Brief overview of lifestyle diseases also known as non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) and the role of Physiotherapy.
Just as the name suggest- lifestyle diseases are caused by your lifestyles. It literally means that the little choices you make every day will dictate your future health and wellbeing.
These lifestyle diseases, or as they are called in the medical field- non-communicable diseases are classified as chronic diseases and can commonly be ascribed to a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors.
Bad news: Currently lifestyle diseases are the leading cause of premature deaths (between ages 30-69 years) worldwide.
Good news: By making small lifestyle changes, you can decrease your risk with 81%.
The most common and prevalent lifestyle diseases are:
Cardiovascular diseases- heart attacks and strokes
Cancer
Chronic respiratory diseases - asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Diabetes Mellitus type 2
Risk factors and global trends that leads to an increase in lifestyle diseases are: harmful use of alcohol, tobacco, sodium/ salt intake and physical inactivity (sedentary lifestyles).
Harmful use of alcohol such as episodic binge intake of alcohol have numerous metabolic
Tobacco use- This includes smoking as well as smokeless tobacco usage. Not only people who have direct interaction with tobacco have poor health outcomes- but people exposed to second hand smoking is also largely at risk.
Sodium/ salt intake- A diet high in salt/ sodium leads to an increase in blood pressure and higher risk for heart-related diseases.
Physical inactivity- People who lead sedentary lifestyles have an increased risk on all lifestyle diseases. All people who engage in less than 30min exercise a day, for most days of the week are at large risk.
Tips on small changes that you can make on a daily basis:
Start off by limiting tobacco usage, and progress to stopping completely. If you need health- never be scared of reaching out to a family member/ friend / health practitioner.
Limit alcohol usage- be responsible and prevent episodic binge drinking completely.
Taste your food before you sprinkle some extra salt on it. Most processed foods (including ready made meals) already contains a lot of salt and sodium, therefore it is not necessary to add any more salt to your food. (In most cases- especially in western societies adding salt to your food is simply a habit!)
Start to increase your daily physical activity. Sit less- stand and walk more. Start with short intervals of exercise/ physical activity, at least bouts of 10min at a time. Aim for 10000 steps a day. * The world health organisation recommends a minimum of 150 min of moderate physical activity per week (for adults) in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
No matter who you are or where you are from- these small changes can be made by every single person out there!!!
Role of physiotherapist:
Will it be beneficial to see a physiotherapist?
Definitely YES!
...they will lead you and help you in making the small changes YOU decided to make...
If you are struggling to make these small changes on your own- you are not alone. The least you can do is admit it, and reach out for help. Physiotherapist’s are specialists when it comes to physical activity and functional behaviour- and lifestyle changes. (Although they are not miracle workers -) They can provide you with extensive and personalised information regarding your lifestyle- your habits- and your risk factors. They can assist you with your specific risk factors. Provide you with a personalised exercise/ physical activity plan. Motivate and encourage you to keep on reaching for your specific goals! Keep you accountable. Most importantly they will lead you and help you in making the small changes YOU decided to make.
Are you ready to change a few small “bad habits” for a healthier and longer life?
In which ever way you decide to do it- START NOW!!!