Health Article Archives - HealthScreen Magazine

COVID Omicron Variant BF.7

Health Screen — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 14:12:27 +0000

The word ‘COVID’ takes me back to the lockdown period when everyone was waiting for the pandemic to be over. Doctors were doing everything possible to save lives, and researchers were trying to develop vaccines. But coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was mutating and spreading like wildfire. So far, in India, coronavirus has affected more than 4 crore people, claimed over 5 lakh lives, and made innumerable families suffer. Just as we thought we had the pandemic under control, a new variant—BF.7—has emerged! But what is the new variant? What are its symptoms? What are its do’s and don’ts? Here’s everything you need to know about COVID Omicron Variant BF.7.

What is the COVID Omicron Variant BF.7?

Just like any other virus, coronavirus keeps changing its characteristics to adapt to its surroundings. This allows a virus to move more effectively from host to host. These mutations create variants and subvariants. BF.7 stands for BA.5.2.1.7. The BF.7 variant is a descendant of the BA.5 Omicron variant. In simple terms, BA.7 is an offspring of the BA.5 strain of COVID-19.

What distinguishes BF.7 from other COVID variants?

Though BF.7 belongs to the family of Omicron variants of coronavirus, it has a few unique characteristics. BF.7 can escape the immunity developed after vaccination, thus infecting even vaccinated individuals. It has a basic reproduction number (RO) of 10 to 18.6. Meaning? An infected person can transmit the virus to an average of 10 to 18 people—highly contagious. It has a shorter incubation period, and patients can test negative even after 7-10 days of infection.

Should we worry about Omicron Variant – BF.7?

Since its discovery, Omicron BF.7 strain has been found in many countries, including China, the US, European countries, and India. Considering the high transmission rate of BF.7, the number of people it can infect is the primary concern. This makes early detection and isolation even more critical.

Symptoms of Omicron BF.7

People with weak immune systems and pre-existing medical conditions are more likely to develop severe illnesses due to BF.7 variant. The symptoms include:

Fever
Sore throat
Cough
Runny nose
Headache
Breathlessness
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Fatigue

Are You at Risk?

Individuals with weaker immune systems, such as children, older adults, pregnant women and those with comorbid conditions (heart disease, diabetes, asthma, etc.), are at a higher risk of infection. Unvaccinated people and smokers are also at risk of getting infected.

What Steps to Take to Prevent BF.7 Infection?

It’s always better to be safe. Start with simple precautions. Get COVID vaccination and booster dose as these help avoid complications that might arise due to infection. The important preventive measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 are:

Use masks and sanitizer
Regular hand washing
Avoid crowded places
Social distancing
Get a booster dose
COVID test: Get a COVID test immediately and isolate yourself if you come in close contact with an infected person. Sometimes, COVID-19 infection can be asymptomatic. So, if you’ve been to a crowded place lately or have travel plans in the pipeline, get a test.
Don’t ignore symptoms such as cold, cough and fever, and visit a doctor immediately. Get regular health checkups to keep track of your overall health.

Be Alert & Be Safe!

The post COVID Omicron Variant BF.7 appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

Simple Desk Exercises To Stay Fit At Work

Health Screen — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 13:21:04 +0000

If your neck and shoulders ache after a 9-5 shift everyday, you’re not alone. All of us face it every now and then. Desk-bound jobs can have serious effects on your health that go deeper than just neck and shoulder aches. Sitting for long hours and being physically inactive puts you at the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, eye strain, back pains, and much more. It hampers your mental health too. But don’t lose heart yet. You can tackle this in some easy ways. We present to you simple desk exercises that help you stay fit and productive at work.

Stretch It Out

Stretching is the best way to release your bodily stress. Stretching protects you from any health issues that are likely to be caused by physical inactivity. At least once every hour, stretch out your neck, arms, waist, back and legs. This loosens up your muscles and your body will feel much relaxed and tension-free.

Desk Push-ups

Stand up. Go two steps back from the desk. Keep your feet together, lean forward on the desk and press your hands against it. Make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart. Push your chest towards the desk. Now push back. That’s it. Now repeat it 15 times. It builds your upper body strength and improves posture.

Neck Rotations

Neck is probably where you evidently feel the tension and stress from sitting down and typing away on your laptop for nearly 9 hours straight. You can quickly relieve it with some simple neck rotations. First, sit in your chair and bend your head forward. Rotate your head slowly in a clockwork motion and then anti clockwork. Now repeat this 5-10 times and see how your neck feels better.

Shoulder Rotations

Crouching over a desk all day everyday puts a lot of tension on your shoulders too. Shoulder rotations can help relieve some of that pain. Rotate your shoulders forward and then backward, both clockwork and anti clockwork. Repeat this 10-15 times for relief.

Tricep Dips

Before getting into this one, make sure your chair/desk is stationary or doesn’t move around when you use it as a support. Stand in front of the chair with your back to it. Put your palms on the verge of the chair. Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the floor till your elbows are parallel to the floor. Go back up again and repeat at least 10 times.

Under-the-desk Leg Workout

Sit straight in your chair. Your feet should be flat on the ground. Now lift one leg and straighten it till it is parallel to the floor. Hold this position for nearly 10-20 seconds. Move the leg slowly back and repeat with the other leg. This makes one cycle. Do 5-10 cycles. This is a good cardio workout that keeps your lower body fit.

Squat Hold

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Put your hands behind your head. Now, bend your knees to the ground. Also, push your hips backward. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground and hold this position for 10 seconds. Now go back to the starting position. Repeat this 10-15 repetitions.

Take A Small Walk

We understand that it might not be possible to step outside of the office, but you can step out of your comfort zone a little. Get away from that chair for a while and take a short walk in the corridor, campus, floor, whatever works. You can also walk around when you are on calls. Walking keeps you fit and acts as a quick stress-buster.

No To Elevator, Yes To Stairs

Be it your office or home, if there is a staircase, just go climb it. This is an excellent workout that works wonders for your heart and body. Staircase climbing helps you burn double the calories in half the time than when you run and thrice more than walking.

Benefits of desk exercises:

Busy with daily meetings and tight work schedules, we often fail to take care of our health. Nevertheless, these exercises help you manage your stress levels; improve performance, focus, productivity, and creativity; reduce sedentary time; improve mental health and mood and help you sleep better. Without a doubt, you will be better able to deal with people. Give these exercises a try to see the difference yourself!

The post Simple Desk Exercises To Stay Fit At Work appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

10 Easy Tips To Treat Dry & Damaged Hair

Health Screen — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 11:09:33 +0000

We all want healthy lustrous hair and flaunt them with confidence everywhere we go, but a single #badhairday can make all the hell break loose. But don’t worry, you can fulfill your dream of healthy hair with proper hair care. Check out some easy tips to treat dry damaged hair.

1. Oil Your Hair Often

Oiling and massaging work wonders for your hair. It improves blood circulation, relaxes your muscles, nourishes your hair and makes them shiny. It also moisturizes your hair, promotes hair growth, and fixes split ends. There is a variety of hair oils to choose from, like coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil, castor oil, etc.

