How To Manage The 5 Common Lifestyle Disorders: An Expert's Opinion

A few things that help correct the lifestyle are:

1. Eating habits:

• Eating home-cooked meals 90 per cent of the time [1].
• Including fresh seasonal vegetables in your meals.

2. Good quality sleep:

• 7-8 hours of sleep at proper times helps regulate hormones [2].

3. Managing stress:

• Seek help if stress is affecting your digestion, sleep, and you are experiencing excessive mood swings.
• Meditation, regular exercise and avoiding stressful situations help in managing stress [3].

4. Regular exercise:

• Ensure you are physically active. At least 30 minutes of intense exercise is very important when it comes to managing stress, regulating sleep and keep the moods elevated [4].

Common lifestyle disorders:

1. Diabetes Type 2

It is a lifestyle condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar (glucose). The body produces insulin to send the blood sugar to the cells, but the cells are not receptive. They are unable to take in the blood sugar leading to high blood sugar levels. This is called insulin resistance.

The body, at a later stage, also stops producing insulin leading to high sugar levels in the body.The first symptoms of type 2 diabetes are excessive thirst, frequent urination, hunger, fatigue and blurred vision [5].

Medicines only treat the symptoms of diabetes. The actual treatment of the root causes is through a nutritious diet, regular exercise, stress management and regulated sleep cycle [6][7].

Remedies for managing diabetes:

Fenugreek seeds: It's important to manage blood sugar levels. High fibre foods go a long way in managing sugar levels. One tablespoon of overnight soaked fenugreek seeds taken in the morning has shown to have a positive impact in lowering the blood sugar levels [8].

2. Hypothyroidism

When the thyroid gland, which is shaped like a butterfly in the throat doesn't produce enough of the thyroid hormone, it leads to hypothyroidism [9]. It can slow down the metabolism and cause fatigue, unexplained weight gain, dry skin, constipation, cold sensitivity, hair fall, dry, brittle nails and hair.

Remedies for managing hypothyroidism:

Coconut oil:Consuming 1 tbsp cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil in the morning helps balance hormones. One can also include this as a cooking medium [10].

3. High Uric Acid

High uric acid levels in the blood are caused when the kidneys are unable to eliminate uric acid efficiently. Factors leading to slow down of the removal of uric acid is excessive fatty foods, alcohol, excessive proteins, obesity and in some cases, genetics.

Very high uric acid levels can lead to joint pains called gout, which can be very painful [11]. Management of diet and regular exercise helps in the management of high uric acid.

Remedies for managing high uric acid:

Potato juice: Potatoes are rich in Vit C and are low in purine. Hence, it helps eliminate excess uric acid. It is best to have potato juice that is freshly squeezed so that it doesn't lose the Vit C. Grate one potato, mix with a little water and squeeze through a muslin cloth [12].

4. Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Polycystic ovaries are ovaries that contain follicles that never matured and can be seen as cysts in the ovaries. These are not the painful fluid-filled ovaries but just dead follicles that did not mature.

This is a condition of hormonal imbalance and leads to menstrual irregularities, acne, excessive hair growth, especially male pattern, as there is a rise in the male hormone or androgens in the body [13][14]. Diet management with more proteins and lower carbohydrates, along with regular exercise, helps in the management of PCOS.

Remedies for managing polycystic ovarian syndrome:

Fenugreek seeds: PCOS leads to insulin resistance in the body, and hence the diet needs to support better insulin receptiveness. One tablespoon of overnight soaked fenugreek seeds taken in the morning has shown to have a positive impact in lowering the blood sugar levels [15].

5. Hypertension

Hypertension or high BP is the major reason for deaths worldwide. It can lead to heart failure or strokes. Blood pressure or BP is the force exerted by the circulating blood on the arteries.

The higher it is, the greater the risk. This caused due to a lot of factors, mainly poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. A low sodium diet and exercise along with fruits and vegetables in the meals is the way to manage hypertension [16][17].

Remedies for managing hypertension:

Vegetable juice: 250 ml of vegetable juice - spinach, beetroot, carrot and lettuce - is nitrate-rich that help in combatting hypertension [18].

On A Final Note…

No one thing will help in curing a lifestyle disorder; however, these remedies, when done along with a lifestyle shift, help in expediting the process.