Diseases in Women due to Unhealthy Lifestyle

In the recent past, we, as a society, have identified ‘’lifestyle’’ as one of the major factors of physical and mental health. Lifestyle can be termed as the day-to-day activities performed by an individual in repetitive manner which directly affects the quality of living of an individual. From skipping breakfast to being closed up in a room in front of the screen (sounds familiar?) to not taking an opportunity to be physically active at least for 30 mins every day to unhealthy food and nutrition habits, etc – all these activities when repeated for a longer period of time affects the mental as well as the physical health of an individual.

Below are some of the health issues faced by women of all ages, due to such lifestyles:

1. Hormonal Issues: Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) and chemicals in various edible products which ‘’disrupt’’ the functioning of the Endocrine system of the body. This in turn causes hormones in our body, to go haywire. This is one of the ways in which unhealthy lifestyle affects our body hormones. Hormonal Issues in women in-turn brings to bay series of disorders and diseases such as PCOD/PCOS which then becomes a reason for infertility.
2. Osteoarthritis: This is a disease which mainly affects middle-aged women. It is the breakage of the cartilages in the joints like knees, elbows, fingers and spine. Osteoarthritis is mainly caused to unhealthy food choices due to which the necessary nutrients are not retained by our body. This disease is also caused due to sedentary lifestyle – which we are observing in everyone’s day to day life.
3. Obesity: Obesity encompasses, within itself, various other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, skin and hair related problems, diabetes, high blood pressure etc. Obesity and Hormonal issues go hand in hand as well – it creates a continuous loop, where obesity affects the hormonal balance in our body which in-turn adds more to obesity. It is very important to understand the cause of Obesity in an individual – since every individual is different the cause and hence the treatment for obesity differs from person to person.
4. Insomnia: Insomnia is something which has rapidly gained existence in the current fast paced life. It is a sleep disorder which is mainly caused due to stress and irregular and messed up sleep cycle. There are 3 types of insomnia: Acute, transient, and chronic. It is always important to get in control of your sleep cycle before it gets too late to switch. Lack of sleep affects the cognitive functioning of an individual, not only that, it affects the everyday body functions such as digestion, metabolism etc
5. Back and Neck Pain: Continuously sitting in front of a screen not only affects our vision but also our posture. Imperfect posture causes many muscles and bone related issues such as Back and Neck pain. Another reason for such body pains is lack of proper nutrition to the body.

What can be incorporated in a Healthy Lifestyle?

1. Drink Plenty of Water: Start every day with a glass of water and keep at it until the body requirement of 3 litres of water is fulfilled. Water helps in proper digestion of the food and absorption of nutrients in our body, helps in maintaining bodily fluids, helps in maximizing the physical performance of the body, avoids kidney stones, aids weight loss, enhances the texture of the skin etc. More water you drink, healthier the body gets!
2. Exercise is a must: A sedentary lifestyle should be avoided at all costs! Even a 30 mins of workout helps in positively impacting our body. Exercise is a must not only to avoid obesity but also to become fit and healthy! As simple and a 30 min walk in the park nearby to a 30 min yoga everyday gradually enhances the way our body functions and produces happy hormones such as oxytocin and endorphins which are also good for our mental health since they are ‘’feel good’’ hormones

3. Nutritious Food intake: The aim of a nutritious food intake should be to create a healthy environment for body to grow and develop. This is not only true for kids but for adults as well. Our food should contain the correct proportion of fats, carbohydrate, proteins, nutrients and vitamins! The real art of living is in having a balanced diet! Incorporating Fruits, vegetables and legumes etc is the way to go!
4. Detoxification of Body: Detoxification means removing toxins from the body. The human body has many natural pathways to allow detoxification through liver, sweat, urine, faeces and more. But urbanisation and exposure to pollutants, heavy metals, preservatives and pesticides have increased the average toxin consumption by human beings. These toxins get stored in tissues and cells of our bodies and affects it. In serious cases, these toxins can also lead to cancer. By detoxing your body, you help the vital organs cleanse themselves of the toxins, and enable the liver to function appropriately in excreting them. Hence, detox drinks have become popular as it prevents toxic overload and also has several health benefits.  When toxins are not cleared entirely, it may cause bloating, gas, headaches, constipation, fatigue, nausea, skin problems, bad breath and bring your energy levels down.

5. Regular intake of detox drink can help you overcome these problems:
   1. Aids in weight loss: One of the best aspects of detox drinks is that it helps you to lose weight naturally. Detox drinks offer a major boost to your metabolism. Additionally, detox drinks like lemon juice and apple cider vinegar consist pectin fibre that keeps you satiated, thereby helping in weight loss.
   2. Improves digestion: Detox drinks provide your digestive system with healthy nutrients and serve as a great laxative agent to ease your digestive functioning. Detox drinks also facilitate better liver functioning which plays a huge role in digestion as well. Detox ingredients like mint and lemon has high anti-oxidant power, which is the best remedy for soothing an upset stomach.
   3. Improves liver function: At a time where many of our lifestyle habits may be working against our liver (consumption of alcohol, nicotine, caffeinated and carbonated beverages, and fatty foods), it becomes more than essential to give your liver a regular dose of detox to ensure its proper functioning. Detox drinks filter toxins from the food we consume and also help provide digestive juices to disintegrate them from the healthy nutrients. Add few slices of fresh cucumbers to your drinking water and sip through the day. They are rich diuretics; they stimulate urination which helps purge the bodily toxins and avoid water retention.
   4. Improves skin: In addition to reducing inflammation and cleansing your body off the toxin overload, detox drinks minimise the signs of ageing. Environmental pollutants and chemical deposits on your skin lead to wrinkles and dryness of the skin. Detox drinks with vitamin C-rich fruits purify your skin cells and gives you rejuvenated and glowing skin.
6. Follow Dinacharya: Dinacharya in Ayurveda looks at the cycles of the nature and basis daily activities of individuals according to these cycles. Each cycle of a day affects the activity which we perform during that time period.

Hence, Dinacharya helps to align the activities of an individual to the natural cycle so as to get maximum positive output from those activities. A healthy mind and body always affect the quality of life we lead

 Conclusion:

In conclusion, there are many aspects of leading a healthy lifestyle, especially during these tough times, but we need to be actively choosing on how we would like to make our life better. One more way of doing so is to get expert’s advice. An early consultation from a doctor or a health specialist will always help us in directing and re-directing our focus to what needs to be done for the health of our body and mind.

Dr Smita KattiGotur, B. A. M. S

Head of Practice & Governance

Travancore Ayurveda