2. Regular Hair Wash

Regular hair wash makes sure that your scalp and hair are free from dirt, pollution particles, and excess oil. But keep in mind that the right frequency of hair wash depends on your hair type. If you have dry hair, keep hair wash limited to twice a week. In case of oily scalp, hair wash on alternate days can help.

3. Stay Away From Chemical-based Shampoos

You can’t control all the environmental factors that damage your hair, but you can always control your shampoo choices. Go for gentle keratin-rich shampoos that are free from chemicals, like sulfate and parabens. Regular use of chemical-based shampoos can cause skin irritation and hamper your hormonal balance.

4. Condition The Right Way

Conditioner has many benefits. It prevents hair damage and dryness, tames frizzy hair, and makes your hair shiny and manageable. Based on your preferences, you can go for a traditional conditioner (shampoo-apply-wash off) or a leave-in conditioner. Make sure you apply it to hair tips and not scalp.

Book Vitamin Profile and Get 20% Off

5. Blow Dry? No, Air Dry Your Hair

Many of us sit in front of a mirror, blow drying our hair and mimicking our favorite actors from hair-styling ads. Well, stop doing that right now. Excessive heat-styling damages your hair, making them dry, rough and frizzy. Air- or towel-drying after shampoo is the best and most effective way to healthy hair. While using a towel, always go gentle. Harsh drying can damage your hair cuticles.

6. Comb Through

If you comb your wet hair with a narrow-toothed plastic comb, they can easily break off. Plus plastic makes your hair even more prone to damage with all the static friction it creates. Dry your hair naturally first and use a wooden wide-toothed comb to prevent hair damage.

7. Regular Hair Trimming

Regular trimming is a must to manage your split ends. Split ends occur when your hair is damaged from heat-styling products, pollution, smoking, stress, etc. Trimming won’t make your hair grow faster, but it ensures healthy hair growth.

8. Hydrate, Hydrate, and Hydrate

Water is the source of light, for your hair too! You may be using hydrating hair care products and oils, which is a must, but drinking an adequate amount of water everyday is also important for healthy hair. Make sure you drink up at least 3-4 liters of water every day.

9. Eat Healthy

Just like your body, your hair needs the right nutrition to stay healthy. Eggs, green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, fish, etc. are great for your hair. Doesn’t matter if you are a vegetarian or non-vegetarian, make sure you get your daily dose of protein, vitamins and minerals for healthy hair.

10. Regular Health Checkups

Hair damage indicates underlying health problems, like thyroid dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, vitamin deficiencies, and much more. It is absolutely vital to get a regular hair checkup to detect any potential health problems. Try scheduling regular health checkups at least once every 6 months.

The post 10 Easy Tips To Treat Dry & Damaged Hair appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

Shedding Light on Vitamin D Deficiency

Health Screen — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 08:48:40 +0000

When someone says vitamin D, as a 90’s kid, my first thought goes back to Calcium Sandoz and its happy-puppy bottles. Although I loved collecting them for the container more than the health benefits, it was probably the first time I came across the term “Vitamin D.”

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, and our body produces it as a response to sun exposure and through some dietary intake. It is important for bones because it helps absorb calcium and phosphorus. Your body can run low on vitamin D due to many reasons. Once you start noticing certain signs and symptoms, take it as a wake up call to get tested.

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency:

You become deficient in vitamin D for different reasons as follows:

You don’t get recommended levels of vitamin D from your diet.
You don’t get enough sunlight.
Your liver/kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form.
Your digestive tract cannot adequately absorb vitamin D.
You are on medication that affects the body’s ability to convert/absorb vitamin D.
Your skin has a dark complexion.
You are obese or overweight.
You are a smoker.

Book Vitamin Profile and Get 20% Off

Common Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency:

Aching muscles: Vitamin D is essential for keeping your muscles healthy. Without it, your muscles become weak and achy.
Painful bones: Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, and calcium is the building block of your bones. Without it, your bones get weak, lose strength and feel painful.
Fatigue: Vitamin D is essential for cell metabolism and bone strength. Without it, you may feel tired and low on energy constantly. Performing routine activities can also feel like taking on a challenge because of depleted energy levels.
Binge eating: When you’re running low on vitamin D, no matter how much you eat, you are not likely to feel full in your stomach. Ultimately, you’ll find yourself overeating or binge eating.
Weight gain: Needless to say, overeating is going to land you on the doorstep of weight gain and obesity. Vitamin D keeps your metabolism stable. Without it, your metabolism slows down, and you may find it difficult to lose weight.
Low moods: Vitamin D boosts your happy hormone serotonin, which keeps your mood stable. Without vitamin D, you may find it difficult to be cheery and have a healthy attitude towards life. You may experience frequent mood swings.
Losing hair: Vitamin D is essential for the hair growth cycle. It stimulates new and old hair follicles. Vitamin D deficiency causes impaired hair growth and dull damaged hair.
Reduced brain functions: One sign that you have vitamin D deficiency is that you’ll find it difficult to remember or think. This is because vitamin D keeps your brain healthy, and its lack would definitely not bring desirable effects.

Testing To Detect Vitamin D Deficiency

Blood tests are the best way to understand vitamin D levels in the body. They also help screen and monitor bone disorders. Three important blood tests to evaluate vitamin D levels are:

25-OH Vitamin D (total) test: to measure the total amount of Vitamin D (active & inactive) in the body
Vitamin D 1,25 – Dihydroxy test: to measure only the active form of Vitamin D present in the blood
Vitamin D3 test: to confirm vitamin D deficiency

An apple a day won’t always keep the doctor away. Sometimes, you need an appropriate diet rich in vitamins, minerals and all essential nutrients. A short walk outside under the sun can also suffice. Utilize a natural source of vitamin D as much as you can & stay healthy.

The post Shedding Light on Vitamin D Deficiency appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

8 Skin Care Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Doing

Health Screen — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 12:21:45 +0000

If you are confused about which skin care regimen and products are best for your skin, just Google it. Thousands of options will be available just at a click of a button. They will tell you which products to use, which not to, which brands to use, etc. but there are 8 skin care mistakes you’ve been making without even knowing. Let’s dive right into it.

Not hydrating enough

Water is the source of life, and for your skin too. If your skin appears too dry, itchy and dull with uneven skin, under-eye patches and noticeable fine lines, it’s a clear indication of dehydrated skin. The good news is that you can treat it with some lifestyle changes. First and foremost, drink plenty of water, use lukewarm water while showering, and don’t forget your moisturiser.

Not getting your beauty sleep

A late night at work, a dinner with friends, mindlessly scrolling through social media, and before you know it, the alarm starts going off in the morning. It’s easy to fall into the trap of sleeping less than required. Sleep is the time when your body repairs itself; along with the brain and muscles, this stands true for your epidermis also. During sleep, your skin’s blood flow increases. The skin rebuilds collagen, which helps strengthen the skin and increase its elasticity and hydration. Sleep repairs UV damage and reduces wrinkles and age spots. If you’re not getting enough sleep, it might age faster and not be strong enough to recover from environmental stressors.

