Fix Yourself Now

Down And Out: Symptoms like tiredness, negativity and loss of appetite need preventive diagnostic tests. LIFE Fix Yourself Now If you want to make sure you’re in good health, go ahead, sign up for an annual diagnostic test. At 35, Abhay Dogra was living life in the fast lane. The investment banker had risen up the ranks quickly and was saving millions in bonuses. He was flying high and he was living it up. In some style—Dogra’s parties were popular dos where the wines were oaky and the cheeses, smoky. It seemed nothing could stop him. Nothing, that is, but the world coming to a standstill. Unfortunately for him that’s exactly what happened—the financial meltdown brought his world to an end. Dogra lost his job, and with it, the ability to take on any more stress. He stopped throwing parties and he felt drained most of the time. He complained of erratic palpitations, eye-muscle twitching, temporary memory loss and extreme fatigue     Your body is like a lab of chemicals. If the chemicals function and react as they are programmed, the body will act normally. If not, unexpected changes can cause diseases of all kinds.     . Worried, his wife took him to a hospital for a check-up. The young man was found to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and low haemoglobin. If undiagnosed, that lethal combo could have caused a myocardial infarction, better known as a heart attack. If really severe, a heart attack can cause a cardiac arrest—where the heart stops beating. That could be fatal. Dogra could have been dead before he had turned 40. Preventive Probes “Symptoms like tiredness, unstable weight-gain, hair-loss, negativity and loss of appetite need preventive diagnostic tests to determine the chemical changes triggering them,” says Dr Minal Taneja, 40, of Apex Diagnostics. It becomes imperative then, that you listen to your body. But it will give you signs that something is wrong only after the malaise of an unhealthy lifestyle becomes deep-rooted. What you must do is start living a healthy lifestyle now. Eat and exercise reasonably well, as suits your body. More importantly, go in for preventive diagnosis—play safe and sign up for annual medical tests. Remember, your body is like a lab full of chemicals. If they function and react as they are programmed, the body will act normally. If not, the unexpected chemical changes can cause diseases of various kinds. Just as chemical reactions can be treated with chemical inhibitors, the diseases in most cases can be treated with medication. But treatment comes with a rider—there will be side effects. It’s therefore far more prudent to prevent than to have to heal. “Fundamental bio-chemical tests are used to measure vital parameters like cholesterol and fat content, as well as prostrate, liver and kidney functioning,” says Dr Sanjeev Choudhary, 50. Dr Choudhary is the CEO of Religare SRL Ranbaxy, a chain of diagnostic labs across the country. “And predictive tests are used for gene mapping, to understand if the person is more prone to the disease due to his or her genetic make-up.” Out of seven million customers that come to Religare labs for tests, about 15%—over a million—get tests done for preventive diagnosis. Most companies these days have executive health check-ups. If yours doesn’t, investing Rs 3,500 a year on one shouldn’t be such a big deal. Go Get Checked *Complete Blood Count. **Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, a measure of the settling of red blood cells in a tube of blood in one hour. The rate is an indication of inflammation and increases in many diseases. Eat To Live “It’s not true that whenever a disease kicks in, it will give a warning sign,” explains Dr Shikha Sharma, 40, MD of Nutri-Health Systems, a company with over 100 dieticians advising people on wellness and weight loss. “It may look sudden to the person, but all the symptoms have been building up quietly inside,” she warns. “It’s like a terrorist attack. We are taken by surprise, but the terrorists have been planning their audacious moves for ages,” she concludes. These attacks are triggered by a sedentary lifestyle and lack of proper nutrition. In Dogra’s case, 13 years in a high-stress job suddenly ended one day, with him not knowing which way to turn. His stress levels rose, and his tests went awry, without him even reaching the age of 40, an age when annual tests are essential. If Dogra had exercised and eaten protective foods (two fruit, three vegetables, two or three varieties of nuts every day), his body’s response would not have been so traumatic, as it would have absorbed some of this stress. According to the World Health Organisation, “There has been a rapid increase in lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity, which account for almost 20 million-plus deaths every year.” Today, apart from the tests (see table: Double Check), if we have to prevent lifestyle diseases from occurring, we have to change our lifestyles too. It pretty much means going back to the basics. Eat to live, don’t live to eat. And, of course, oxygenate your body with exercise and breathing. Sorry, there just isn’t a short-cut to being healthy. “It’s difficult for us to explain to people that there are no miracle diets to be healthy and control weight,” explains a frustrated Sharma. “But they only want quick fixes.” These quick fixes then, rather than preventing an illness, can turn the body into a yo-yo, leading to erratic health scares. As it is with your organisation, so it is with your body. A short-term measure will only increase temporary sales. But strategic thinking for your body goes a long way in making it profitable too. So, invest in some strategic thinking for yourself. Your company won’t be your lifetime companion. Your body and family are. Take care of them.