In our country, women spend their maximum time in either taking care of her family or her house and with changing times her work as well, forgetting the real essence of her existence. She is the backbone of a family and has won accolades in multitasking but in the midst of all this; she often ignores her own health. This needs to change. It’s time we take responsibility of our health in our hands.
Trends…We should not Follow
Few alarming trends in women health have surfaced questioning our approach to women health issues. All these figures are based on preventive health checkups only, representing latent or hidden diseases that were not detected before.
- 77% Women in Delhi NCR are Vitamin D deficient
- Diabetes is spreading fast in Indian women, touching 38% lives
- 27% of females are Anaemic
- Cholesterol is no more a men issue. 35% women have High cholesterol.
- Thyroid (hyper/ hypo) was detected in 25% women
- An underlying threat of Heart & BP problems is present in 62% women in Delhi NCR.
*This study is based on preventive health test conducted by Healthians in Delhi NCR region on a base data of 10K females.
Says Dr. Walia M Huda, MO Quality & Operation, Healthians: “Since time immemorial, we have seen females in our country bear a lot of stress and strain and yet are ignorant about their health status. A homemaker ignores her health till an emergency comes up and those who are busy balancing their home and careers; hardly have time for their health. In both cases, the situation goes out of hand and reaches shocking levels. Many diseases like diabetes, thyroid (hypo/hyper), nutritional deficiency are on a rise. Improper diet, junk food, lack of exercise and faulty lifestyle are other factors deteriorating health of women above the 30 age bracket.”
Listen to your Body
Human body is a miracle. It sends us signs that all is not right. But most of the times, we tend to ignore them. This needs to change.
- Watch out for symptoms like sudden weight gain, hair loss, pale skin, constipation or even dry hair or skin. These are not just due to pollution and lifestyle changes but are indicators of diseases like hypothyroid, anaemia that are thriving inside you.
- Any of these excesses: hunger, thirst or urination is not good for your health and are indicators of diabetes.
- If you are low on energy, or lack focus or get tired too soon; it’s time to look for underlying Vitamin or iron deficiencies.
- Be alert; if you have regular blackouts, cramps and muscle or body aches. They are a result of low sugar or nutritional deficiency.
- Chest pain, palpitations, heaviness in the chest region, breathlessness after doing some physical work or excessive sweating are indicators of cholesterol, BP and heart problems.
Our Lives are shortened by our Negligence
All these signs are indicators of major diseases, which if left unattended may have life-threatening or life–changing consequences. As for the cure, Dr. Walia says, “The true beauty of a woman is her health and her ability to be active, hence proper medication, diet control and exercise will definitely help. Also with regular check-ups, she can stay clear of many health issues.”
On the global level, Michelle Obama rightly addressed the lack of health consciousness in women: “Women, in particular need to keep an eye on their health, because if we are scurrying to and from appointments and errands; we don’t have a lot of time to take care of ourselves. We need to do a better job at putting ourselves higher on our own “To Do” list.”
Hence, irrespective of the fact that you are married or unmarried, a working woman or a housewife, a mother or a daughter; your health issues are crucial and need to be addressed on an urgent and regular basis. Be Health wise!
