Our fast-paced lifestyle and emphasis on information, computerization and globalization have made work easier for us and given us not only more leisure options but also a long list of new health problems which are affecting us physically as well as mentally. The incidence of chronic diseases like high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, stroke, and cancers is increasing exponentially with each passing year. These diseases are emerging as bigger killers than infectious causes. All of these health problems can be attributed to our sedentary lifestyle, work-related stress, unhealthy eating habits, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption.
COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS
The major health problems that can affect the young working men and women include:
Diabetes: Sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, poor dietary choices are some of the most common factors that can lead to diabetes. Assessing the fasting blood sugar levels and glycated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c) can help in determining your risk of diabetes.
Heart Diseases: The major factors involved in the development are smoking, diabetes and intake of fatty foods. Assessing the cholesterol and lipid levels helps in early detection of high cholesterol and prevent the risk of heart diseases.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): It can occur due to rising psychological stress, obesity, taking processed and refined foods, high salt intake or some genetic factors.
Nutritional Deficiencies: Unhealthy diet, obesity, and stress can lead to some serious dietary deficiencies predominantly vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiency. In addition, there can be a deficiency of iron which can lead to iron deficiency anemia.
An unhealthy lifestyle means more illness and more expenses to treat those illnesses. This means more burden on an already challenged healthcare system. An annual preventive health checkup is one of the best things you can do to maintain good health.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF REGULAR CHECKUPS
Regular health checkups help in timely detection, prevention, and treatment of various diseases. Here are the benefits of getting preventive checkups done:
-Help to detect those diseases which you may be harboring with no apparent symptoms.
-Help to identify risk factors for common chronic diseases like diabetes, heart diseases.
-Help to identify and treat illness at an early stage.
-To initiate counseling and lifestyle modification for better management of illnesses.
-Help to keep a track of your progress once you start a healthy lifestyle regimen.
-Help to promote a healthy lifestyle.
So, go ahead and adopt a healthy lifestyle by being physically active, eating healthy, watching your weight and quitting unhealthy habits like smoking and alcohol intake. In addition to these, getting a comprehensive health checkup every year can help you assess your cholesterol levels, your risk of diabetes, your nutritional deficiencies and functioning of your liver and kidneys. It will also help you monitor the impact of any positive lifestyle changes and will keep you updated about your overall health and well being. Stay Healthy, Stay Happy!