Not eating right

The proverb “You are what you eat” is true even when it comes to skin care. Eating green leafy vegetables and fruits is a surefire way to keep your skin healthy. Make sure your diet is enriched with nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fatty acids for a nourished firm plumped up skin. And don’t forget to limit your caffeine and alcohol intake.

Book Skincare Profile and Get 20% Off

Not working out

While sweating does not sound desirable, it has so many benefits on your skin. Sweat reduces body temperature and prevents your skin from overheating. Exercise leads to sweat flushing out toxins from your pores. The sweat helps increase blood flow to your skin.

Taking too much stress

The daily stress you take is not adding to anything better. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These chemicals increase oil production in your skin glands, causing clogged pores and acne breakouts. Try some relaXATION techniques like meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, developing a new hobby, listening to your favourite music, going for a walk…anything that makes you feel relaxed.

Smoking

Smoking doesn’t make you look cooler, but it definitely makes you look older. Nicotine and other toxic chemicals in a cigarette contribute to premature ageing of the skin. The chemicals reduce fresh supply of blood to the skin. This makes your skin look paler and wrinkly. Also, repetitive squinting of eyes and lip-pursing while taking a drag contribute to lines around your lips and eyes.

Using sun protection only in summers

If you believe that sunscreen is only for summer months or beach purposes, you’re wrong! Irrespective of the season, sunscreen should make the top of the list in your daily skin care routine. Why? Because the sun and its harmful UV rays make your skin age faster by giving you dark spots, wrinkles, fine lines and less skin elasticity.

Not getting regular health checkup

Skin issues indicate underlying health problems, such as thyroid dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, vitamin deficiencies, autoimmune disorders, allergies, and any infections. It is absolutely vital to get a regular skin check to detect any potential health hazards. Try scheduling regular health checkups at least once every 6 months.

Testing at Thyrocare

Your skin is your first layer of defence. It shields us, and we need to shield it too by getting it tested for any signs or symptoms. Thyrocare offers ‘Women’s and Men’s Skin Care Checkup’ that evaluate 30+ parameters to assess the health of your skin as it reflects your health. Get tested today!

The post 8 Skin Care Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Doing appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

Winter Smog – A Hot Topic

Health Screen — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 07:22:07 +0000

There is one thing about Delhi you’ll absolutely adore: winters

Cold crisp air
Fresh colourful wardrobe
Hot cups of tea
Winter food specialty
The soft wintry sun
Enjoying slow walks in a chilly weather
The bustling city gets lost somewhere in foggy streets

It’s all beautiful…until you burst out into an uncontrollable coughing fit. The beautiful fog is indeed a deadly smog you’ve been breathing.

In winter, smog (smoke + fog) settles over many cities like a huge grey cloud looming over and obscuring the clarity of the sky. And along with temperature, the air quality goes down too. It not only causes massive disruption in daily activities but also creates a public health crisis with a spike in the number of patients, especially those suffering from lung diseases. The common culprit is none other than particulate matter.

Book Pollution Profile and Get 20% Off

What’s Particulate Matter?

Remember Sholay movie’s famous train chase sequence? Amitabh and Dharmendra fight the goons on a running train, which honks annoyingly and lets out a never-ending stream of black sooty smoke.

That’s it. Soot, smoke, dust, dirt, liquid droplets and toxic gases released from car and plane emissions, industries, factories, burning fossil fuels and crops, cigarette smoking, etc., together constitute what we call fine particulate matter (PM), which remains suspended in the atmosphere.

Connection Between Smog and Winter

Air pollution hovers over cities throughout the year, but it becomes evident as a smog in winter because…

As opposed to the hot and humid air in summer, which rises and expands in the atmosphere, the air in winter is cold and dry. It settles down easily due to condensed water. The qualities of the wintry air make it trap more pollution.
Winter is the time of chilly nights, campfire, cozy winter wear, and no one ever said no to woodfire settings. Wintry habits, like fireplaces and woodburners, add to smog.
Diwali, a grand festival we all eagerly wait for, marks the onset of winter. Although I’m glad how the majority of people’s attitude is turning towards saying no to firecrackers, there are still many who can’t refrain themselves from lighting a few. Crackers are yet another reason for increased PM levels.
“India is an agricultural country,” we all have read this in our geography books back in school. In winter, after harvesting, farmers opt for stubble (residual crop) burning to prepare the field for the next crop, ultimately adding more to smog.

Common Health Hazards

I can’t help but remember the lyrics of a song released by The Police (an English Rock band), “Every breath you take, I’ll be watching you.” Despite the “fine”ness in its name, PM is deadly. With every breath, the particles enter and lodge deeply inside your lungs and gain easy access to penetrate the bloodstream. Once inside the bloodstream, nothing can escape these tiny particles.

It all starts with short-term effects, like irritation of nose, throat, and eyes as well as skin problems and hair damage. The long-term effects are as follows:

Respiratory diseases: Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung tissue swelling and irritation, lower respiratory infections (like pneumonia, flu and bronchitis)
Cardiovascular diseases: Heart attack, stroke, etc.
Impact on liver, kidney, reproductive organs
Developmental damage: Increased risk of low infant birth weight and slow/stunted lung development in children
Lung cancer
Premature death: PM causes >6·5 million premature deaths annually, and the number continues to grow at an alarming rate.

If you have any pre-existing health conditions, chances are smog will make it more challenging, leading to increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions, not to mention missed work and school.

Better Protect Than Regret

Make a run for it, but not in mornings

Exercising is essential, including running or walking, but not when outside air is toxic. Smog is strongest in the morning time. So if you run, walk or engage in any outdoor activity, wait till the smog reduces through the day or shift these activities to evening. But no excuses for skipping your workouts altogether.

Use face masks when outdoor

One thing I’ve gotten used to since the COVID-19 pandemic is face masks. Now, like many people, you must be thinking that N95/N99 face masks are no longer mandatory under COVID-19 regulations. But my response to you will be the same, “I wear it for pollution.”

Go with the flow and ventilate

You think it’s safe inside? Well, indoor pollution is way worse than outdoor one. Make sure the house is properly ventilated, especially the kitchen and bathroom. Open your windows and doors during sunny hours and allow the air to circulate. On a bright sunny day, the concentration of PM is often low in the air.

Air-purifying plants

Nature is the best solution for every man-made problem. Go ahead, bring inside your office and house some nature. Air-purifying plants, like tulsi, aloe vera, spider plant, money plant and ivy (not the poisonous kind surely), purify air and minimise indoor pollution.

Use air-purifiers

Use air purifiers, especially in the room of elderly, kids and pregnant women. These groups tend to have lower immunity and are more susceptible to health hazards than others. Also, purify and ventilate your car air, better yet drive less and use more public transport.

