GUEST COLUMN
Health is not only an asset but a resource too which should be nurtured by all. Whatever we achieve whether natural or man made can only be used and enjoyed when we are healthy. Hence, everybody should strive to remain as healthy as possible. But, how can we achieve this good health is the pertinent question. Stress is the new health problem and around 70 per cent of diseases are stress related. Most of these diseases are self-created, which are caused due to change in lifestyle. These acquired lifestyles are not difficult to change but strong conviction is needed to change our mindset. By changing our lifestyle we can change our health and ultimately our life.
Yoga is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices or discipline which originated in ancient India and aims to control the mind. The practice of Yoga not only helps to maintain better physical health but can also be used as a tool for stress management which has been further proved by many biofeedback studies. The habit of Yoga, regulated breathing and meditation should be the part of one’s day to day activity to maintain his physical, mental, social, psychological and spiritual health. Yoga needs only a little bit of time and is to be done at regular intervals to improve the general health of an individual. Yoga practice of half an hour to one hour on a daily basis is enough to maintain good health.
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things one can do for good health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, manage weight issues, reduce the risk of diseases, strengthen bones and muscles and improve your ability to do all day to day activities. As other organs of the body need exercise, so does our heart. The heart cannot do any voluntary exercise itself but any physical exercise of the body will force the heart muscles to work more proportionately. Walking, jogging and running are good exercises which indirectly help to boost the health of the heart. As our limbs become stronger with exercise, so does the heart. If one does his or her household work and avoids sedentary work, does Yoga exercise and takes a balanced diet then there is a fair chance that one will have a healthy and longer life.In addition to Yoga and exercise, if an individual can abstain from the habit of alcoholism and smoking, then he will be much more healthier.
Sleep plays a vital role in maintaining good health both physically and mentally throughout our life. Contrary to the quiet physical stage, the brain is very active and carries out many important functions of the body during sleep. Sleep rejuvenates the body, improves the ability of the body to fight diseases and increases immunity. In fact sleep is an essential to every process in the body, whether physical or mental.
The body has the circadian rhythm which is the 24 hour internal clock in our brain that regulates the cycles of alertness and sleepiness by responding to light changes in our environment which control physiological and metabolic activities. Sleep and mental health go hand in hand.A person needs seven to nine hours of sleep. It is a common observation that children sleep more. It has been observed in Europe that when the clock is adjusted as a measure for daylight saving the time in which the clock is pushed forward, people lose one hour of sleep. In general, this universal time change creates significant public health problems like increased incidence of heart attack and road traffic injuries increase due to disturbed or lack of sleep.
Poor quality sleep or lack of sleep is associated with lethargic and irritable behaviour, poor learning and retaining capacity for new information. Though poor sleep is known to reduce appetite at the same time it increases weight gain. One cannot be deprived of sleep for more than 48 hours. If one does so, the brain goes into a state of narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is defined as a condition characterised by an extreme tendency to fall asleep without warning. Narcolepsy causes sudden loss of muscle tone of the whole body including hands and feet which disturb the control on the steering and accelerator. In addition to that a person experiences hallucinations. If the tired driver is used to relieve the tiredness with consumption of alcohol, the alcohol may help to relieve tiredness but increases the tendency to fall asleep which further increases the chances of road traffic injuries. In our experience, lack of sleep and the influence of alcohol are common causes of road traffic injuries in India.
The senior author wishes to share his own experience of episodic increased levels of serum uric acid. The basic cause of rise of uric acid in blood is either due to increased production of uric acid or decreased excretion of uric acid or both. Uric acid is a byproduct of protein metabolism. Decreased intake of protein in diet and increased intake of fluid have brought the uric acid of the author to within normal limits in a couple of months. With this precaution there is no more gout attack. Similarly one was experiencing raised blood sugar level leading to initially pre-diabetic and then diabetic stage. Changing the diet from wheat grain to coarse grain like jowar, bajra, barley, maize and mandua and undertaking half an hour to an hour of brisk walking daily have brought down the blood sugar to within normal limits in only three weeks time. Authors suggest that everyone should have a limited diet and unlimited work for a healthy and happy life. An American professor of Harvard Medical School, Dr David Sinclair advised that we should eat plants that have been stressed and grow under harsh conditions.
It is found that those who eat less and work more, live a healthy and longer life. We can be healthy only when we eat nutritious food. For better health, we should eat only when we are hungry and we should keep in mind to eat only a nutritious and balanced diet. If we are healthy then we can achieve our desirable goal and enjoy our life, as it is said by an ancient Indian Rishi Bhrighu that we all are products of pleasure and to achieve pleasure is the goal of every individual. In our opinion, Yoga, exercise and sleep are no cost health boosters. One should always take care of themselves in order to remain healthy.
(The authors are Dehradun-based orthopaedic surgeons. Views expressed are personal)
