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Raising awareness for chronic health conditions

The Global Risks Report examines some of the most serious threats that the world may see in the next ten years, considering the speed at which technology is developing, economic instability, global warming, and conflict. Weakened economies and societies may only need the tiniest shock to push past the very edge of resilience when it comes under pressure.

The 19th GRR published by the World Economic Forum informs us about all possible major dangers to humans and human development. Amongst the social issues, the rise of chronic diseases is one of them that terrifies the common people, as it can affect anyone from any social or economic background alike. Raising awareness regarding the preventative measures of chronic conditions is imperative for the risks to be dealt with.

While some of the hazards we face are well-known from human history, like pandemics and geopolitical wars, others are relatively new and rapidly changing, including changes in the Earth system or unfavourable effects from the latest technologies. Multiple global risks are connected with each other and may have adverse effects on humanity– clawing at our feeble shields and decreasing our ability to counter them.

Chronic illness is mainly referred to any illness that lasts beyond 21 to 30 days. Some of these are hypertension, diabetes, cancer, cardiac diseases, stroke, psychological disorders, and many more. As mentioned by Md Wasim Mondal, a nurse working in the Apollo Hospital, chronic diseases are mainly caused due to unhealthy lifestyle led by a person. He stated 3 major reasons due to which a person might develop a chronic illness: diet, lifestyle, and stress. There is no definite cure for chronic diseases but with certain measures, they can be controlled.

Some of the preventative measures according to Dr. Jigar Nayak, who is an MS surgeon, include exercising, doing yoga, maintaining a proper diet, and managing stress effectively. It is also better to replace carbonated drinks with organic beverages like coconut water and lemon water. He stated that if someone is already suffering from a chronic disease; along with the above-mentioned points they also need to go for regular checkups, have protein-rich food, and refrain from smoking & drinking.

Dr. Jigar Nayak shared one of his experiences with a patient who was suffering from chronic disease. According to the doctor when the patient came to him for the first time, they considered his condition to be jaundice as the symptoms mainly included yellow eyes, drastic fluctuation in weight, and many more. However, the prescribed medications did not make any impact on his condition. Thereafter they made further tests and concluded that he was suffering from Pancreatic Cancer. Since there is no cure for this disease, all that the doctor and the medical staff could do was to reduce his suffering. They assisted the man to improve by putting him on a better diet, encouraging him to exercise, and in fact assisting him to lead a healthier life. “You are what you eat.” said Dr. Jigar Nayak implying that to lead a healthy lifestyle one must eat healthy and exercise regularly.

To conclude, a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet must be followed by every individual to prevent the looming danger of chronic conditions. Stress management and minimising harmful practices, primarily smoking and drinking are necessary. It is worth mentioning that the occupation of many is a great source of stress, and prevents some from having healthier lifestyles as well. How corporations and organisations shall make changes to ensure the health of their employees should be discussed and materialised.

*image taken from mantracare.org

*image taken from healthfederation.org

SOURCES:

*Interviwee 1: Md Wasim Mondal (nurse)

*Interviwee 2: Dr. Jigar Nayak (surgeon)

*Global risk report 2024