Take steam daily and eat healthy–nutritious diet for strong immunity

Testing at Thyrocare

Smog is the biggest health hazard in winters. Thyrocare has launched Pollution Impact – Basic & Advanced packages to combat health threats arising due to air pollution. It helps you better understand your heart health and the overall impact of air pollutants on the body, including on lipid, liver and kidney profiles. You can also better understand your immunity, blood and sugar profiles, vitamins and essential elements and take appropriate measures to protect yourself this season.

The post Winter Smog – A Hot Topic appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

Let’s Dia-beat it: Ways to Prevent Diabetes

Health Screen — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 05:50:58 +0000

As a kid, I could never understand why grandpa had so many medicines on his night stand or why mom strictly prohibited sugar in his and granny’s chaai or why aunt used those special footwear which never complimented her outfit. But now, there is no denying that diabetes has always been a part of our lives, even before we were old enough to understand it. Since 2nd century AD, diabetes has been one of the greatest mysteries and challenges in the medical world. Today, diabetes is a health concern worldwide.

Did you know?

Worldwide, over 425 million people are living with diabetes.
In the global diabetes epidemic, India ranks second after China with 77 million diabetics.

Hail today’s modern lifestyle, there is a good chance that you could soon be one of them. But don’t lose heart yet. Despite the high numbers, the good news is that diabetes is absolutely preventable. You can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by making healthy lifestyle changes in your daily routine, even if you are at risk.

How and Where Do I Start?

First, let’s understand where you stand on the scale of diabetes.

Before developing T2DM, you will develop a condition called prediabetes, wherein your blood sugar level is higher than normal. Fasting blood sugar of ≤99 mg/dL is normal, 100–125 mg/dL is prediabetic and ≥126 mg/dL is diabetic. Common risk factors of prediabetes include:

Age ≥ 45 years
Gender (the risk is higher in men than women)
Family history
High blood pressure or stress
Being overweight or obese
Physical inactivity (spending 9 hours/day sitting)
Gestational diabetes: Develops during pregnancy and goes away after birth, but the mother and baby present a high risk of T2DM throughout the life

Book Diabetes Profile and Get 50% Off

How and Where Do I Start?

First, let’s understand where you stand on the scale of diabetes.

Age ≥ 45 years
Gender (the risk is higher in men than women)
Family history
High blood pressure or stress
Being overweight or obese
Physical inactivity (spending 9 hours/day sitting)
Gestational diabetes: Develops during pregnancy and goes away after birth, but the mother and baby present a high risk of T2DM throughout the life

Know What Needs to Change

Now that you know where you stand, it is time to figure out what needs to change, in terms of nutritional uptake and physical activity.

Track Your Weekly Eating Habits

Do people, friends, family and colleagues influence what you eat?
Do you plan your meals before time or give in to last-minute cravings?
Do you read nutritional labels on food packages?
How often do you go out to eat and where?
What makes it harder to eat healthier?
How often do you smoke or consume alcohol and how much?

Track Your Weekly Physical Activity

How much time do you spend walking, jogging or biking?
How much time do you spend doing household chores?
Do you have a go-to physical activity for stress relief, like running?
What makes it challenging to be more physically active?

Change What Needs to Change

Be it your ex or your health, breaking old toxic patterns is something we all desire, but making radical changes and starting a new routine is not as easy as it sounds. Good things always take time. So, be realistic. Make small plans with one step at a time, instead of taking a big leap that is hard to stick with.

Watch Your Weight

If your BMI is 25.0–29.9, you are overweight. If your BMI is ≥30.0, you are obese. In such cases, losing at least 5%–7% of your body weight and staying physically active can greatly reduce your risk of T2DM. This will further reduce your HbA1c levels. The HbA1c test is frequently used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. A normal A1C level is <5.7%, whereas a level of 5.7%–6.4% and ≥6.5% indicates prediabetes and diabetes, respectively. Lower the level of HbA1c, lower the risk of T2DM.

Get Moving with a New Routine

The goal is to take out a minimum of 150 minutes/week for moderate–high intensity workout. This hardly takes 25–30 minutes/day for activities that you can actually enjoy, like brisk walking, running, dancing, swimming, cycling or playing your favourite sports. It’s all about doing what makes you happy.

Mind & Body Therapies

Yoga is a promising cost-effective option for preventing T2DM. It enhances flexibility, muscle strength, blood circulation, heart rate and oxygen uptake. Asanas (postures) enhance insulin receptor expression in the muscles and induce positive effects on glucose utilisation in T2DM.

Some common yoga asanas and their benefits in preventing T2DM:

Forward bend:
Massages and pressurises the pancreas for insulin secretion
Backward bend:
Exerts stimulating and energising effects
Twisted poses:
Squeeze the intestines to prevent stagnation of colonic contents
Kapalbhati:
1) Abdominal pressure created during exhalation improves the efficiency of pancreatic β-cells, 2) helps produce insulin and control blood glucose levels
Vaman dhauti:
1) Increases glucose uptake, 2) minimises insulin resistance, 3) promotes insulin functioning by reducing free fatty acid levels
Shankhaprakshalana:
1) Reduces blood glucose levels, 2) increases insulin production
Pranayama:
1) Increases cerebral blood flow and oxygenation, 2) lowers blood pressure

You Are What You Eat

You have probably noticed that someone who works out everyday but does not follow a proper diet has a hard time losing weight. This is because your diet plays a crucial role in weight management. An ideal diet does not need to be hard and fast or have a popular name or be endorsed by famous celebrities. It just needs to have the following three secret ingredients:

Moderation:
Whatever you eat, practice portion control.
Balance:
A well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein
Variety:
A diet that gives you all the nutrients you need

For diabetes, the diabetes plate method or 9-inch plate method is the best and easiest way to ensure a healthy meal.

Half of your plate should contain non-starchy vegetables: green vegetables + red vegetables + fruits
One quarter of your plate should contain food enriched with lean protein, including nuts, eggs, and chicken)
The last quarter of your plate should contain grains and starchy food like oats and potatoes. You can replace starch by doubling up non-starchy food portions (just ensure it’s not loaded with cheese, butter or exotic sauces).
Pair it with water or a low-calorie drink.

Get Enough Sleep

Anything too much or too little is unhealthy, even your sleep. Lack or excess of sleep can make you crave high-carb food, ultimately inducing weight gain and subsequent risk of health complications. Get 7 or 8 hours of sleep/night for a healthy metabolism and normal blood sugar levels.

Regular Checkups for Preventive Healthcare

Get regular health checkups once in 6 months as diabetes has a tendency to increase the risk of cardiac conditions, like high cholesterol, hypertension and high HbA1c levels. Get your eyes tested annually too. Also, keep your sugar in check on a regular basis; it helps avoid diabetes-related complications.

Stress Management

Research shows that stress triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol into the blood. These hormones hinder the functioning of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, ultimately increasing the blood glucose levels. Stress is also a potential contributor of chronic hyperglycemia and hypertension. Hence, managing physical and mental stress is absolutely vital. Find ways to relieve and manage your stress levels. Consider setting a workout pattern, such as breathing exercises, yoga, hobbies, etc. (Smoking does not count.)

