Lifestyle Diseases on the Rise!!

 Have you ever wondered why people at the age of 25 and 30 are having problems like piles, strokes or diabetes? Why is the number of young adults going into rehabilitation centre increasing day by day?  As today we only see the population undergoing a lot of stress at work and into a lot of competition. Our ever increasing population is the culprit of this competition that is leading to stress eventually causing health complications.So what do we exactly mean by lifestyle diseases? Lifestyle diseases are those conditions usually attributed to dramatic shifts in the way humans live their lives, often due to advancements in a society or its scientific progress. These include diabetes, obesity, piles, constipation, heart disease, liver disease, asthama, osteoporosis etc.“ A huge percent of the city’s population is facing piles & other stomach related problems in which 7 percent are from the young age group. Poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and excess alcohol, and in the late 2000s even poor sleep may contribute to these illnesses or be their primary cause. Clearly advancements like the invention of the motor vehicle changed the exercise profile of most people.” says the city’s leading colo- proctosurgeon Dr Ashwin Porwal.Dr. Porwal has many firsts to his name and is one of the leading surgeons to perform STARR and Stapler Surgeries for constipation & piles. He has treated over 450 patients that suffer from this problem. Dr Porwal further states “ On daily basis I have minimum 4 new cases that come with chronic constipation or severe acidity problem out of which most of them have either co morbidities like Diabetes or Hypertension. Studying the depth of this problem we realized that todays erratic lifestyle and stress have created so many problems in the youth. Here diet too plays a very important role and I see to it that they follow a strict diet regimen.” Dhanashree Karmarkar, consulting Nutritionist working with Dr. Porwal says “People are turning to instant and readymade foods that are having a bad impact on their health. Many patients who come to me are of the middle class strata and have irregular eating habits or are working in night shifts due to which they have a lot of acidity and stomach problems. There is also a rise in number of patients who consult for diabetes and obesity. These patients want to reduce their weight in less time. But they should understand the cause and severity of the problem first. Having a high fibre diet is of utmost importance as it reduces weight, blood sugar and also cholesterol. High Fibre Diet includes green leafy vegetables, sprouts, raw fruits and salads and also drinking plenty of water with regular exercise on your daily regimen. Following a 6 frequent meal pattern is the road to healthy living”For obesity include high fibre foods and avoid calorie dense foods like milk products, oily and fried products. For diabetes exclude all sweets, sago, and fruits like banana, sapota, custard apple etc. Have a salt restricted and high fibre diet for hypertensive patients. Proteins also play an important role for building immunity.On the concluding note Dr. Porwal suggests “Dealing with prevention of Lifestyle Diseases is of utmost importance today and here we make sure it happens. Always remember that prevention is better than cure. Health is a person’s first priority. If your life is healthy then you are wealthy! “Dr Ashwin Porwal is renowned proctosurgeon from Poona Hospital & Research Centre & is among very few surgeons across the country to perform STARR for Piles, prolapse & constipation.Consultant Anorectal Surgeon at Jehangir Hospital & Inamdar Hospital [Fatimanagar].