Preventive healthcare is key

Kanchan Naikawadi

Woman’s role has changed radically in the past few decades. She has been pushing the boundaries and making her presence felt in the professions once dominated by men. The hectic lifestyle, though, is taking its toll as working women even below 40 years of age have become prone to several lifestyle diseases. Most of the women know about these health issues but don’t invest time and money to prevent them.

The majority of these young professionals are leading stressed and unhealthy lives. They don’t sleep enough, follow improper diet, do little physical activity, and breathe an unhealthy air. The work pressure and stressed personal life affect their mental state too. The sedentary lifestyle has made women vulnerable to diseases like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatigue, backaches, vitamin deficiency, osteoporosis, and various heart ailments. Moreover, these lifestyle diseases have become prevalent among working women even in the young 25-35 age group. 

What makes the situation worse is the fact that more and more women in both urban and rural areas are being diagnosed with the cancer of breast, cervix, ovaries, and stomach. Alcohol and smoking have made the lung and liver cancer a common occurrence in women, too.

Unfortunately, thanks to work pressure and generally hectic and stressed lifestyle, most people tend to neglect early signs of a condition. Preventive healthcare measures can help with early diagnosis and better prognosis. An early diagnosis of an ailment makes the treatment more effective, avoiding or controlling the consequences to a large extent. Many of these conditions can be passed on genetically; therefore, preventive care will not only benefit the woman but also her offspring.

Preventive healthcare is highly recommended to keep track of one’s health. One could go in for tests for anaemia, thalassaemia, Complete Haemogram (CBC), Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. Besides, there are certain tests which have now become crucial for women as they are more likely to develop these conditions. Some of the tests to go for are:

• Diabetes
• Liver (bilirubin-total, bilirubin-direct, bilirubin-indirect, SGOT, SGPT, alkaline phosphatase)
• Kidney (urine routine, S. creatinine)
• Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), S. uric acid)
• Heart (cholesterol-total, triglycerides) thyroid TSH), and bone (calcium, phosphorus)

Most importantly, women need to stay aware of cancer symptoms and practice self-examination as often as possible and consult a doctor as and when they notice something abnormal. Still, most of the women do not understand the importance of preventive measures and consider it a waste of time and money. However, they need to give it importance as an early identification of even a slight imbalance that may be pointing out to a serious condition can be treated or controlled effectively at the right time. 

Besides, most women are not aware that preventive healthcare check-ups up to Rs. 5000 help you save tax under section 80D of the Income Tax Act. Preventive steps are sort of investments that one should do today and at regular intervals to build a healthy tomorrow..

What else you could do to stay healthy...

Along with preventive healthcare measures, making conscious efforts towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle is something women need to look at. Given below are a few things that women can do at their workplaces to stay fit and healthy. 

• Always take the stairway 
• Keep your body moving
• Quit smoking
• Take a 10-minute break from work at regular intervals 
• Maintain a proper diet and never skip meals
• Exercise for 30-45 minutes and take a stroll daily
  
   

Women may find it difficult to do all this while doing their job but they must give priority to their health above everything else to ensure a happy and relaxed life for themselves and everyone around them.

— The writer is preventive healthcare specialist, Indus Health Plus