Deja vu: literally meaning "already seen".

 Deja vu: literally meaning "already seen"

  Deja vu: Is feeling that the situation currently being experienced has already been experienced in the past. Deja vu is feeling of familiarity, and Deja vecu(the feeling of having"already lived through" something) is a feeling of recollection. Scientific approaches reject the explanation of Deja Vu as "Precognition" or "Prophecy" but rather explain it as an anomaly of memory, which creates a distinct impression that an experience is "being recalled". This explanation is supported by the fact that the sense of "recollection" at the time is strong in most cases, but the circumstances of the "Previous" experience(when, where, and how the earlier experience occurred) are uncertain or believed to be impossible. 

  Two types of Deja Vu are suggested to exist, the pathological type of Deja Vu usually associated with Epilepsy, and the non-pathological which is a characteristic of healthy people and psychological phenomena. 

A 2004 review claimed that approximately two-thirds of the population have had Deja Vu experiences. Other studies confirm that Deja Vu is a common experience in healthy individuals, with between 31% and 96% of individuals reporting it. Deja Vu experiences that are unusually prolonged or frequent, or in association with other symptoms such as hallucinations may be an indicator of neurological or psychiatric illness. 

The phrase comes from French, literally meaning "already seen". 

  Early researchers tried to establish a link between Deja Vu and mental disorders such as anxiety, Dissociative identity disorder and schizophrenia but failed to find correlations between Deja Vu and schizophrenia. 

 The strongest pathological association of Deja Vu is with Temporal lobe epilepsy. This correlation has led some researchers to speculate that the experience of Deja Vu is possible a neurological anomaly related to improper electrical discharge in the brain, creating a strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has already been experienced in the past. As most people suffer a mild epileptic episode regularly a hypnagogic jerk, the sudden "Jolt" that frequently, but not always, occurs just prior to falling asleep, it is conjectured that a similar neurological aberration occurs in the experience of Deja Vu, resulting in an erroneous sensation of memory. Scientists have even looked into genetics when considering Deja Vu. Although there is not currently a gene associated with Deja Vu, the LGii gene on Chromosome 10 is being studied for a possible link. Certain forms of the gene are associated with a mild form of epilepsy an, though by no means a certainty, Deja Vu, along with jamais vu, occurs often enough during seizures(such as simple partial seizures) that researchers have reason to suspect a link. A 2008 study found that Deja Vu experiences are unlikely to be pathological Dissociative experiences. 

Memory-Based Explanation: 

 Research has associated Deja Vu experiences with good memory functions. The similarity between a Deja Vu eliciting stimulus and an exciting, or non- existing but different, memory trace may lead to the sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has already been experienced in the past. Thus, encountering something that evokes the implicit associations of an experience or sensation that cannot be remembered may lead to Deja Vu. 

 In an effort to reproduce the sensation experimentally, Banister and Zangwill(1941) used hypnosis to give participants posthypnotic amnesia for material they had already seen. When this was later re-encountered, the restricted activation caused thereafter by the posthypnotic amnesia resulted in 3 of the 10 participants reporting what the authors termed "Paramnesias". 

 Memory-based explanations may lead to the development of a number of non- invasive experimental methods by which a long sought-after analog of Deja Vu can be reliably produced that would allow it to be tested under well-controlled experimental condition. Cleary suggests that Jeja Vu may be a form of familiarity-based recognition(recognition that we based on a feeling that an event or experience currently being experienced has already been experienced in the past) and that laboratory method of probing familiarity-based recognition hold promise for probing Deja Vu in a laboratory setting. 

Another possible explanation for the phenomenon of Deja Vu is the occurrence of "Cryptomnesia", which information learned is forgotten but nevertheless stored in the brain, and similar occurrences invoke the contained knowledge, leading to a feeling of familiarity because the event or experience being experienced has already been experienced in the past, know as Deja Vu. Some experts suggest that memory is a process of reconstruction, rather than a recall of fixed, established events. 

 In 1963, Robert Efron of Boston's Veterans Hospital proposed that Deja Vu is caused by dual neurological processing caused by delayed singles. Efron found that the brain's sorting of incoming signals is done in the temporal lobe of the brain's left hemisphere. However, singles enter the temporal lobe twice before processing once from each hemisphere of the brain, normally with slight delay milliseconds between them. 

