Achieving Perfect Health: A Current Health and Lifestyle Analysis
Dr. Chandana D. Karathully
Good health is considered as one of life’s greatest blessings. Wealth, education, love and power can also be valued by everyone, but everything rides upon having a healthy body to enjoy life. But even though health is such an important factor, are we really willing to do whatever it takes to be in the perfect health?
Health is defined by the World Health Organization as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. Even though it has an empirical definition, nothing is more complex and intricate as the state of complete health. Easy to preach and difficult to attain, health has never become as multifaceted and complicated as in the modern days.
The prevalence and incidence of lifestyle disorders are ever increasing and health professionals are trying their best to educate the society on the importance of lifestyle modifications to combat and prevent these chronic ailments. Diet plans and health education are so widely discussed in the health magazines. But we are busy, so busy that we are finding it extremely difficult to balance our personal and professional lives. We are juggling so many duties and chores and stuff at the same time to keep life in track. We can’t afford to spend any time to take care of our health, let alone to exercise or to meditate or to be active. Even if we receive so much of the health warnings from professionals, we won’t take any action until and unless it is absolutely necessary such as diagnosing with a lifestyle disorder or hospitalizing and receiving an expiry date for our healthy living.
As explained by the definition, health is not just the absence of disease. It is having a balanced state of physical, psychological and social well being. Most of us believe that having a stressful mind won’t contribute to our physical health. But the truth is rather the opposite. Our psychological health greatly influences our physical health, and our physical health in turn influences our mental health. Hence for staying healthy, one has to provide immense effort on staying happy and stress free. Again it is not so easy. Today, stress has become such a common term that life without stress is unimaginable. Everything is stressful for us, trying to have a healthy lifestyle is more stressful.
Ayurveda, the age old medical system of India, has given more importance to health than the modern medical system. Instead of focusing completely on ailments and disorders, Ayurveda first of all propagates the importance of maintaining health and ways to achieve that through a healthy lifestyle. Charaka, redactor of Charaka Samhitha, explains that the treatment modalities are to be twofold: the one which focuses on maintaining health and the other which focuses on the treatment of diseases and ailments. Health is explained in Ayurveda as the equilibrium state of the functional entities of the body and the pleasant state of the senses, mind and soul. Hence, we can assume that the psychological health is given utmost importance in the domain of health even from the ancient era. Among the different methods and routines to maintain a healthy lifestyle, Ayurveda gives more importance to the daily regimens, seasonal regimens and dietary rules to follow. From when to wake up, how to brush the teeth and do the exercise, the rules on daily regimen continues on to the code of conduct, through personal hygiene to the righteous path of life. Every treatise in Ayurveda would be having separate chapters dedicated to these topics.
The latest research also provides us with some fascinating news about health. The age old belief that the psychological health can influence the physical health has been substantiated by the studies in patients of cancer and other chronic illnesses. The research on the influence of exercise and dietary regimens on health is also gaining momentum in modern lifestyle medicine.
DIET
It’s been said that the good food choices are like investment for better future. The modern era is exquisitely enriched with a variety of food choices that leave us addicted to them. Unfortunately deaths by non alcoholic liver cirrhosis, amputations due to diabetic foot are no warnings for us to choose healthy diets. But what is a healthy diet? Explanations and theories are so many, still the uncertainty still continues.
The most important and fascinating dietary rule explained in Ayurveda is that the right amount of food is that which aids in proper digestion. The food that is heavy to digest should be consumed till half of the satiation level and that the food that is lighter should be consumed till one is not overly satiated. In this era of growing digestive ailments and problems, this is just an example on how the ancient system of medicine has approached health and lifestyle. Further the system also explains how the lifestyle factors of diet and activity can aid in health and cause diseases.
The quality of the food that is consumed can also influence health. Ayurveda explains the peculiarities of huge varieties of dietary produce including cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, meat and condiments, and also of dietary preparations like rice and soups. For example, the qualities of milk according to Ayurveda are that it is rejuvenating and strengthening, is good for the undernourished and relieves exhaustion and emaciation. But the quality of uncooked milk is that it is more difficult to digest and can cause phlegm production. Hence it should be deduced that if you are having indigestion, cough and cold, it is better to avoid having milk shakes and beverages which are made using uncooked milk.
Dietary rules also imply the ways of having food. Food should be consumed at proper time, with proper attention, neither hastily nor too slowly, after getting hungry, not talking and with proper amount of liquid. The food should be hygienically prepared, should be unctuous and hot, easily digestible and should be according to one’s health condition.
The scientific evidences on health and dietary regimen are also immense. For example, greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a significant improvement in health status, reduction in mortality from cardio vascular diseases, reduction in incidence of cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating primarily plant based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, using less salt, limiting meat and fish consumption and enjoying meals with family and friends. Recently a new trend has been emerged by consuming food that is low in carbohydrate and high in protein levels. This has been associated with improved weight loss, lower blood pressure and reduced estimated cardiovascular risks.
EXERCISE
If there is any one word that freaks most of the people in the room, it will be exercise. Let’s face it, everyone hates exercise. And those who love exercise will be those who are addicted to it, and can be fitness freaks. But in order stay healthy and stay in shape, you don’t need to be maniacs who may work out all the time. A routine that constitute about 20 minutes of work out, five days a week can be sufficient. Something is better than nothing, right?
Ayurveda explains exercise among the daily regimens. According to Vagbhata, the author of Ashtanga Hridaya, exercise brings about lightness, improves stamina and digestive power, burns fat and brings body in shape. The contraindications and adverse effects of too much exercise are also explained in the texts.
Modern research findings also support the benefits of exercise. But the most important benefit of exercise which is rarely documented is that it improve brain functioning. Yes, you heard it right.
Exercise actually improves the brain functioning in different domains. It can improve our mood, learning, focus and memory. It can combat stress and anxiety. It improves the neuro connections in the brain and can enhance focus and motivation. So want to feel better? Change in to your work out pants and start moving!
MENTAL HEALTH
Talking about mental health, people may wonder why they should read this. We are not mentally ill, then why should they! But we all have a mind, we all think and feel. We all feel stressed sometimes. Accepting that emotions and feelings are completely normal is the first stepping stone to mental health. We live in a society in which accepting one’s emotional vulnerability is not only just unacceptable, but also is cringed upon. So everyone has to put on a mask that says ‘I am completely fine’. But that prevents us from seeking a help when needed. We all may feel overwhelmed and stressed at times. And it shouldn’t be embarrassing to share one’s inner feelings and angst with someone else. We never say ‘this will pass, just listen to some music or go find a hobby’ to someone who is injured or have a broken knee. They why do we do the same when someone is psychologically injured and is in mental pain?
Providing priority to maintaining psychological health needs public awareness and health education. As the living conditions and socio economic status changed by last few years, the number of people who are suffering from relationship issues, marital issues, depression and anxiety are ever increasing. This has also burdened our health care system. As stress can affect the prognosis of chronic health issues, the ever increasing incidence and prevalence rates of life style disorders need to be viewed through the lenses of psychological health.
We can also aid in developing health behaviours and mindset in children from their young age. We do everything out of habit and healthy habits are to be nurtured from early developmental period. By setting good examples and using great parenting strategies we can set our children in a path of healthy living other than shouting them to change when they are older.
Someone said once, today is the first day of the rest of your life. Even though we can’t alter our past, the present day is always ours to conquer.
Creating healthy habits just needs a determined mind. Just choose wisely, and live longer and healthier!