Metabolic Syndrome: Preventing the Brewing Perfect Storm
Have you heard about the perfect storm for our health that is brewing in this country? It’s called metabolic syndrome, and you should know about it. Metabolic syndrome greatly multiplies a person’s risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Its prevalence increased from 1988 to 2012 for every sociodemographic group, and by 2012, more than a third of all US adults met the definition and criteria for metabolic syndrome. What’s scary is that many of the disorders that make up metabolic syndrome have no symptoms until severe damage has been done, so it’s important to understand and be aware of the risks.
What is Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a diagnosis given after assessing 5 major metabolic risk factors. Any one of the risk factors can increase the likelihood of developing certain diseases, but metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when a person has 3 of the following 5 risk factors:
- Increased Waist Measurement: A waist measurement of 35 inches or more for women or 40 inches or more for men.
- High Triglyceride Level: A triglyceride level of 150 mg/dL or greater (or being on a medication to lower triglycerides in the blood).
- Low HDL Cholesterol Level: An HDL cholesterol level of less than 50 mg/dL for women and less than 40 mg/dL for men (or being on medicine to treat low HDL cholesterol).
- High Blood Pressure: A blood pressure of 130/85 mmHg or higher (or being on medicine to treat high blood pressure). If only one of your two blood pressure numbers is high, you’re still at risk for metabolic syndrome.
- High Fasting Blood Sugar: A fasting blood sugar level of 100 mg/dL or higher (or being on medicine to treat high blood sugar).
What You Should Do
Determine your Wellness Score. If you are looking for the best chiropractor in Hatboro, Horsham, Warminster or Warrington areas, then it is an assessment that you can have done in our office. The Wellness Score will be a good indicator of whether you have metabolic syndrome or not and if further testing is necessary. Metabolic syndrome is very serious; it means that your body is malfunctioning. Metabolic syndrome can also make your body more susceptible and contribute to the pains and aches that often bring people to a chiropractor. The good news is that it is treatable and preventable. The biggest change needed is a lifestyle adjustment: eating better, moving better and thinking better. That’s something we can help with. If you think you might suffer from metabolic syndrome, make sure to call us and schedule a complimentary consultation today!