Name of Student
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
John Candy
Biography
According to Sutton and Gerard (n.pag.) John Candy was born in Toronto and raised in the city’s East York neighborhood. His mother and grandparents raised him after the death of his father. He attended catholic schools, played football, hockey, and discovered acting in high school. After high school, he enrolled in a community college and studied journalism and acting. He later left school and into the acting field, where he became a movie star and has appeared in multiple productions thereafter. Candy had completed work on a new comedy western when tragedy struck. In 1994, he was found dead in Mexico and at the age of 43. Studies report that the actor suffered a heart attack in his sleep. It was said that the actor was struggling with weight issues for much of his career life and was also a heavy smoker.
Diagnosis of Abnormal Behavior
Although Candy’s cause of death is unknown as no autopsy was performed, he presumed that he died of a heart attack. In addition, he was obese, which was deteriorated by his binge eating habits, which he did in response to his professional struggles. Besides, he was said to smoke heavily and abused alcohol, among other hard drugs such as cocaine. At one point in his life, he was said to weigh 275 pounds. As seen, Candy had multiple risk factors for heart attack, given his presenting lifestyle. In addition, heart attacks played a role in his genes, where some of his family members, including father and brother, had previously died prematurely of heart attacks. Hence, he should have been more cautious about the lifestyle he led.
Mr. Candy is said to have suffered stress due to work struggles. Findings reveal that stress can lead to comfort eating, which often involves overeating foods high in fat, sugar, and calories. This, in turn, leads to obesity. Additionally, stress affects one’s BMI. A study on patients with gained weight and high levels of perceived stress at baseline suggested a more significant mean change in BMI than patients with low stress (Harding et al. 280-284).
The comedy actor is also said to be a heavy smoker despite his presenting health issue. A study states that the risk of obesity increased with the amount smoked (Dare et al. n.p). Also, heavy smokers are likely to be obese compared to non-smokers or light smokers.
Heart attacks are highly linked to obesity. A study reports obesity can cause high blood pressure, which is a common cause of heart attack. Numerous studies agree that obesity comes with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, among other adverse disorders (Jiang et al. 2395). An obese patient requires more blood to supply oxygen and nutrients to their system, which increases the blood pressure. Additionally, obesity strains the kidneys, which put even more strain on the heart. As a result, the high blood pressure due to the overweight issue leads to damaging the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys. These vessels’ walls then thicken, limiting blood flow, making it harder for kidneys to filter the blood. When the body cannot remove excess fluids, the heart is forced to pump harder, leading to a heart attack.
Therapy
Candy could have decided to manage his obesity disorder more responsibly with a family history of cardiovascular disease. There exist various interventions for one to lose weight, stay healthy, and reduce heart attack risk. A patient must learn about their family medical history if they are diagnosed with obesity. That way, they can implement the recommended healthy lifestyle.
Candy’s first intervention would have been to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet (Fruh n.pag.). The patient would have involved a doctor and created a diet and exercise plan based on goals and health status at the time.
The patient could have decided on another intervention, especially if his BMI was greater than 35. A better option would have been to perform bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery is considered safe and effective in resolving high cholesterol and blood pressure in obese patients.
Nevertheless, if Candy decided on bariatric surgery, several measures must be undertaken. For one, there would have been a need to consult a cardiologist for cardiac clearance. The doctor may have looked into untreated high blood pressure or other heart-related disorders. These conditions can put one at a higher risk for complications during and after the procedure. After surgery, Candy would have been required to maintain a healthy lifestyle by ensuring to eat a healthy diet and following an exercise routine to ensure that he lose fat and not muscle weight.
In conclusion, a diagnosis of obesity requires one to maintain a healthy lifestyle even after bariatric surgery so as to lower one’s risk of developing a heart attack. There is a need to provide education to patients struggling with obesity. They may not realize that their abnormal behaviors, such as binge eating as Candy practiced, could be detrimental to their health status.
Works Cited
Dare, Shadrach, Daniel F. Mackay, and Jill P. Pell. “Relationship between smoking and obesity: a cross-sectional study of 499,504 middle-aged adults in the UK general population.” PloS one 10.4 (2015): e0123579.
Fruh, Sharon M. “Obesity: Risk factors, complications, and strategies for sustainable long‐term weight management.” Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners 29.S1 (2017): S3-S14.
Harding, Jessica L., et al. “Psychosocial stress is positively associated with body mass index gain over 5 years: evidence from the longitudinal AusDiab study.” Obesity 22.1 (2014): 277-286.
Jiang, Shu‑Zhong, et al. “Obesity and hypertension.” Experimental and therapeutic medicine 12.4 (2016): 2395-2399.
Sutton, Larry, and Gerard Evans. “The Day John Candy, Lovable Actor And Comedian, Died At 43 In 1994.” New York Daily News 2016. Web. 3 Nov. 2020. Retrieved from https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/day-john-candy-died-43-1959-article-1.2552914