DISEASES & DISABIITIES
It is a very unfortunate that obesity leads to many disabilities in one's later
life. Some of these disabilities are crippling in nature & others, degenerative.
Diabetes: - Onset
of diabetes in adulthood is more common solely among obese persons. Even though heredity
is the deciding factor in diabetes, chances are remote if the person takes care not to
gain weight as he grows. There are persons with normal weight who are not diabetic though
there is a family history of diabetes. Some among such individuals believe strongly that
they will inherit the disorder one-day or other in their middle age. This belief itself
leads them to behave, as obesity is also a leading cause of diabetes the United States of
America. Some diabetics would & they slowly gain weight.
Abnormal eating habits in diabetes: -
Normally, a diabetic individual feels hungry
& eats at short intervals. It is necessary for him to eat small frequent meals rather
large ones at long intervals. They have certainly misunderstood this recommendation. While
eating frequently, they fail to regulate or reduce the quantity & quality of food
eaten. They satisfy their hunger pangs but stuffing themselves with readily available
commercial food, rich in calories but poor in nutrition. At times they also over eat to
keep hunger at bay. This type of indiscretion increases the bulk of their body. This is
harmful. There should be a rational & perceptible solution for the ignorance about
what, when & how a diabetic should eat.
Heart
attack: -
Obesity invites a number of heart diseases & possibilities of
an attack even at a very young age. It is a disturbing fact that heart attacks &
deaths occur even at the age of thirty & below, caused by obesity due to over
nourishment & high living style when there is a large amount of fat around the chest,
the lungs have less room to expand. Blood oxygenation is impaired. This also makes the
heart work harder due to which breathing becomes laborious.
Arthritis:
-
The structure of the human body is designed to be active in order to stay
fit & be free disabilities. Bulk in the body disallows brisk activity & exercise.
Exercise is essential for the production of calcium & to prevent its depletion in the
bones. If there is no activity, the amount of calcium in and around the bones & joints
will reduce causing stiffness of the joints. When the weight bearing joints are over
burdened due to obesity, they tend to cause swelling & rigidity of the limbs. The pain
& stiffness confines the individual to bed. Discouraging even the minimum of essential
movements. The damage occurs slowly & progressively when degeneration of the joints
takes place. This called degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis.
Cancer:
-
Obesity also results in an increase result of cancer. In females there is
up to a there-fold increase in the incidence of breast, uterine, cervical, & ovarian
cancer. The risk of endometirial lacer (cancer of the inside lining of the uterus) is up
to seven times higher for obese women. For men, there is an increased incidence of colon
& prostate cancer.
Hypertension:
-
One of the most common complications of obesity is
hypertension. Or high blood pressure. Around 30% of individuals who are overweight have
mildly elevated blood pressure. The etiology of this increase in blood pressure appears to
be related to substances produced by adipose (fat) tissue & to the increase in the
hormone insulin that occurs with obesity. Obese individual with hypertension should first
be treated with dietary methods in an attempt to bring their weight down to more normal
levels. The majority of people who normalize their weight and avoid excess salt can avoid
being on blood pressure medications.
High
cholesterol: -
Hypercholesterollemia or elevated cholesterol is commonly
associated with obesity on average; every 5 kilograms of excess fat produces approximately
10 to 12 mg of cholesterol per day. In other words putting on 20 kilos leads to the
equivalent of taking in one extra egg yolk per day. Cholesterol levels are determined by
both genetics & diet with 2/3 being genetically determined and the remaining 1/3 by
diet. Most people can successfully control their cholesterol by reducing their fat intake
& weight. And we are here to help you to reduce cholesterol through unani herbal
treatments without any negative effects.
Gall
stones: -
Obesity is also frequently complicated by gallstones. Approximately
25% of obese individuals have gallstones, frequently resulting in surgery. The increase in
cholesterol that results from obesity is one the major reasons for the increased incidence
of gallstones.
Sleep
disorder: -
Obesity is frequently complicated by many medical problems.
Typically, as people gain weight, they tend to feel tired all the time & may have
problems sleeping. Problems with sleep may be indicative of a severe condition called
pickwickian syndrome, or "sleep apnea". For people with this problem, it becomes
progressively more difficult to breath at night as their weight increases. These people typically
snore severely & have episodes when they stop breathing completely for up to one
minute at a time. During these periods of not breathing, their heart rates may become very
irregular, which can lead to fatal heart attacks. Frequently, these people transiently
awaken when they resume breathing. This may occur dozens of times per night, causing them
to feel tired the next day & even fall asleep while sitting in meetings or driving.
Sleep apnea is a very serious complication of obesity.
Osteoporosis:
-
Obesity causes one more disease known as osteoporosis. It is common mostly
in women. A detailed description of this disease enables one to understand the damage it
can cause.
We tend to think that the bone is a solid stony mass but it is not so a
cavity. This cavity holds minerals, mostly calcium and phosphated & protein rich
fibrous communicative tissues that keep changing. Bones keep on breaking down in minute
amounts and are replaced constantly. This function in known as remodeling. This remodeling
process helps in maintaining strong bones. Between the age of 35 to 40, there is a steady
loss of bone, (around 4 percent in a year) especially in women, though there is enormous
remodeling. This loss steadily continues till menopause, bone remodeling required calcium
& other nutrients that are stored in the cavity. Since the body needs calcium for
other activities, it tends to restore the calcium from the bones thus the calcium level in
the blood drops too low. As a result the bones become porous with a spongy appearance.
This condition is known as osteoporosis.
Coffee, tea and other beverages & drugs containing caffeine speed
up the excretion of calcium & other minerals. In case of obese people, the tendency to
consume caffeine in all forms other than coffee, tea (analgesics, soft drinks etc) plays a
major role for this condition besides lack of exercise & manual labour. As one grows
old, it is a wise thing to avoid these unnecessary evils.
Stroke: -
An obese persons also risks stokes when he
happens to fall, especially if he has crossed the age of forty. During a fall the blood
supply to the brain is deprived after the initial rush of the blood. The sudden rushing
and draining our of the blood damage the arteries supplying blood to the tissues &
cells of the brain this in turn, causes rupture & seepage of blood, resulting in
cerebral hemorrhage. The function of the nerves gets obstructed. This results in paralysis
of the limbs, at such times even the pressure of the blood pumped by the heart suddenly
rises. The impact of the raised blood pressure some times results in heart attacks too.
Piles:
-
People who are overweight suffer from one more
irksome problem piles. Constipation is a favorable condition to cause piles among over
weight persons. This is more so with those cause piles among overweight persons. This is
more so with those overweight persons who use the western type of toilets instead of
squatting position. Sitting for long periods increases piles.
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