Diabetes or Not, Stop Smoking!

Diabetes is associated with a multitude of diseases, such as those of heart, eyes, kidney, blood vessels, brain and foot. And if you smoke, you are already at high risk of many. Smoking also makes it difficult to work out. Consult your doctor or close ones and find ways to quit.

When it comes to preventing diabetes, one can take several steps, but motivation and consistency are a must for preventing diabetes. Stay focused on success and not on disappointments. Talk to friends, family, healthcare providers for support. Also, there are many apps and websites that can help you attain your healthcare goals. Instead of viewing prediabetes as a stepping stone to diabetes and losing heart, you can see it as a motivator to make healthy changes in your lifestyle.

Testing at Thyrocare

Thyrocare offers 4 different diabetic profiles, namely Diabetic Profile – M, Diabetic Profile (SUGARSO) and Diabetic Profile – Basic and Advanced. The parameters covered help you understand complete blood count, glucose levels, HbA1c levels, iron deficiency, lipid/liver/kidney profile, thyroid profile, vitamins, essential elements and electrolytes and cardiac risk markers. Getting yourself tested is the stepping stones for a healthier tomorrow.

The post Let’s Dia-beat it: Ways to Prevent Diabetes appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

Preventive Healthcare for Healthy Ageing

Health Screen — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 13:59:46 +0000

Over the last few decades, the world has seen a drastic increase in the human life expectancy. In 1800, an average person could live up to 25 years. Today, the global average life expectancy is 70 years. The miracles of modern medicine and public health initiatives have helped us live longer than before – to the extent that we might be running out of innovations to extend human life any further. But the pros of increased life expectancy come with their own set of cons. As people age, they experience natural wear and tear of the body, which makes them more vulnerable to age-related diseases and health issues. Also, our lifestyle choices of today make a great impact on the quality of life tomorrow. By preventing health problems before they arise or identifying them early, you are more likely to live a longer healthier and happier life.

Book Preventive Health Checkup Now And Get 20% Off

What is preventive healthcare?

It’s all about being proactive rather than reactive.

It is routine healthcare that involves screening, checkups and patient counselling to prevent the occurrence of a disease or halt a disease and avert the resulting complications after its onset. It also evaluates any risk of future diseases.

Common diseases of old age and reasons to prevent them

Along with wisdom, old age brings a plethora of health problems. Your immune system isn’t as strong as it used to be. You start losing muscle mass. Obesity, high blood sugar, hypertension do not allow you to live without medicines. Ageing affects your sleep-wake pattern. Your dietary and nutritional needs take a drastic turn, and a mountain of medicines sitting on your dressing table takes a toll on your mind and body. Let’s take a look at some of the common diseases of old age.

Arthritis

Creaking knees, hips and ankles aren’t necessarily normal aches and pains that come with age. It might be arthritis. Arthritis is an age-related degenerative inflammation of joints, cartilages and bones, which worsens with age. You are likely to experience swelling, pain, stiffness and diminished motion in your joints, especially knees. Although medication and therapy can help reduce the pain, arthritis has no cure. It is one of the common causes of physical disability among older adults.

Osteoporosis

Ever wondered why people hunch forward in posture as they grow older? Osteoporosis is one of the common reasons for hunchbacks. Bone is a living tissue, which is in a continuous state of breakdown and reformation. As you grow older, there is significant reduction in bone formation. Your bones start losing mass and density, making you look shorter. In old age, osteoporosis is very common. It makes bones weak and brittle, so much that even a minor fall can leave you with fractured bone, more commonly in hip, wrist or spine. Weak bones cause back pain and stooped posture, making you look shorter over time.

Diabetes

From the time of tasting urine for diagnosis and collecting animal insulin for treatment, diabetes has been one of the greatest mysteries and challenges of the medical world. Although it can now occur at any age, diabetes is commonly a disease of old age. With age, your pancreas cannot effectively produce insulin and glucagon—hormones required for maintaining blood glucose levels. This causes high blood glucose levels. Unmanaged blood sugar gives you increased sugar cravings, and high sugar intake puts you at the doorstep of diabetes. Once you open the door, diabetes greets you with a never-ending list of comorbidities, like high cholesterol, hypertension, kidney diseases and liver diseases.

Heart disease

Heart disease remains the leading killer in old age. Natural ageing makes changes (e.g., weak muscles and stiffening vessels) in the heart and blood vessels, making it more prone to injuries. This gives way to hypertension and high cholesterol, which increase your risk of cardiovascular diseases, like heart attack, stroke and coronary artery disease. In >75-year-old people, congestive heart failure occurs 10 times more often than in younger adults. Also, the outside stress you put on your heart at a young age does not help later at all.

Kidney disease

Older age is a key predictor of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nearly 11% of >65-year-old adults without hypertension or diabetes have creatinine levels that represent stage 3 or worse CKD. Research suggests that diverse factors contribute to this scarring process, such as tissue ischemia, injury, metabolic defects and obesity. If you are an older adult with diabetes, hypertension and/or family history of CKD, go for annual kidney screening. Because kidney disease develops slowly with few symptoms, and many people don’t realize they have it until the disease is advanced. If untreated, CKD can lead to kidney failure.

Liver disease

The liver performs hundreds of vital functions, including digesting food and eliminating toxic substances. It also produces bile, a fluid that helps digest fats and carry away waste. A number of structural and microscopic changes occur as the liver ages. The liver loses the ability to metabolise substances. Hence, some drugs are not inactivated as quickly in older people as they are in younger people. Also, the liver’s ability to withstand stress decreases, and toxic substances can cause more damage in older age. Damaged liver cells take too long to repair. The production and flow of bile decreases with ageing, and you can develop gallstones.

Benefits of preventive healthcare in old age

Age is just a number. Don’t let it stop you from living life to the fullest.

Are you at risk of diseases

Conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes often don’t cause symptoms early on. Keeping track of your weight, blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels can help doctors spot the signs of diseases early. Studying family history allows flagging of risks for inherited conditions, such as cancer or diabetes. Preventive healthcare helps in early diagnosis of health conditions or risk factors for life-threatening diseases.

Early treatment and less complications

Many diseases are easiest to treat when they’re caught in their early stages. Early diagnosis means early treatment, and early treatment means less complications and comorbidities of the disease. A win-win situation that helps you with early recovery from any health problems or stops the disease from either developing altogether.

Managing preexisting conditions

In old age, the body often shows drastic physiological changes, such as sudden weight gain or loss, dry skin, lethargic behaviour and increased or decreased hunger. In such cases, it’s advisable to get your thyroid tested. However, for maximum gain, you should look to get these tests done regularly to foresee a disease and guard against it for a cure

Choose a healthy life today for a healthier tomorrow!

