: most of these diseases with the help of natural remedies can be prevented or managed and the symptoms reduced by changing some lifestyle habits. If you don't currently have a chronic disease - use these remedies to STAY DISEASE FREE.

Remedy: Heart Disease

Your heart's health is literally in your own hands. Don't cut your life short when you can prevent heart disease. Read about the following major health risks that lead to heart disease, and the remedies in the sections below.

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease is a common heart disease where plaque builds up inside the arteries caused by cholesterol, fats, and other substances. This plaque build-up restricts blood flow to the heart. High cholesterol puts you at risk for developing coronary artery disease.

Remedy: Coronary Artery Disease

Lower cholesterol, improve your diet and maintain a healthy weight. See High Cholesterol remedies below.

The above statistics are alarming. Obesity can be caused by one or multiple factors at the same time. It's a serious health risk - and can lead to other serious illnesses like heart disease, various digestive issues, diabetes, liver disease, cancer, and early death.

The 2 most common causes of weight gain & obesity are: inactivity and an unhealthy diet. Other causes of obesity are: chronic stress, high blood pressure, hormones & menopause, medications, and potentially culture, environment, and family genetics.

Environment - here's an alarming fact: people in western states have lower obesity rates. People in the mid-west & southern states have higher obesity rates. * In my opinion - most people in the USA understand the choices they make regarding diet, exercise, and lifestyle - except for maybe lower income people or the uneducated.

Remedy: Obesity

See just below under Unhealthy Diet.

Obesity statistics according to the CDC Centers for Disease Control.

Remedy for Children

Please know I'm not judging, I genuinely care for kids. Love your child by keeping them healthy. Set rules & boundaries concerning food and activity. If you teach your children healthier habits - they're less likely to suffer with diseases as adults.

Children should be engaged in outdoor playtime and be active in school sports and Boy/Girl Scouts. Children should have time limits on screen time/day: T.V., phone, computer. Children should be restricted when it comes to junk food, with the occasional treat as a reward or special day. Child obesity is very serious, and preventable. Studies show that about 80% of obese children become obese adults.

Remedy: Unhealthy Diet

Eat whole foods = vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, unprocessed meats, nuts & seeds, and good fats. Avoid pre-made & packaged stuff including salad dressings, bakery items, white rice/bread, margarine, sugary drinks, sugary snacks and most cereals. Yes, I know - the boxed stuff saves time, but the risk of disease is NOT worth it.

A healthy diet includes: about 30 grams of protein/meal depending on gender, age, and activity level. Also leafy greens & cruciferous vegetables for fiber, healthy fats like avocadoes and olive oil (or avocado oil, coconut oil), and complex carbs like whole oats, brown rice, beans, and sweet potatoes. Buy organic for the foods you eat every day.

No counting calories, just look for lower fat & carbohydrates & sugars. You'll be surprised what products have fiber. Now, eyeball your plate: 35% protein, 35% vegetables fiber, 20% complex carbs, 10% healthy fats. And I still indulge in 2 cheat meals/week. Avoid sugars and use stevia, xylitol, or raw unfiltered honey. If you arre still hungry, eat a salad (dark green lettuces) with lunch & dinner.

Over Eating , Eating Late, High Sugar Meals

Over eating and eating late at night causes weight gain. You'll start experiencing heart burn or acid reflux, and your organs will become overworked trying to process all that food at once. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar, turns sugars into energy which keeps blood sugar levels from rising too high, and maintains your energy levels. If you develop insulin resistance, your body won't be able to react to insulin so your blood sugar levels remain high.

Insulin resistance, over eating, eating late at night, or eating meals high in sugar will cause the carbs & sugars to be stared s fat, making your fat cells grow. As you gain weight, it puts you at a higher risk of diabetes, metabolic stress, GERD gastroesophageal reflux disease, and other health concerns.

