Take Charge of Your Health

Maintaining good health at all stages of life is vitally important to be able to perform optimally and to give our best to whatever we are doing. It is also essential to be healthy to enjoy the fruits of our hard work and labour post our retirement.

It is an amazing sight to see elderly well into their eighties enjoying an active and a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, despite quantum growth in medical science, the modern generation is beset with plethora of health problems. As a result, poor health starts affecting our professional and  personal life from a very young age and we do not lead a very healthy working or retired life. At 58 when I superannuated from the Indian Army, I had already undergone an open heart surgery and had developed other health problems. All these medical issues have been faced by me despite the fact that I led a fairly active lifestyle, followed strict diet regimen and  did not have any serious vices except occasional social drinking. Although I am lucky that most of these problems developed towards the end of my service and did not interfere much with my work and life however it did force me to analyse the reasons for health related challenges faced by working professionals.

As per Centres for Disease Control and Prevention  health is influenced by  factors, which are classified into five broad categories i.e. behaviour, genetics, environmental influences,  social factors  and medical care. I will analyse and provide suggestions on these determinants purely from the perspective of a "health conscious individual" based on practical experience.  

The Behaviour Related Health Factors

The behaviour related health choices have the most significant impact on our health hence need to be understood and moderated to maintain good health.

Tobacco. Amongst these, tobacco use is considered as the worst which as per WHO statistics kills almost 50% of its users which numbers up to a staggering 80 lakhs per year world wide. Incidentally 12 lakhs amongst these would be those who get exposed to indirect/passive smoke. Tobacco use is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cancer, lung disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is one of the significant causes of death and disease in India and accounts for nearly 1.35  million deaths every year hence a "Big No to Tobacco" in any form.

Drinking. Heavy and regular drinking can cause serious health problems including a weakened immune system. As per current thinking, alcohol has no health benefits hence ideally we should not be drinking at all but if we chose to drink, it must be done in moderation. To reduce the risk of alcohol-related harms, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults of legal drinking age must limit intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men or 1 drink or less in a day for women, on days when alcohol is consumed.

Diet. We all understand the benefits of nutritious food hence I will not dwell on this too much. I will just pass on the advise I got from a restaurateur friend stating "don't eat out" as most restaurant's and eateries reuse their edible oil for weeks and thereafter sell the used leftovers  to "Dhaba's" and food stall owners for reuse. Actually these eateries are serving us slow poison hence I will just recommend that maximise your consumption of home cooked meals with leafy green vegetables and  minimise sugar intake.

Exercise. Human body is designed to move hence exercise is a must to keep it healthy. As we grow older we tend to loose our aerobic capacity, muscle strength, bone mass, balance, and flexibility. To maintain optimum health we don't have to do anything extraordinary,  brisk walking of 30 minutes for five times a week, weight lifting exercises with light dumbbell's every alternate day and some stretching exercises will do the trick. In addition, the working professionals will also benefit by inculcating small habits like standing while working, walking up to the colleagues for work, using stairs, avoiding caffeine and keeping hydrated. Unfortunately lack of will power, laziness or sheer negligence prevents us from following a simple exercise regimen resulting in serious consequences for our health. 

Stress. I consider stress as the biggest but silent "killer of health and aspirations" as it impacts body, mind and the spirit and converts a "flying eagle" into a "scared chicken". Stress is a human response developed over centuries to deal with threatening "fight or flight" situations in which the nervous systems stops "essential but non-urgent bodily functions"  such as digestion to deal with the threat. It produces hormones that stimulate the pituitary gland and the adrenalin gland to release catecholamines including adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. This results in an increased heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. Normally the body should return to pre-arousal levels in 20-60 minutes or even earlier if the subject indulges in physical activity related to fight or flight. However, unlike our ancestors, the modern day professionals face fight or flight stress situations repeatedly thereby never allowing the body to return to the pre-arousal levels hence remaining in "chronic stress". In my opinion, the best way to avoid stress is by remaining organised and prioritising your work. While the chronic stress levels can be brought down by indulging in aerobic activity for 20-30 minutes at your "exercise heart rate". 

Heredity & Health

Family history is often one of the strongest risk factors for common diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and psychiatric illnesses. Family history is thought to be a good predictor of an individual’s disease risk because family members most closely represent the unique genomic and environmental interactions that an individual experiences. Understanding our family's health history and taking precautions is a must for all of us to avoid many chronic diseases. 

Social Relationships

Humans are social animals and are deeply influenced by the immediate social environment which can have positive or negative impact on our health. Therefore,  we  must work towards improving on the quality of our social connections and social support through community participation, social integration and relationship building in our schools, offices and neighbourhoods. Social support has appeared in many  studies to be neutralising the effects of stress and having a positive impact on health. It is my personal experience that indulging in community work, helping some one or just having friends has a great therapeutic  effect.

Physical Environment

The physical environment in that we live and work can have significant impact on our health. While the effects of pollution and proximity to toxic sites is well known, studies have also proven that density of alcohol outlets and healthy/unhealthy food stores in the vicinity can impact the general health of the population. Therefore, if it is within your control, do try and choose more healthier environment to live and work.

Health Care

Most of us have access to high quality medical facilities and are covered by health insurance however despite that we do have cases of unexpected premature deaths or serious disability due to various illnesses. It is my opinion that we should religiously get our periodic medical check ups done, get ourselves vaccinated and should not ignore the warning signs of disease. 

I will conclude by saying that health is the most critical pillar of our life however it is being ignored by most of us especially in the middle age thereby resulting in a life of disease and discomfort after our fifties. It is however within us to take charge of our health, focus on the "five  determinants of health" as discussed above and lead a happy and active life well into eighties and beyond.