Increased life span

With regular health checkups, you can be sure of how healthy you are or how you need to improve. Your doctor will guide you with a healthy diet, fitness, sleep patterns and stress habits. If you smoke or drink, the doctors will help you with quitting. By following the preventive healthcare advice of healthcare professionals and making healthy lifestyle choices you can increase your lifespan.

Lower healthcare costs

In 2004, Tampa General Hospital, Florida, USA, filed what’s possibly the largest bill in the history of hospitals ever against a deceased patient, $9.2 millions.

No doubt healthcare is costly, and if you don’t have health insurance, several healthcare procedures, like organ transplants and heart surgeries, can raise your bills in 7 digits. Good preventive health checkups do not only keep you healthy. They are also a great way of saving your hard-earned money in the long run because you can reduce the risk of undergoing surgeries and other chronic medical conditions by proactive remediation.

Testing at Thyrocare

“Prevention is better than cure” is true in almost all aspects of life, especially when it comes to healthcare. Thyrocare provides Aarogyam packages to screen for health conditions on time and aim to promote preventive healthcare in elderly. The packages include different parameters, like complete hemogram, liver profile, kidney profile, cardiac risk markers, lipid analysis, thyroid functioning, iron deficiency, diabetes profile, vitamins profile, toxic elements and numerous further. Book Aarogyam packages today for a long and healthy life!

The post Preventive Healthcare for Healthy Ageing appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

Winners Quit too: 10 Reasons to Quit Smoking

Health Screen — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 05:55:54 +0000

“Smoking kills”
“Tobacco causes painful death”
“Smoking causes throat cancer”
“Cigarette smoking is injurious to health”

Cigarette packs come with a variety of warnings. But I often wonder if bold texts and gruesome photographs of cancer victims ever stop smokers from lighting one. If you smoke, many times many people must have asked you to quit smoking. You probably would have thought of kicking this habit too. The road to quitting smoking is not easy, but it’s worth it. Because cigarettes are not a “solution” to every “problem.” They are a huge problem themselves.

Blood Test To Know The Impact of Cigarette On Your Body. Get 20% Off On Your Booking.

What’s in a cigarette?

Just one drag of a cigarette and over 7000 chemicals are on their way to destroy your life. Among these, 250 are toxic and 69 carcinogenic. Let’s take a look at some of the deadly chemicals.

Ammonia – a common household cleaner
Acetone – used in nail polish remover
Acetic acid – used in hair dyes
Arsenic – used in rat poison
Benzene – used in gasoline
Butane – used in lighter fluid
Lead – used in batteries
Carbon monoxide – a part of car exhaust fumes
Naphthalene – used in mothballs
Nicotine – used in insecticides
Methanol – used in rocket fuel
Polonium 210 – radioactive element used in nuclear weapons
Tar – used for paving roads

The main culprit

Nicotine is a toxic chemical present in a tobacco plant. Once inside the body, within seconds nicotine reaches the brain through the bloodstream, stimulating the release of dopamine and adrenaline. These hormones generate the feelings of pleasure and contentment, which explains the “kick” you feel after a smoke. Nicotine also promotes the release of beta-endorphin, a pain-inhibiting hormone. Once these happy effects wear off, you feel a drop in the mood and crave more. Nicotine is addictive. It is the main reason why you keep going back to cigarettes.

A slow death

Respiratory system

As a smoker, breathing issues must be nothing new to you. Toxic chemicals in cigarettes first come in contact with your respiratory system, damaging everything from the nose and upper airway to the alveolar surface of the lungs. Over time, this puts you at an increased risk of pulmonary diseases, including emphysema (shortness of breath), lung cancer and chronic bronchitis (irritation of the bronchial tubes causing chronic cough). Waking up gasping for breath is a worse wake up call than an alarm clock on your dresser. If you don’t quit now, you might be headed for irreversible damage.

Heart and cardiovascular system

Cigarette chemicals can induce permanent damage to the heart and blood vessels. Toxic chemicals cause the cells in your blood vessels to swell and speed up plaque formation. This plaque is made of fatty deposits, cholesterol, cellular waste, calcium, etc. The build up narrows down your blood vessels, making them thick and stiff. This cuts down the blood flow and oxygen transport throughout the body and gives way to numerous heart problems. Common heart conditions include blood clotting, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

Impact on the brain

With the first puff, your mood and concentration improve and you feel happy and stress-free. But in the long run, chemicals kill your brain cells and stop new ones from forming. The effect destroys your cerebral cortex, which is important for memory, thinking, learning, reasoning, emotions and functioning of your senses. There is no subtle way to put this, but the more you smoke, the dumber you get. You are also at thrice the risk of having a stroke, facial paralysis and cerebral aneurysm.

Pancreatic damage and diabetes

Most people associate smoking with lung and heart problems, but it also damages your digestive system, including the pancreas. Cigarette chemicals disturb the production and release of insulin and glucagon—two hormones required for maintaining blood glucose levels. Cigarette chemicals alter the way your body uses glucose and how cells respond to insulin. Going further, smoking puts you at high risk of diabetes and its complications, such as obesity, kidney/liver/heart damage and much more.

Reproductive health

Since nicotine restricts blood flow throughout the body, it is obvious your genitals do not get enough blood supply to stay healthy. Smoking decreases the production of sex hormone as well as sexual desire. For men, this causes erectile dysfunction and decreases sexual performance. For women, it causes sexual dissatisfaction and inability to reach orgasm.

Eye problems

If you are still not able to see how harmful cigarettes are, you probably have eye problems. Cigarette chemicals reduce the fresh blood supply to your retina. Keep smoking, and you will suffer macular degeneration, cataract, dry eyes, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. There is a high chance smoking will leave you completely blind.

Gum diseases

Not just a stinky breath, but smoking gives you double the risk of gum diseases. You are likely to experience swollen and tender gums, bleeding while brushing, loose sensitive teeth and tooth aches. The teeth get yellow, and you can see brown deposits on them. The more you smoke, the higher the risk of dental problems, teeth discoloration, lip darkening and black hairy tongue. You are definitely going to need more than just a mouth freshener.

Spinal cord issues

We all must be aware of elderly relatives suffering from spondylosis. It is a common age-related wear and tear of the spinal discs. Smoking speeds up the degenerative process. The spinal discs between your vertebrae lose cerebrospinal fluid at a faster pace. This fluid is important to protect and support your spinal cord. Any injury to the back and you will be left with life-long back pain, slipped discs and possibly osteoarthritis (a degenerative disease of the joints). Do you have the spine to quit?

Integumentary system (skin, hair and nails)

We all want to look our best while going out. Our looks or hairstyle can either make or break our entire day. But imagine having skin issues, hair loss and stinky fingers all the time? If you are a smoker, these problems are inevitable. Research shows that cigarette smoking increases your risk of skin cancer. The skin ages faster and is more prone to wrinkles, dark spots and premature ageing. Hair problems, like hair fall, balding, hair thinning and greying, are common phenomena. Your nails are not safe either. They become yellow and stinky and can easily develop fungal infections.