Food manufacturers want you to eat more of their food. Did you know that food manufacturers and restaurants have increased portion sizes by 4 times since the 1950's? Even the dinner plate size has gone from 9.6 inches to 11.8 inches. Food manufacturers are so profit hungry, they've added chemicals & sugars to keep you addicted to their foods.

Remedy: Over Eating, Eating Late, High Sugar Meals

Take home a doggie bag from restaurants, buy smaller dinner plates, and eat your last meal by 6:00 pm. Also, skip the second helping except for maybe holidays like Thanksgiving! Take a 15-20 minute walk at least at a medium pace within 30 minutes of eating. If the meal was large, later in the evening, and especially if it was a high sugar meal - walk for 20-30 minutes - help your insulin hormone use the muscles to burn it as energy instead of storing it as fat.

Unhealthy Diet

Being 1 of the top 2 causes of obesity, it should be a priority before it leads to a life threatening illness. An unhealthy diet includes: poor nutrition, not enough protein, over eating, eating late at night, high cholesterol foods, and the toxic ingredients in most all foods/beverages. An unhealthy diet may taste great.... at first, but afterwards.... you feel awful and the resulting consequences can become life threatening.

My story - I ate pretty healthy while still being able to enjoy a weekly cheat meal.... or two. That meant I could grab my favorite pizza or a burger, or eat a healthy dinner and have a heavenly slice of dessert. I was also working out and walking with my dogs. When I suffered from weight gain it was from chronic stress & early menopause - both of which caused lack of sleep, hormone imbalances, and a failing immune system.

My point: I understand, it's sometimes overwhelming. I chose to make changes - NOT a diet. Eat the right combo of foods for 3 meals + snack, and you won't get hungry. This will help your liver & digestive system working properly and losing weight get's easier giving you more motivation. Follow all remedies concerning food, food safety, inactivity, and stress. Also, make sure you're getting good quality sleep for 8 to 8.5 hours.

Drink 8-10 cups of filtered water. For flavor: drop in lemon & orange slices, or strawberry & mint, or cucumber. Also, drink green tea and 1 cup of coffee is ok but use stevia not sugar - especially none of the fake sugars. If you want dessert, try Fage yogurt with a drizzle of honey & some berries. Or have a handful of dark chocolate covered almonds.

Food safety has finally been recognized by some government and research organizations as a top crisis concern for the USA. Included in the considerations are food-born illnesses that spread quickly and to large numbers, as well as reports of the dangers from deceitful production practices of international food suppliers. These and other reasons make food safety a major concern.

Since we're talking about eating a healthier diet - this is important. The FDA Food & Drug Administration hasn't been able to keep up with inspections or regulations. Toxic ingredients & chemicals are in our food and it's grown to overwhelming proportions - and it's gone unchecked in the past few decades.

Our food is so toxic it's causing cancer, disrupting our infertility, internal system disfunctions including the brain, and it's causing major development problems & disorders in our children.

What about the absolute toxicity of pesticides & herbicides on our fruits & vegetables that are supposed to be healthy. Now we're learning just how much those pesticides are also getting into our water. What about the hormones & antibiotics given to cows and other animals that we eat, and that are also leaching into our water supplies?

Did you know that chemical companies are also producing food? It's true - even petroleum products can be found in food. OUR FOOD IS MAKING US SICK. Don't miss my blog with a list of toxic ingredients: Toxic Ingredients: Don't Buy Dirty.

Remedy - Don't freak out, there's things you can do to stay away from most food dangers.

• I buy organic for the foods I eat daily. And, I keep my list of the common toxic ingredients in foods & personal care products when I'm shopping. How to: Spot Toxic Ingredients.

• For non-organic produce - Let the produce sit in bowl filled with filtered water for 15 minutes to get rid of significant amounts of toxins & dirt. Lift the food out to leave the dirt in the bottom of the bowl.

• EWG.org - gives me a list of the most contaminated and most clean fruits & vegetables every year. They also have lists of body care products they've tested and verified, so super helpful.

• CleanLabelProject.org - they also have various product from baby to fitness that have been certified clean.

