Lifestyle diseases (also called diseases of longevity or diseases of civilization) are diseases that appear to increase in frequency as countries become more industrialized and people live shorter. They include
Alzheimer's disease, Atherosclerosis, Cancer, Chronic liver disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Type 2 diabetes, Heart disease, Nephritis or Chronic Renal Failure, Osteoporosis, Stroke, Depression, Obesity etc
One of the main culprits has been the
deterioration in nutritious levels of food.
More high fat and high sugar foods; food preservation techniques; and improved farming methods have all contributed in one way or another to the lack of proper levels of nutrition in food. Add to this low cost food, more processed foods to satisfy commercial needs rather than seasonal fresh foods, less physical exercise, increased leisure time, and continued improvements in modes of transport begins to take its toll.
The good news is that the above lifestyle-related diseases can almost always be avoided by simply eating healthily, getting regular exercise, not smoking and drinking in moderation. Well, most of the time anyway; our health can also be damaged by living in unhealthy or polluted environments.
One of the main causes of the lifestyle diseases is STRESS. Today we would be discussing about stress and how to deal with it.
STRESS:
The word 'stress' is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "a state of affair involving demand on physical or mental energy". A condition or circumstance (not always adverse), which can disturb the normal physical and mental health of an individual. In medical parlance 'stress' is defined as a perturbation of the body's homeostasis.
This demand on mind-body occurs when it tries to cope with incessant changes in life. A 'stress' condition seems 'relative' in nature. Extreme stress conditions, psychologists say, are detrimental to human health but in moderation stress is normal and, in many cases, proves useful. Stress, nonetheless, is synonymous with negative conditions. Today, with the rapid diversification of human activity, we come face to face with numerous causes of stress and the symptoms of stress.
At one point or the other everybody suffers from stress. Relationship demands, physical as well as mental health problems, pressure at workplaces, traffic snarls, meeting deadlines, growing-up tensions-all of these conditions and situations are valid causes of stress. People have their own methods of stress management. In some people, stress-induced adverse feelings and anxieties tend to persist and intensify. Learning to understand and master stress management techniques can help prevent the counter effects of this urban malaise.
The Dynamics of Stress
What Causes Stress?
In a challenging situation the brain prepares the body for defensive action-the fight or flight response by releasing stress hormones, namely, cortisone and adrenaline. These hormones raise the blood pressure and the body prepares to react to the situation. With a concrete defensive action (fight response) the stress hormones in the blood get used up, entailing reduced stress effects and symptoms of anxiety. When we fail to counter a stress situation (flight response) the hormones and chemicals remain unreleased in the blood stream for a long period of time. It results in stress related physical symptoms such as tense muscles, unfocused anxiety, dizziness and rapid heartbeats. We all encounter various stressors (causes of stress) in everyday life, which can accumulate, if not released. Subsequently, it compels the mind and body to be in an almost constant alarm-state in preparation to fight or flee. This state of accumulated stress can increase the risk of both acute and chronic psychosomatic illnesses and weaken the immune system of the human body.
Continued...
Written by:
Pallavi Sinha.(Dietician) Ask her your health related questions at pallavi[at]hungrybangalore[dot]com.
RSS Feed
