For many people in Pakistan, life is a constant struggle between the quest for a healthy life style and the guilt of being unable to put an effort into it.
As a result, this unhealthy lifestyle poses serious threat to a person’s well being. However, there is a way to learn when they must pull the plug and take fitness and well being seriously.
Doctors say that those over 50 years should get a number of tests done every year to get an idea of their overall health.
According to gastroenterologist and physician Shahid Ahmed, complete blood count (CBC) test, sugar and blood pressure, urine D/R, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, and cholesterol tests and eye checkups should be done once a year.
As a person ages, the uric acid increases which should be monitored regularly. For people with diabetes and depression, doctors suggest more tests. People with digestive issues should additionally get endoscopy and colonoscopy done every year.
Dr Ahmed recommends women to visit their gynecologist once a year for a thorough checkup.
Dr Omar Sultan, an assistant professor and consultant at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), told SAMAA Digital that people over 30 years with a positive family history should get fasting lipid profile, fasting blood sugar test, urea creatinine, electrolytes test, CBC test and urine D/R done every year or once in six months.
A positive family history means if your parents suffered from diabetes, blood pressure, obesity, cardiac and kidney issues.
These tests are important to know the body’s cholesterol, uric acid and liver’s ETL levels. The tests help people find timely remedy against ailments like fatty liver, high blood pressure, blockage of arteries, cardiac issues and paraplegia.
Doctors call high blood pressure a “silent killer” which affects eyes, heart and kidneys. If a person complains of headaches and muscle cramp, then routine blood pressure check becomes even more important. They must undergo fasting blood sugar test every two weeks at home.
According to Dr Sultan, unhealthy lifestyle is a norm in our society. Staying up late at night, skipping meals, and consuming unhygienic food, fizzy drinks and processed food is very common.
However, unhealthy habits dangerous only for elderly people. With youth comes a different set of issues like smoking, unhealthy use of gadgets, and lack of exercise. All this means that the ailments which people around the world contract at the age of 50 are coming early in our population.
What lifestyle changes can be adopted?
To move towards the healthy lifestyle, you first need to reduce the consumption of fat, sugar and salt. This will save you from heart attacks, paraplegia, obesity, renal failure and diabetes.
This also means cutting out on karahis and handis which have become a staple diet in our society. Meat consumption leads to a rise in uric acid which causes blood pressure, urinary issue and joints’ pain.
Researches have also indicated that high uric acid causes heart attacks.
These metabolic disorders disrupt body functions and cause organ damage, they say.
