The Top 10 Leading Causes of Death in The United States
FEATURE
Dr. Howard F. Loomis
Jr., DC
You may not think that doctors of chiropractic are in the business of preventing death. After all, we know you cannot prove a negative. You can’t say with authority that you have prevented someone’s death unless you are a first responder or an emergency room physician. However, you can make claims about restoring and even maintaining normal body functions. We need only recall the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) formulated by Hans Selye to recognize our position in that scenario.
GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME
Normal Function
Appearance of symptoms
Medical
Intervention
Stimulus and Alarm
Resistance
Compensation
Exhaustion
Disease
Degeneration
Death
Health Care
Sick Care
“ Let’s begin by looking at the leading causes of death in the United States. 5 5
Once symptoms appear, if the stress is not removed or reduced and normal functions are not restored, then identification of a pathological process will follow with the inevitable degenerative processes and eventually death.
So, rather than write a philosophical article about the benefits of regular chiropractic care, I intend to start at the end (no pun intended) and work backward looking for causes that might have been recognized before the long road of decline began. Let’s begin by looking at the leading causes of death in the United States.
Nearly 75% of all deaths in the United States are attributed to just 10 causes with the top three (heart disease, cancer, and COPD) accounting for over 50% of all deaths. Two causes (accidents and suicide) do not need to be a part of this series of articles.
The most recent govermuent figures are from 2015 and were published in 2016 by the CDC. Notice that drug-related deaths are no longer listed.
1. Heart disease
2. Cancer (malignant neoplasms)
3. Chronic lower respiratory disease
4. Accidents (unintentional injuries)
5. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases)
6. Alzheimer's disease
7. Diabetes
8. Influenza/pneumonia
9. Kidney disease
10. Suicide
We start our series with the kidneys because, in my experience, involuntary muscle contractions related to kidney stress are a major contributing factor to nontraumatic low back pain.
Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the US
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood adequately. Metabolic waste products in the blood remain in circulation and may cause other health problems.
Let’s start by stating a basic science certainty: “The body normally maintains a constant total content of all substances, including water, solutes, and solid material stores.” The maintenance of constant conditions in the internal environment is referred to as homeostasis and is maintained by plasma proteins.
An estimated 10% of adults in the US—more than 20 million people—are thought to have CKD to some degree. However, awareness and understanding about kidney disease are critically low. For example, among those with severe kidney disease, fewer than half realize that they have damaged kidneys. The chances of developing CKD increase with age, especially after the age of 50.
Chronic kidney disease can be characterized by three different terms:
• Nephritis: Inflammation of the kidney.
• Nephrosis: Any degenerative disease of the kidney tubules, the tiny canals that make up much of the substance of the kidney. This condition may be a complication of another disorder, particularly diabetes.
• Nephrotic syndrome: Characterized by edema and loss of protein from the plasma in the urine due to increased glomerular permeability.
Early Symptoms
Appetite loss
General ill feeling and fatigue
Headaches
Itching (pruritus) and dry skin
Nausea
Unexplained weight loss
Excessive thirst Breath odor
Seemingly Unrelated Symptoms
Abnormally dark or light skin
Bone pain
Edema in the hands and feet
Problems concentrating or thinking
Vomiting, often in the morning
Bruise easily
Shortness of breath Muscle twitching or cramps
Blood is filtered by nephrons, which are the functional units of the kidney. Each nephron begins in a renal corpuscle that is composed of a glomerulus enclosed in a Bowman’s capsule. The major functions of these lining cells are the reabsorption of water and small molecules from the filtrate into the blood, and the secretion of wastes from the blood into the urine.
Cells, proteins, and other large molecules are filtered out of the glomerulus by a process called ultrafiltration, which uses high hydrostatic pressure to force small molecules, such as water, glucose, amino acids, sodium chloride and urea, through the filter from the blood in the glomerular capsule across the basement membrane of the Bowman’s capsule and into the nephron. This leaves a filtrate that resembles plasma (except it does not contain plasma proteins) to enter Bowman’s space. Filtration is driven by the osmotic pressure of the serum proteins, as discovered by Starling in 1896. The Starling principle of fluid exchange is imperative to understanding how plasma fluid (solvent) within the bloodstream (intravascular fluid) moves to the space outside the bloodstream (extravascular space).
The ultrafiltrate is passed through, in turn, the proximal convoluted tubule, the loop of Henle, the distal convoluted tubule, and a series of collecting ducts to form urine.
Can kidney disease be prevented?
Yes, but obviously protein metabolism is a key element in that process and that will lead us to our next article about early recognition of the development of kidney disease and other chronic degenerative processes.
References:
1. Essential Medical Physiology, 2nd Edition, Lippincott-Raven, 1998.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health, United States, 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs hus/index.htm
3. Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention. Age-adjustedprevalence of CKD Stages 1-4 by Gender 1999-2012. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Surveillance Project, https://nccd.cdc.gov.
Dr. Loomis has an extensive background in enzymes and enzyme supplements. He is the founder and president of the Food Enzyme Institute. His extensive knowledge of physiology, biochemistry, and enzymology has made him a sought-after speaker and a prolific writer. The Food Enzyme Institute offers seminars to healthcare practitioners around the country. Dr. Loomis published ENZYMES: The Key to Health in 1999. He also coauthored and published The Enzyme Advantage: For Healthcare Providers and People Who Care About Their Health in 2015, and The Enzyme Advantage for Women in 2016, with respected medical journalist Arnold Mann. Contact info: 6421 Enterprise Lane, Madison, WI53 719 customer service afoodenzymeinstilute.com, 800-662-2630.
