Chronic and life-threatening diseases are on the rise. It has become the story of almost every household. Advancement in medical science and technology should have ideally decreased the incidence of disease; but the math today does not make any sense. This raises some serious questions on the increasing and varied (never heard of before) illnesses that we suffer from today. We have grown into a culture where popping pills, looking for quick fixes and even prescribing health solutions to others without hesitation has become the norm. We are all also at varying degrees aware about lifestyle modifications, exercise, nutrition and real time change, but that remains good to know, hard to put into practice.
A huge denomination of people falsely relate having access to the best of medicines, doctors and high tech diagnostic tools as an insurance to good health. This notion is justified to some extent however it’s equally important to understand that the role of medicine comes after the disease.
Resultantly, combating diseases has become easier than ever before but failure to prevent or deter diseases is not being addressed, the onus of which lies not with the doctor or a health expert but with the individual himself.
Self-medication or the excessive use of it is also creating resistance to the the most common antibiotics available in the market. This for me is a scary, and a space of concern for an increasing number of scientists and medical practitioners across the world.
Prevention has always been better then cure and it applies more to your health than anything else. Most diseases are by-products of repetitive abuse and negligence guised under different expressions we call ‘habits’. WHO has declared a figure of 71 % of diseases in our world as non-communicable and the leading cause of death which means it progresses to manifest within you because of lifestyle factors.
Being highly exposed to environmental factors such as smoke, harmful chemicals, noise, sound or other pollutants are also detrimental to our health. The debate among health experts worldwide today centres around functional medicine and how people must make conscious effort to take responsibility for their health and lifestyle.
We can start with three simple practices underlined below which in itself are big subjects but given here for you as simple food for thought. Please note that the guidelines concerning these aspects are inherent and irrevocable to our biological existence, and chronic deviation from this path is what leads to the loss of health and quality of life.
Aahar: It is the food conduct. What you eat should be compatible with your digestive system and fulfill your calorie and nutritional requirements.
Vihar: It is the bodily conduct. Your body is designed to move and to be active. You always have to maintain and apply proper biomechanics. Bodily conduct must include all aspects of your daily routine to include everything you do physically and routinely.
Vichar: It is the mental conduct. The mind drives your body and all your actions, both subtle and gross. Your thoughts are reflected in your energy and functional systems and it is of high importance to live with full awareness.
Sandesh Palungwa Limbu, Certified professional fitness instructor, founder of RAGE Fitness, and specialises in mixed martial arts.
