The Internet is awash with articles and opinions on diseases, medicines, and remedies for our ailments. “Dr. Google” is sought after for free medical advice. This can pose threats to one’s health.
In this final medical column, these are some basic information and advice that can help.
According to the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases (NCD) account for 74 percent of deaths worldwide. Cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, heart failure, stroke or “brain attack”, cancers, chronic lung diseases, and diabetes including kidney disease cause 80 percent of all premature NCD deaths. Tobacco smoking, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diets, air pollution, and harmful use of alcohol all increase the risk of dying from a NCD.
The circulatory system is made of a continuum of blood vessels. Blood pumped from the heart flows smoothly through arteries and capillaries to the different parts of the body then back to the heart through veins.
Arteries have a very thin lining called the endothelium that helps maintain smooth blood. Any condition that injures this lining and disturbs the smooth flow of blood can lead to the formation of small clots and plaques inside the blood vessel. Blood clots or plaques can slowly grow in size or become dislodged and block blood supply in any body part.
In hypertensive disease, shear stress and elevated pressure damage the delicate lining and wall of arteries and the small capillaries. We feel the results as disturbance in vision when the small arteries of the eyes (inside the retina) are affected. In the heart when it suddenly becomes infarcted (a part of the heart dies because of sudden blockade in its blood flow) or it slowly enlarges until it decompensates and we feel the effects of heart failure like easy fatigue, air hunger or difficulty in breathing.
Hypertension and diabetes mellitus also damage the walls and linings of the minute blood vessels inside the kidneys. The functional working units of the kidneys that cleanse our blood of waste or adjust electrolytes are in fact small tufts or balls of delicate capillaries. Kidney damage itself contributes to blood pressure elevation, elevated blood uric acid levels, anemia, heart enlargement.
When a doctor requests for blood examinations and other laboratory tests, results are interpreted as a whole and in consideration of the patient’s physical examination. For example, elevation of blood sugar is correlated with abnormalities in blood cholesterol and the patient’s blood pressure. The doctor treats the patient as a case of metabolic syndrome to prevent cardiovascular complications. He does not treat just the BP or the blood sugar.
Hypertension, obesity and diabetes mellitus, heart disease, kidney failure are regarded as lifestyle diseases.
We choose the way we live, the things that we do, the food we eat.
Doctors – “Dr. Google” included – tell us the secrets of disease prevention – adequate sleep, exercise, healthy diet, wholesome personal social interactions and relationships, cessation of smoking and other harmful substances. These are the primary preventive measures that we ourselves need to do, and it can be a self-imposed task to inculcate them to the younger generation.
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Social media can also be actually called anti-social media when we over use it. An expert neurologist said personal social interactions are important for brain functions and mental health. In contrast, improper use of social media “fries the brain”.
Improper use of social media can contribute to anxiety and depression and these in turn have been linked to overeating, loss of sleep, sedentary lifestyle, loss of interest in health-promoting social interactions.
The lecturer said even a simple greeting to one person helps improve mental health.