• I've used filtered water for a long time, however, I didn't realize how bad the water supplies have gotten with pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, PFAS, heavy metals, plastics, etc. EWG.org has data from cities that lists the toxins and safe levels to drink. I now use a reverse osmosis system.

Food Safety for a Healthier Diet

How much damage is caused by sitting for 8 or more hours/day?

Sitting Disease as it's starting to be called affects anyone with a desk job, computer gamers, smart phone over-use, marathon movie goers, or those who drive for a living. If you sit for 4-8 hours every day, you're at moderate risk. Sadly, most people are unaware of these health dangers.

Sitting and inactivity for 8 or more hours puts you at high risk of developing life threatening illnesses: heart disease, cancer, obesity, fatty liver disease, and blood clots. Other illnesses include: high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, difficulties regulating blood sugar & insulin, and decreased metabolism, mobility and blood circulation.

Also: your spinal cord, muscles, joints, and good quality sleep are affected. Finally, your brain changes leading to memory issues - a precursor to Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and an overall mental wellness decline.

What's enough to counteract 8-14 hours of sitting at work, during meals, watching TV, reading, and driving? Everyone agrees that activity and movement are critical. Here's my 2 cents: the more you move - the more you do your mind & body good.

I stick with the 75 minute plan - I walk, exercise, and do chores that keep me moving - for 20-40 minutes morning, noon, and night on week days. My weekends include more movement - FUN activities. What do you think.... are you with me?

• Center for Disease Control - They say get 30 minutes of exercise, 5 days/week. Moderate exercise = brisk walking or riding a bike on flat surfaces.

• Mayo Clinic - They say if you sit more than 8 hours/day, get 60-75 minutes of moderate exercise/day which can be broken up into smaller sessions.

• UCLA - Their research showed that breaking up long periods of sitting at least every hour and moving around will reduce the risks of sitting.

• American Journal of Epidemiology - 2019 study of middle-age and older reports if you replace 30 minutes of sitting with light activity like walking may cut risk of early death by 17%. With higher intensity activity, you may cut your risk by 35%.

Remedy: Inactivity

• Desk or driving jobs. Morning: 10-15 minutes of dynamic stretching. See how: Proper Stretching Methods and Dynamic Stretching. Lunch break: 20-30 minute walk, bike ride or rollerblade, 3-4 days/week. Early evening: 20-30 minutes, 5 days/week - 2 strength workouts, 2 HIIT (high/low intensity intervals), and 1 more, your choice.

• Dont like "exercise"? Do physical activities that work your muscles & heart. Here's some great ideas: What's Always With You & Healthier Than a Gym?

• Movement. If you workout in the morning, instead of doing an early evening workout 5 days/week, switch it out for 30 minutes of chores from grocery shopping to yardwork to vacuuming. I know, I know - BLAH. But WAIT..... I started doing this and I love the benefits: my weekends are all about FUN.

• At work: Set an alarm every hour and move - take a water break or bathroom break, go see a coworker instead calling/emailing. If you need to meet with 2-3 others, take a walk while you talk.

• Standing at your desk - Research shows that standing at your desk instead of sitting still keeps you at risk of heart disease. The be effective - you need movement to get your heart rate up and your blood circulating.

• At home: Get up and dance for 20 minutes while watching T.V. Take your shower at night. Limit screen time (T.V., cell phone, computer) for adults & children. For children/teens - have them "earn" the right to 1 hour of screen time. Engage in indoor/outdoor activities instead, even something as simple as ping pong.

• Park farther away and walk to/from work, stores, events, etc. Take the stairs instead of elevators/escalators.

• Plan fun activities during the weekend - volunteering, bicycling, kayaking, horseback riding, or foster a dog and go hiking.

• Join team sports like softball or kickball. Invite friends to play pickleball.

Chronic Stress

Chronic stress needs to be mentioned because the top illnesses that chronic stress can lead to are: heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, mental illnesses, poor sleep patterns, weight gain or loss, and others.