Cigarettes & cancers

The relation between cigarettes and lung cancer is well known, but that’s not all. Cigarettes cause several other types of cancers. These include cancers of skin, blood, mouth, throat, larynx, kidney, cervix, liver, colon, pancreas, bladder, testicles, ovaries…literally everything.

If you still need a little extra motivation, consider adding the following, seemingly smaller but equally important, reasons to your list.

Think of the money you will save

Answer the following questions and be honest with yourself.

How much does one cigarette cost? How many cigarettes do you smoke daily? How much does it cost you monthly? How much have you spent on cigarettes since your first smoke? How much have you spent on healthcare due to smoking-related conditions?

All the money you burned in a smoke so far could have been in your bank account right now. Health is indeed your wealth.

You deserve a better social life

Not just your health, smoking affects your relationships too. You might have lied to your loved ones just to be able to go out and get a smoke. You might have withdrawn yourself from the non-smoking group of friends. You might have held yourself back from social events. Smoking is less acceptable in society now than before. Research shows that smokers agree that their social connections reduce and they become less social and more lonely.

Your fittest self

If you are a smoker, try running for 15 mins straight. Bet you can’t even get through the first 5 mins without running out of breath. After you quit, simple tasks become easier, such as climbing a flight of stairs. You can go back to playing your favourite sports or activities you once enjoyed. Even if you are an athlete in a great physical shape or work out a lot, smoking will over time cost you a lot in terms of health and stamina. There is no such thing as “I compensate for my smoking by exercising.”

For your loved ones

Smoking also impacts the health of people around you. Exposure to secondhand smoke carries the same risk to a nonsmoker as a smoker.

Is there a safe level of smoking?

“One cigarette a day is not harmful.”
“Passive smoking won’t kill you.”
“Cutting back is just as good.”
“Mild cigarettes are less risky.”
“I only smoke occasionally.”

No matter the excuses, there is no safe level of smoking. Smoking 1-5 cigarettes per day is as harmful as smoking 20+ cigarettes per day. For heavy smokers, the risk of lung cancer mortality is 23 times in men and 13 times in women than non-smokers.

Quit for good

Cigarettes come at a great cost: your life. Irrespective of how long you’ve been smoking for, it’s never too late to quit. As soon as you stop, your body starts healing itself:

In 20 minutes, heart rate and blood pressure drop.
In 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in the blood drop to normal.
In 24 hours, nicotine levels drop to zero.
In 1-3 months, blood circulation and lung functions improve.
In 1 year, coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
In 3-6 years, the risk of coronary heart disease drops by half.
In 5-10 years, the risk of mouth, throat and larynx cancer is halved and the risk of stroke reduces.
In 10 years, the risk of lung cancer is half that of smokers.
In 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease reduces and becomes close to that of a non-smoker.

Tobacco urges and cigarette cravings can be strong, but if you are determined, you can stand up against these.

Testing at Thyrocare

Smoking Impact Checkup profile by Thyrocare helps assess health conditions and warns you of any serious illnesses due to smoking. The profile covers 66 tests, including screening for thyroid functions and organs like the kidneys and liver. The profile helps in the early detection of diseases related to tobacco consumption. Some of the important parameters covered in the profile are as follows:

Nicotine metabolite: The liver breaks down nicotine into a number of different metabolites, e.g. cotinine, a widely used biomarker for daily nicotine intake. The parameter evaluates metabolite levels in the body.
Cardiac risk markers & lipid profile: Smokers are at high risk of heart diseases due to high cholesterol levels.
HbA1c and fasting blood sugar: Smokers are more susceptible to diabetes due to high blood sugar.
Vitamin B12: Smoking reduces vitamin B12 levels in the body.
Carcino Embryonic Antigen: Cancer marker test; high CEA levels can be a sign of certain types of cancers.

Don’t wait, quit today!

The post Winners Quit too: 10 Reasons to Quit Smoking appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

Effects of Alcohol on Your Body

Health Screen — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 07:41:38 +0000

At first, you may feel happy and stress-free about drowning your sorrows in a drink. After several drinks, your words will start slurring. By the end of the night, you will barely be standing straight with no coordination between the body and brain and struggling to keep your eyes open. It’s okay to wobble home on rare occasions, but if you are a regular drinker, alcohol affects your health in more severe ways than this. It is bound to give you more than just a hangover.

How much is too much?

While not everyone who enjoys an occasional drink will become alcoholic, this type of drinking behaviour increases the risk of harmful health consequences. Moderate drinking involves one drink for women per day and two drinks for men per day. Binge drinking is when in one sitting, you chug down four or more drinks (women) or five or more drinks (men). Extreme binge drinking is twice or higher than the gender-wise binge drinking baseline. You are a heavy drinker, if you enjoy 8 or more drinks per week (women) or 15 or more drinks per week (men). Also, it goes without saying that if you are younger than 21 years or pregnant, alcohol should not be on your menu at all. A binge or heavy drinker may notice the health effects of alcohol sooner, but moderate drinking also poses health risks.

A peg a day shrinks your brain away…

Experts claim that moderate drinking has protective health benefits. But latest research suggests that even one drink everyday is capable of reducing your brain size. As we age, our brain ages too, but for a heavy drinker, alcohol is like a spirit to the fire in the ageing process. It reduces the size, shape and functioning of brain cells at a faster pace. This affects everything your brain does: ability to think, learn, reason, remember, react, respond, deduce, make decisions, use logic…basically your overall cognitive performance.

In India, alcohol leads to 40% of all road accidents. This is a demonstration of one short-effect of alcohol on your brain activity. Just imagine the damage that has already been done inside so far. So, think before your next drink.

Mental health and losing your mind

Don’t let those initial happy feelings fool you. They fade away as fast as they hit. The chemical changes in your brain lead to more negative feelings, and you’ll soon find yourself depressed, anxious, angry or emotionally charged. Even small things around can tick you off. Heavy drinking over long periods affects your emotions, mood, thinking paradigm and entire personality. It affects your overall mental health and can induce symptoms like bipolar disorder.

Drinking before going to bed helps you sleep better

This is probably the biggest myth you will ever hear and believe.

Alcohol is a sedative. It allows you to fall asleep faster but not peacefully. Alcohol is hard to break down. Your body processes it throughout the night based on the amount consumed. It disturbs your rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is absolutely vital to restore mind and body. REM sleep is a phase where we dream the most, and disturbed REM means high chances of vivid nightmares. For instance, any noise or movement in the room can feel like a part of a dream to your mind. Once the effects of alcohol wear off, you’ll find yourself tossing and turning in bed, getting up to pee multiple times and feeling drowsy the next day.

The gut feeling

Stomach is the first organ to have a long contact with alcohol in your body. The side effects of alcohol on the stomach only appear when the damage is done. Unlike other foods, alcohol directly enters your bloodstream from the stomach lining. Once inside the blood system, it is free to destroy everything it comes in contact with. The direct impact is on the liver, pancreas and large intestine. In the short term, heavy drinking gives you gas, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation. Over the years, you can develop painful stomach ulcers and gastritis (irritation of the stomach lining). Additionally, since alcohol is hard to break down, it increases acid content in the digestive tract which gradually raises into your throat. This causes heartburn and makes you throw up if you have lost the count of your drinks.

