World Health Organization (WHO) defines risk as “a probability of an adverse outcome, or a factor that raises this probability”. The top ten risk factors that account for one third of deaths globally are underweight, unsafe sex, high blood pressure, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene, iron deficiency, indoor smoke from solid fuels, high cholesterol, and obesity.
The healthy choices you make in your lifestyle reduce the risk and help you to live longer.
Staying healthy
To stay healthy you must learn to adopt healthy habits in your daily life. You are what you eat. A balanced diet is very essential to stay healthy. Eating nutritious food coupled with exercise keeps diseases at bay and also increases your body immunity to fight against them.
Include healthy foods like fresh vegetables, green leafy vegetables, fruits, soya products, nuts and whole grains like oats, barley, rice and wheat to your diet. Other healthy alternatives you can include are skimmed milk with 2% reduced fat, low calorie fat free cheese, low fat yogurt, lean beef, white meat, Tuna packed in water, egg whites and tofu. Always read the nutrition labels when you shop for groceries. By making the right choices you can avoid unhealthy weight gain and other health risks that accompany it.
It has been proven that regular physical exercise helps in preventing high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and in general keeps the body fit. Brisk walking and jogging in the mornings are great ways to keep fit and active the whole day. You can also include cycling and swimming to your exercise routine. It is important to consult a physician before you start any exercise regimen.
It is extremely important to practice safe sex. Sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, herpes, gonorrhea and the much dreaded HIV infection spreads from one person to another through unprotected sexual intercourse. Always use a condom to lower this risk.
Smoking, alcohol and drug abuse should be avoided at all costs. Smoking is responsible many ailments in the body including cancers of the lungs. Alcohol and drug abuse causes serious problems like heart disease, liver disease and depression. If you are suffering from any of these addictions, you must consult your physician who will guide you to overcome them.
Looking out for signs and symptoms
Looking out for certain signs and symptoms help us in curbing the disease progress at an early stage.
- High blood pressure is a warning sign for future heart disease. Regularly check your blood pressure if you are above 45 years of age. Checking your cholesterol level regularly is also recommended as high cholesterol level is a warning sign for heart disease.
- If you are making an effort to hear properly then you could be having a hearing problem. This usually occurs in people above 50 years of age.
- While brushing your teeth, if you find bleeding from your gums then it is a sign of gum disease .You must visit your Dentist without fail.
- Feeling dizzy while walking, numbness in the legs, arms and face on one side, incoherent speech and vision problems are all signs of a stroke.
- If there is a lump in and around the breast, liquid oozing from the nipple, warmth and redness with rash over the breast then these are signs of breast disease.
- Severe itching and rash in the vagina, discharge from the vagina that you may find unusual and severe pain during sexual intercourse are all signs of disease of the female reproductive system
- If there is chest pain and tightness during coughing, the sputum is reddish in color and there is difficulty in breathing, then these are signs of a lung problem.
- If there is severe stomach pain with constipation, burning sensation in the mouth, blood in the stools then these have to be symptoms of disease of the digestive system.
- If there is a tendency to urinate often with a burning sensation in the genitals then this is a sign of problem in the bladder.
- If the moles on your skin change color or if they start itching and burning then these are signs of a skin problem.
- If you find pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints then these have to be signs of a joint and muscle problem.
- Depression, hallucinations, extreme worry, having nightmares, disinterest in all activities including eating food, suicidal tendencies, depression after delivery, a desire to eat excess and then throw up are all signs of mental illness.
Never miss the bus for routine & regular health check ups
Routine and regular health checkups, say annual health checkups are very important to find problems in advance and prevent them. Again the exams you should undertake depend on your sex, age, family history, lifestyle etc.
Screening tests are vital – Consign them not to oblivion
Health screening tests are carried out to determine the presence of a disease. Sometimes these are carried out routinely to prevent the development of a disease or when the existence of a disease is suspected. It depends on the doctor or insurer to determine which tests and when these should be conducted. There are no universal laws or regulations as to when the screening tests to be done. The tests vary depending on the sex, age, pre-conditions, family history etc. Similarly the frequency as to how often and when these screening tests to be carried out also depend on the above factors.
Vaccines prevent, and prevention is better than cure
Prevention rather than treatment of disease is the key to public health. Vaccines are important for the prevention of many infectious diseases such as polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Immunizing new born babies and individual children helps to safeguard our communities and also those who are not vaccinated.
Second hand smoke kills
You may be at a risk for many acute and chronic diseases if any family member or a friend is a smoker. The smoke that you inhale from other people smoking is called the second hand smoke and it is equally harmful. Hundreds of studies confirmed that second hand smoking can cause diseases among non-smokers adversely affecting the cardiovascular system and respiratory systems resulting in coronary heart disease and lung cancer. Smoke free policies implemented have confirmed that the air pollution in such public places like restaurants and bars reduced by 82%.
Love it and live it
Loving and living a healthy lifestyle means reducing the health risks, knowing the signs and symptoms of the risk factors, undergoing regular and periodical screening and health checkups, taking vaccines and embracing good habits.