Chronic stress is most often from jobs, relationships, money problems, and specific events like divorce, death of a loved one, or traumatic event that military or police/fire personnel might experience. Chronic stress causes loss of quality sleep and weight gain.

Remedy: Chronic Stress

Number 1: learn to relax your mind and slow it down. Number 2: fill your mind with positive thoughts & beliefs. With a less stressed mind, your quality of sleep will return and your mind will empty out as it should like a reboot before the new day begins. As your mental health begins to restore itself, your physical health will also improve.

Start with a boost of happy: Make Happy Hormones and Kids, the Fun Medicine.

Next, control your stress with: Combat Stress, Avoid Disease and 12 Stress Kickin' Habits.

High Blood Pressure

Hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) is a serious disease and included in the top 10 health risks in the USA. FYI: as we age, our blood pressure tends to rise.

The common causes of high blood pressure are: a diet high in salt, trans-fat & saturated fats, and low in potassium. Also inactivity, obesity, excessive alcohol, smoking, chronic stress, and sleep deprivation.

Remedy: High Blood Pressure

Lower salt intake and increase potassium. Also see: "High Cholesterol" below for remedies to trans-fat and saturated fats.

Increase exercise & activity. Limit alcohol consumption or stop drinking. Stop smoking. Reduce stress. Improve quality of sleep. Relax Your Mind, or go Cuckoo and Lack of Sleep, Looney Tunes.

Alcohol, Opioids, and Smoking

Excessive alcohol, illegal drugs including THC/marijuana, and smoking are all highly addictive and will cause a multitude of other serious health problems. If you're using these substances to unwind & relax, or to ease the pain (either mental or physical) - there are other healthier and enjoyable methods. These remedies will put a smile on your face and help you heal: Make Happy Hormones and Horses, Friends That Help Heal.

Alcohol - Per Marr Treatment Center, 46% of teens before age 14 ended up with alcohol use disorder as adults, 1/3 of those with mental illness had an addiction, and 1/3 of cigarette smokers also have an addiction.

Opioids - Per National Institute on Drug Abuse, an average of over 130 people every day die from an opioid overdose in the USA, and just from prescription opioid abuse there's an estimated $78.5 billion in costs. This doesn't include the street version of Fentanyl or heroine. As of 2023, drug overdoses account for 1/3 of all accidental deaths - 5 times higher than just 20 years ago.

Smoking - It's the primary cause of lung cancer, and cancer can develop in the mouth, esophogus, throat, bladder, and kidneys. It damages the heart, blood vessels, reproductive system, eye illnesses, and respiratory illnesses like COPD.

Remedy: Alcohol, Opioids, Smoking

If you're already suffering from an addiction - please, I encourage you to seek professional help.

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

• Alcoholics Anonymous & Daylight Recovery Center Hotline: 1-866-380-9469, and to find an AA meeting location.

• American Addiction Centers - find a faith based or Christian rehab center or call the helpline: 754-324-4903.

Feel free to reach out to me. I'd be happy to pray for you, and maybe you'd like to pray too? I've personally seen the devastation that substance abuse causes. It's a BIG problem, and you need a God who is bigger than the problem.

High Cholesterol

High cholesterol means having too much fatty substances in the blood which is the bad LDL cholesterol. Bad cholesterol leads to heart disease & stroke. Having good HDL cholesterol helps eliminate the bad cholesterol.

Common causes include: a diet high in trans-fat and saturated fats, obesity, inactivity, and smoking.

Remedy: High Cholesterol

Limit trans-fats: baked goods, fried food, margarine, certain snacks, coffee creamers. Limit saturated fats: fatty meats, cheese, butter, sour cream, ice cream, biscuits, cakes, pastries.

Buy no fat or low fat. Increase monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fats: avocado, olive oil, nuts, fatty fish like salmon & trout Increase vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

Increase exercise & activity. Maintain a healthy weight. Stop smoking.