The pandemic less understood.

(No, not talking about Corona)

The world changed a lot after the Industrial Revolution. People’s lifestyles changed. People’s thoughts changed. People’s habits changed. Types of entertainment changed. What has not changed is this human body. This body did not get a chance to adapt to the rapid change it was subjected to. The health effects of this can be seen in the form of this pandemic. It is a pandemic of lifestyle and chronic diseases. These are the diseases that afflict a person for a long time and do not spread to each other (as corona spreads)- Hypertension, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, brain strokes (paralysis), obesity, etc.

 According to the World Health Organization, 71% of deaths worldwide each year are due to these lifestyle diseases. (Can our country afford such a heavy burden on the already weak healthcare system?)

 The reasons for this pandemic are many

 1. Life 2. Exercise 3. Tobacco 4. Alcohol 5. Climate change. 

(Upcoming articles will shed some more light on these causes)

Modern lifestyle is much responsible for this. Everyone wants everything fatafat. Fast food, fast money, instant entertainment and fast life regardless of whether there is meaning or conscience in those things. As a result, human beings have committed serious atrocities on their physical and mental health. Lifestyle diseases are preventable. As it is not curable, it is important to take precautionary measures before getting sick. We can deal with these diseases by changing our lifestyle habits, balanced diet and regular exercise. International medical research has clearly shown that diet control alone can reduce the risk of diabetes. 

The approach to this unique and relatively new ‘pandemic’ will not fit the old framework of treating diseases. Both infectious diseases and these lifestyle diseases cannot be seen through the same glasses. How people get sick today and the common causes of death have changed in past 3-4 decades. What is needed now is a new medical revolution incorporating lifestyle and diet into mainstream therapy.

While medical field has not changed much, but the market has changed a lot. The market has become adept at selling you its products. Regardless of whether it is needed/beneficial for you or not. They care about your tongue, not your health. (Same is true for you too!) I (unaffectionately) refer to colddrinks as non-intoxicating alcohol. There is no taste, there is no health benefit but harm, burning sensation while swallowing, acidity in the stomach, then why does today’s society buy it and give that company a billion dollar business? This is solid marketing.

So now there is a dire need to talk about these issues and awaken the people. There should be atleast an awareness of what we eat, how much our body moves, how we sleep. We must take responsibility for our own health. If you are healthy, the society will be healthy and then the country will benefit. If today’s youth, plagued by many addictions, becomes a healthy workforce of the country, it is hoped that the society and the country will prosper. Why can we not see our health as an asset to ourselves and the country too?

A simple practical solution: As we make money budgets at the end of each month. Make a health budget too. How many days did you exercise last month. How much food was inappropriate in terms of nutrition and quantity. Grade your quality of sleep. Write down all these unhealthy habits. Make next month’s health budget accordingly. Write down what you will include in your diet, what you will reduce, and what foods you will stop. Also, you need to set a time for exercise, plan which exercise, how long, and so on. Make this health budget with your family and include the opinions and thoughts of everyone- elders and children. And finally, write two sentences on how you will benefit from implementing this healthy budget and how it will change your life and family environment. And poster those two sentences in large letters clearly in your kitchen.

This series of articles will be written with the aim of creating awareness in the society, empowering the society on how to take care of one’s own health and how to save oneself from getting sick in the first place. I would suggest you read and think about these articles along with your family and friends and think about practical solutions that you can implement. Next we will talk about “Sugar, Sugar Lobby and Illness”. Until then, make your health budget. 

“Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have”

Winston CHurchill