5 of the Biggest Killers

Who would have thought the leading causes for premature death are aspects of life that have been around from as early as the beginning of time. According to an article in a local Queens newspaper, unsafe sex, alcohol, poor childhood nutrition, bad sanitation and hygiene, and high blood pressure have caused around 15 million premature deaths around the world each year. 15 million!! Is it worth our own negligence and ignorance??


We've been engaging in sexual activities since Adam snagged Eve (or for you scientologists, since the big BANG, no pun intended) and we can't seem to get it right, yet? I mean, hello, condoms now come ribbed for extra pleasure! When you think about it, sex in its rarest form was intended for procreation, not recreation. This isn’t like running outside without a jacket in the dead of winter; this is like running a traffic light on the busiest intersection. I mean the cars may miss you, but is it worth the thrill? Either wrap it up or it’s a rap, cut and call it a night.

Alcohol has traced back, over 9000 years, with its origins in China and the Middle East. That's 9000 years of your best friend forgetting to say "Whoooa Johnny, that's one too many." That’s 9000 years of saying, “I’m not an alcoholic, I’m a social drinker…” while lying in your own vomit. That’s 9000 years of waking up butt naked sprawled out on someone’s lawn with no recollection of how you got there. For goodness sake, don’t get drunk while out if you don’t have a designated driver and don’t get drunk alone at home cause… cause that’s just some lonely shit to do. (FYI, drunk drivers usually take lives while their own is spared simply because their senses are so dulled and their bodies so relaxed that the impact doesn’t affect them as it would a tense, sober person).

Food, a necessity of life, our source of energy, our source of happiness, has failed us? Or have we allowed it to ruin us? Today, obesity and being overweight causes more deaths worldwide than being underweight. So while we pity those third world countries that suffer from malnutrition, we need to walk past any local McDonalds and pity the guy who just ordered the double quarter pounder meal, supersized!! It’s appauling the sacrifices we make for instant gratification, meanwhile, our arteries are clogging and our heart palpitating.

"Give a man a bar of soap and you just may save his life..." Everyone's mother has told them to wash their hands before dinner, to get back upstairs and brush those teeth, "boyyyy you're getting to old, time to start wearing deodorant." But she failed to mention it’s the difference between life and death!! It’s important to shower daily, to brush your teeth, for the sake of enamel, at least twice a day and to shave regularly. Not only does this increase self esteem, it reduces the risk of spreading germs and bacteria. And above all else, who doesn’t want to smell and look good?!?!

And high blood pressure, in one way or another, is a result of all of the above (ok well maybe not poor hygiene or sex but dammit, this is too serious to be getting technical!!)

Ok, let's remain calm as the professionals are on their job. The WHO, World Health Organization, is working diligently so that policy makers can draw up cost effective ways to improve our health. But let's not wait for them. Right now, go take a shower, buy some condoms, eat a carrot, lock the minbar and invest in a home blood pressure machine. When complete, then repeat.

SB: We often hurt what we love the most. These five factors are preventable with caution and concern. Love your body mainly because it's the only one you got. EYEListen.