Have you ever thought your way of living can make you sick? Do you know what non-communicable diseases are? Lifestyle diseases are ailments caused by non- non-healthy routines, bad habits, and a sedentary way of living. Bad habits like smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug addiction detract people from their work and let them adopt a lazy and futile life. Being too much inactive can cause muscle atrophy and can lead to immobility. This type of inertness favors fat accumulation in the blood vessels due to lack of circulation, ultimately producing atherosclerotic events and ending up in cardiovascular diseases. These NCDs (non-communicable diseases) have killed about 40 million people (70% of total deaths) globally.
The Major Diseases include Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD), Diabetes, Cancer, and Chronic Respiratory Diseases.
Brief Introduction of Lifestyle Diseases
People are often confused that what are lifestyle diseases, here is a breakdown of the widespread lifestyle diseases;
Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs)
are a class of heart diseases and ailments of blood vessels. For example; Coronary Artery Disease such as angina and myocardial infarction (heart attack) Stroke, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), and Peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Risk Factors Regarding Lifestyle
- Physical inactivity
- Inappropriate Diet or Diet containing excessive fats
- Lack of exercise
- Tobacco intake
- Alcohol consumption
- Travel to an area with extreme air pollution
- Obesity
- High salt consumption
Management of CVD by Changing the way of Living
The best prevention of a severe condition is to eliminate the things bringing the sickness. It means stopping taking alcohol, quitting cigarette smoking, and avoiding any way to use tobacco.
A Healthy Diet can Prevent CVD Lifestyle Disease
Make your everyday meals healthy by adding complex carbohydrates, proteins, low-fat portions, fewer spices, and less salt. Depending on the degree and stage of your disease, you can completely omit fat and salt intake to avoid any progression of the ailment.
Improving Physical Activity
a) Walking and Jogging
Morning walk and jogging both are found to be very effective in weight loss and keeping you revived all day. It charges up your metabolism and helps in the burning of fats so that it cannot accumulate in your blood vessels. It avoids you from becoming obese and infuses positivity in you by providing more oxygen and blood to the brain and thus keeping you both physically and mentally healthy.
b) Regular Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation
You can either go for exercise or do yoga daily. It will help with your metabolism and keep good blood circulation in your body.
Cancer
Cancer is characterized by the excessive growth of abnormal cells that lead to tumor formation. These tumors can be benign means they are localized and do not harm nearby cells while malignant tumor cells are prone to damage other body parts by a process called metastasis (tumor cells migrate from the primary site to secondary via blood circulation)
| Types of Cancer | Lifestyle Risk Factors |
| Lung Cancer | Cigarette Smoking, passive smoking (second-hand smoke), exposure to asbestos, nickel, chromium, radon, soot, or tar.Travel to air polluted area |
| Cervical Cancer | Smoking and malnutrition |
| Prostate Cancer | Obesity, Bad foods( high in fat and spices), Low consumption of Fiber |
| Colorectal Cancer | Unhealthy Diet, Lack of physical activity, Spicy foods |
Alternative Therapies for Different Types of Cancer
- Stop cigarette smoking
- Stay away from people consuming tobacco to avoid passive inhalation of smoke
- Avoid traveling to places with high radiations
- Make your environment clean and hygienic
- Don’t migrate to highly populated and air-polluted areas
- Improve your diet, involve fresh fruits and vegetables
- Try to take herbal teas rich in antioxidants to fight cancer like green teas
- Eat a meal with minimum spices and oil.
- Try using olive oil for cooking purposes
- Regular exercise, walking or jogging will benefit
Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs)
Lifestyle Diseases like these include diseases related to your respiratory tract. There are two main types of CRDs:
Asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Modifiable Risk Factors
- Cigarette
- Smoke
- Dust
- Chemicals
- Air pollution ( fog and industrial smoke)
- Pollens
Prevention of Lifestyle Diseases by improving the way of Life:
Asthmatics and COPD patients require a very healthy and hygienic lifestyle. Since these are inhalation diseases, it is necessary to clean up the air in which we inhale. Avoid exposure to specific allergens like dust and pollen. The protection of your lungs to avoid such lifestyle diseases is ensured by halting smoking.