Is it really good for your heart?

It still remains debatable if moderate drinking is good for your heart health, especially wine. But the catchphrase here is ‘moderate drinking’, and you sure don’t need to pop a bottle every night to reap all the benefits.

An occasion of binge drinking is capable of disturbing cardiac electrical signals, which are needed to pump out blood. Prolonged consumption of alcohol causes disturbed blood circulation, arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats) and high blood pressure. It also stretches and weakens your heart muscles and increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and cardiovascular diseases. Since alcohol contains high amounts of calories, it leads to weight gain, obesity and an endless list of cardiac and other health conditions.

Paving way to liver diseases

The relationship between liver and alcohol is probably more toxic than your ex. Although the stomach breaks down some of the alcohol ingested, the majority of it is broken down by the liver. The liver mainly filters out blood and removes toxins from the body. Alcohol breakdown generates lots of toxins and carcinogens, including acetaldehyde. This substance is a poison to cells as it induces inflammatory changes and DNA damage.

Regular drinking builds up excess fat in your liver, making it thicker and fibrous. This excess fat limits the supply of fresh blood to the liver, and the organ fails to gain required nutrients to survive or function to its full capacity. Every time the liver filters alcohol, some cells die off. Several alcohol-related liver diseases can appear over time, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis.

How alcohol affects your pancreas

Although it remains a mystery as to how alcohol damages the pancreas, one theory is that alcohol molecules interfere with the functioning of pancreatic cells. The pancreas normally produces enzymes and hormones (including insulin and glucagon) and releases them into the bloodstream. The interference affects this production and release. Alcohol toxins and stored-up substances make the pancreas digest itself, causing inflammation and severe damage.

Normally, when blood sugar is high, the pancreas secretes insulin. When blood sugar is low, it secretes glucagon. A proper balance of blood sugar is very important for proper bodily functions. But the damage from alcohol does not allow your body to make enough or effective insulin, which increases the risk of diabetes.

You’ll know it in your bones

Pancreatic damage affects the absorption of calcium and vitamin D, both important for healthy bone development. Without them, your bone density decreases. Bones get thinner, weaker and porous, putting you at risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis. In men, heavy drinking produces less testosterone, a hormone associated with osteoblasts (cells that help bone formation). In women, heavy drinking decreases oestrogen, a hormone needed for bone strength. This is why in women, bone loss is common during menopause as oestrogen levels decline naturally.

On an obvious note, the more you drink, the higher your chances of falling due to impaired brain–body coordination. This also increases the risk of fractures.

Hearing loss…What did you say?

In case you haven’t heard, alcohol impairs your hearing. The auditory nerve in the ear transfers the sound we hear to the auditory cortex in the brain for processing. Heavy drinking damages the nerve and cortex both. Alcohol also alters the composition and volume of inner ear fluid and disrupts tiny hairs inside. Temporary or permanent hearing loss is thus common after drinking. You must have noticed how sometimes having one-too-many drinks leaves a ringing in your head and ears.

Sexual and reproductive health

You might think that drinking alcohol spices up fun in the bedroom. However, in reality, heavy drinking reduces sex drive and production of sex hormone. In men, it affects sperm quality and causes erectile dysfunction. In women, it causes difficulty conceiving and orgasmic latency and affects ovarian reserve and menstrual cycle, increasing the risk of infertility.

Writer Victor Hugo once said

‘The wise man is he who knows when and how to stop’

Our body is constantly talking to us, whether we are aware of it or not. It gives us signals if something is not right within. If you pay attention, you’ll know it’s tired of your drinking habits. It needs your attention and care. Instead of staying late cranking up another bottle, re-evaluate your lifestyle and make healthy changes. It is never too late to start over. Moreover, make room for preventive healthcare as it not only saves money and time but also lives.

Testing at Thyrocare

Sobriety is a journey, not a destination. For this, you need to know the damage alcohol has done to your body till date. Thyrocare has launched Alcohol Impact Checkup and Alcohol Impact Checkup Advanced packages that evaluate 60+ parameters at affordable prices. The profiles help you understand the impact of alcohol on your health, so you can start taking the required steps.

Get tested today!

The post Effects of Alcohol on Your Body appeared first on HealthScreen Magazine.

Health Article Archives - HealthScreen Magazine

COVID Omicron Variant BF.7

What is the COVID Omicron Variant BF.7?

What distinguishes BF.7 from other COVID variants?

Should we worry about Omicron Variant – BF.7?

Symptoms of Omicron BF.7

Are You at Risk?

What Steps to Take to Prevent BF.7 Infection?

Be Alert & Be Safe!

Simple Desk Exercises To Stay Fit At Work

Stretch It Out

Desk Push-ups

Neck Rotations

Shoulder Rotations

Tricep Dips

Under-the-desk Leg Workout

Squat Hold

Take A Small Walk

No To Elevator, Yes To Stairs

Benefits of desk exercises:

10 Easy Tips To Treat Dry & Damaged Hair

1. Oil Your Hair Often

2. Regular Hair Wash

3. Stay Away From Chemical-based Shampoos

4. Condition The Right Way

Book Vitamin Profile and Get 20% Off

5. Blow Dry? No, Air Dry Your Hair

6. Comb Through

7. Regular Hair Trimming

8. Hydrate, Hydrate, and Hydrate

9. Eat Healthy

10. Regular Health Checkups

Shedding Light on Vitamin D Deficiency

Book Vitamin Profile and Get 20% Off

Common Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency:

Testing To Detect Vitamin D Deficiency

8 Skin Care Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Doing

Not hydrating enough

Not getting your beauty sleep

Not eating right

Book Skincare Profile and Get 20% Off

Not working out

Taking too much stress

Smoking

Using sun protection only in summers

Not getting regular health checkup

Testing at Thyrocare

Winter Smog – A Hot Topic

Book Pollution Profile and Get 20% Off

What’s Particulate Matter?

Connection Between Smog and Winter

Common Health Hazards

Better Protect Than Regret

Make a run for it, but not in mornings

Use face masks when outdoor

Go with the flow and ventilate

Air-purifying plants

Use air-purifiers

Testing at Thyrocare

Let’s Dia-beat it: Ways to Prevent Diabetes

Book Diabetes Profile and Get 50% Off

How and Where Do I Start?

Know What Needs to Change

Track Your Weekly Eating Habits

Track Your Weekly Physical Activity

Change What Needs to Change

Watch Your Weight

Get Moving with a New Routine

Mind & Body Therapies

Forward bend:

Backward bend:

Twisted poses:

Kapalbhati:

Vaman dhauti:

Shankhaprakshalana:

Pranayama:

You Are What You Eat

Moderation:

Balance:

Variety: