Diabetes - Prevention is the Best Cure

At the start, let me clarify, I do not have Diabetes, but with two parents who have Type II Diabetes, I stand a high chance of getting it.

I've seen my parents, take care of what they eat, check their blood sugar every Sunday, taking an Insulin Injection, in the stomach. So I've seen what living with Diabetes is like, up close and personal.

Since Diabetes is a stress related, Life Style Disease, so I've heard, I lead a typical Mumbai Life, too much work, crazy traffic, Active Social Life, love of good food and sweets, and finally not enough exercise.  

So basically I'm Stacking the numbers against me, and if I want to continue enjoying my life without compromising what I eat, what I drink and mind my sugar levels, I need to make very big changes in my life and lifestyle, and I need to make them now in my Mid Thirties.

So here are some small changes one can make to make sure Life Style Diseases like Diabetes are kept at bay.

Get more active, sedentary jobs are a prime cause for life style disease, it all starts with a lack of exercise. We need to clock at least 10,000 steps in a day. Invest in a pedometer and start keeping track of your daily step count. Pick an exercise routine that works for you. Walk for 15-30 mins a day, take the steps, and just get physically fitter. 

Keep your weight in check, a thickening waistline is the first indicator of metabolism slowing down, your body isn't functioning optimally, and now its time to watch the calories, start the exercise, irregular habits of any kind will only send you metabolism spiralling done the "probable future problems" rabbit hole.

Better eating habits, try to balance your intake across the food groups, don't buy into fad diets, your body needs nutrients, watch your portions if you have a tendency to over eat, try super cards or brown rice, unpolished lentils, as healthier options, include veggies & fruits in your diet. Ate at regular times, pushing Lunch hour at work is a terrible way to live, the body needs nourishment at regular times, and all the hard work needs you to be well nourished.

Get enough sleep, sleep deprivation is a cause for bad moods, cranky behaviour, fatigue, low energy, grogginess, which leads to excessive intake of caffeines, sugar, sometimes excessive eating. Try to wake and sleep at the same time everyday, even on weekends, start your day early on weekends and treat yourself with an afternoon nap after a good lunch, our bodies respond well to discipline and regular habits.

Get regular Health Checkups, prevention is the best cure, keep track of your health, ECGs, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, Eye Tests, Pap Smears, Mammograms whatever you need, once a year, year and a half. It's like checking your car before a road trip; you don't skimp on the oil, fuel and air check there, do you? 

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And finally take a break once in a while, your body needs to recharge just like your devices, and lazing once in a while, freeing your head of white noise, and generally worrying about nothing will go a long way in keeping you healthy.

For the Love of Food!

"If music be the food of love, play on" said Shakespeare in the Twelfth Night, I always thought there was something wrong with the quote, I'm convinced that he was talking about food being the love, the music, the joy of life but 'twas lost in translation.

I Love Food, that is a gross understatement, I live to eat, I dream about food, I cook up recipes to try. I'm the one reading the menu card, long after the order has been placed, because I want to lose myself in the scrumptious offerings an eatery has, so what if I try nary one or two dishes. I'm the one talking about food when I'm hungry, mentally salivating over flavours and favourite foods. OK, so you get the point I love food.

In a country blessed with diverse geography, a variety of ingredients, spices that tingle and tickle, a person like me would be spoilt for choice. 

And I am, in fact we all are (the foodies for sure); India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is smorgasbord waiting to be sampled, to tempt and tantalise your senses.

From Kari Meen, to Rogan Josh, Undhiyu to Patodi Macch, I could wax poetic about the food this country has to offer.

Of course, every time I travel the only order of business is try sample as many local cuisines, dishes, visit as many iconic eateries as I can, and each time I come back with my soul as satiated as my belly.

And not only had I visited a new place, I had relished the delicacies it has in store for me, enjoyed its unconditional love albeit for a little while, why love because there is no greater act of love than to feed a belly – hungry or otherwise. And that’s what we do in India, show our love through food, whether its goodies exchanged at festivals, or friends dropping over, or just a mother trying recipes to feed her finicky kids.

Now Food Tourism, is the new kid on the block, places trying to use the soft power of their cuisine to attract tourists, using the power of the Chicken Tikka Masala to lure visitors to come have a bite, and it’s a great concept. I mean in the 60’s it was yoga and spirituality, which made everyone make a beeline for India.

And of course food is soft power today, all you need to do is take one look at Social Media sites and you will find an abundance of food pics, TV shows like Master Chef, are broadening our knowledge of food and making us more experimental with what we want to try.

If you’re a foodie like me, do yourself a favour and travel across India sampling tasty morsels, the delicate doodh puff, the hearty sund, the chunky pethas, the list is endless.

In fact companies like Tikka Safari, organise food trails & food tours, where the journey is spent visiting places, with the intention of eating great food, chasing unknown delicacies in a place you've never been, getting invited by a local family for a traditional meal, or cooking in a communal kitchen.

Book yourself on a trip and eat your way across India, after all there is no love sincerer, than the love of food.

The Side Effects of Self Medication

We live in a country where self medication is common place, in fact people take pride in popping pills that they can purchase OTC - Over the Counter. 

Uncles offer advice on what symptoms mean and which pills alleviate said symptoms, chemists are part time doctors and peddle their latest wares, listing out the benefits of vitamins, antidotes and keep you young medicines.

I know so many people, who keep a handy stock of pills, for every known common ailment and sometimes uncommon ones as well. And at the first sniffle, tickle or pain, starts the self diagnosing, "Maybe it’s this, maybe it’s that" and down goes the medicine with a beatific smile.

  

We also live in a country where prescriptions aren't necessarily needed, and the length of the relationship with your friendly neighbourhood chemist, is prescription enough.

Of course with apps like BuzzPharma, ordering medicines home is easy, prescriptions are essential, and no part time doctors to deal with, I reckon that the crazy pill popping and self medication will stop.

There are some serious side effects to self medicating. 

First of all - one mustn't self diagnose, unless you have spent a few years studying and a few hundred nights cramming your head with all the possible ailments that mankind suffers from, you really have no idea what you're dealing with. With new diseases on the horizon attacking our species, getting a diagnosis from people who know best is the safest way ahead.

Second of all – if you have an ailment that’s common, like a case of tonsillitis say, do know the degree of infection, can you peer inside your own throat and figure out if your tonsils are pink, swollen, blotchy or oozing pus (yes that happens). So how would you know the dosage, the anti biotic, what medicines are needed to counter the side effects of the anti biotic (yes, sadly that does happen too), what to eat (I was once prescribed vanilla ice cream to deal with a very bad case of tonsillitis, I speak from experience) and how long must you consume the medicine.

Relapses occur when a dosage hasn't been taken for long enough to kill the offending bacterial intruder. A less than required dosage just sort of stuns the bacteria and then it gathers steam and before you know it, you’re out of commission again and now dealing with a strain which has grown immune to the said drug (what doesn't kill the bacteria makes it stronger, survival of the fittest – pick your metaphor)

And also aren't you weakening your immunity, by popping pills regularly aren't you building up a chemical co-dependency to deal with common ailments that your body is designed to fight and throw out of its system. Yes one does feel weak when the body is battling a nasty intruder, but that’s an indicator that you need to rest, hydrate, consult a doctor and take a day off. It definitely does not mean pop a pill and head to work, that just makes it worse.

And finally with self medication one really only cures low hanging fruit, I mean a headache is not an ailment it’s a symptom of something deeper that’s not right, sometimes as simple as dehydration, or oncoming myopia but an Aspirin or a Disprin is not going to fix the dehydration of myopia, but it will make you ignore what your body is trying to tell you and maybe worsen the problem for another day.

Do yourself a favour, don’t self diagnose, don’t self medicate, reach out to a doctor if you’re unwell.

Today it’s as simple as logging on to a Zywee.com and locating a doctor, hospital, reading reviews and making an informed decision about who treats what ails you.