Dream- Based Explanation:

 One theory of Deja Vu attributes the feeling of having previously seen or experienced something that is currently being seen or experienced to that of having a dream about a similar situation or place and then forgetting about it until one seems to be mysteriously reminded of the situation or the place while awake. The spontaneity of these types of Deja Vu "moments" can catch many people off-guard, especially when they get the sensation from visiting a specific place they have been to before, to the point where they are in a temporary state of shock and disbelief. 

Related terms to Deja Vu:

 Jamais vu:
 Jamais vu(from French, meaning"never seen") is a term in psychology which is used to describe any familiar situation which is not recognized by the observer. Often described as the opposite of Deja Vu, jamasi vu involves a sense of eeriness and the observer's impression of seeing the situation for the first time, despite commonly explained as when a person momentarily does not recognize a word, person, or place that they already know. Jamais vu is sometimes associated with certain types of Aphasia, Amnesia, and epilepsy. 

 Theoretically, a jamais vu feeling in a sufferer of delirious disorders or intoxication could result in a delirious explanation of it, such as in the capgras delusion, in which the patient takes a known person for a false double or imposter. If the impostor is himself the clinical setting would be the same as the one described. 

The experience has also been named "Veja Du". 

Presque Vu: 
  From French, meaning"almost seen" is the intense feeling of being on the very brink of a powerful epiphany, insight, or revelation, without actually achieving the revelation. The feeling is often or near- associated with a frustrating, tantalizing sense of incompleteness or near completeness. 

Deja Reve:
 Deja Reve (from French, meaning"already dreamed") is the feeling of having already dreamed something that you are now experiencing. 

Deja entendu:
  (Literally" already heard") is the experience of feeling sure about having already heard something, even though the exact details are uncertain or were perhaps imagined? 

Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS)

           Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS)

   

     Exploding head syndrome alternately termed episodically 

cranial sensory shock is a benign condition in which a 

person hears loud "imagined" noises(such as a bomb 

exploding, a gunshot or a cymbal crash) or experiences an

explosive feeling when falling asleep or waking up. 

 These noises have a sudden onset, are typically brief in duration, and are often herring for the person. Neither the cause nor the mechanism is known. Though harmless in and of themselves, episodes have been known to create distress or impairment in the lives of individuals. 

 A small percentage of people experience a loud popping sound just before drifting into deep sleep, or when coming out of one. The sound resembles a gunshot, the sound of an explosion, or any loud disturbing sound that originates in the head or the ears. The sound generally lasts for only a few seconds. 

Classification: 

 Exploding head syndrome is classified as a parasomnia and a sleep-related dissociative disorder by the 2005 international classification of sleep disorders and is an unusual type of auditory hallucination in that it occurs in people who are not fully awake. 

Symptoms: 

 Individuals with exploding head syndrome hear or experience loud imagined noises as they are falling asleep or waking up have a strong, often frightened emotional reaction to the sound, and do not report significant pain, around 10% of people also experience visual disturbances like perceiving visual static, lightning, or flashes of light. Some people may also experience heat, strange feelings in their torso, or a feeling of electrical tinglings that ascends to the head before the auditory hallucinations occur. With the heightened arousal, people experience distress, confusion, myoclonic jerks, tachycardia, sweating, and the sensation that feels as of they have stopped breathing and have to make a deliberate effort to breathe again. The pattern of the auditory hallucinations is variable. Some people report having a total of two or four attacks followed by a prolonged or total remission, having attacks over the course of a few weeks or months before the attacks spontaneously disappear, or the attacks may even recur irregular every few days, weeks or months for much of a lifetime. 

 Sometimes individuals believe that EHS episodes are not natural events, but are the effects of directed energy weapons which create an auditory effect. Thus, EHS has been worked into conspiracy theories, but there is no scientific evidence that EHS has non-natural origins. 

 Although the condition is benign, patients suffering from EHS experience the fear of the recurrence of loud sounds, and breathing difficulty. Patients suffering migraine are prone to increased episodes of a migraine due to the stress and fear of the recurrence of loud sounds, the unique characteristic of EHS that distinguishes it from other sleep disorders is that it does not trigger headaches, pain, or rupture of internal organs. 

Epidemiology: 

 There have not been sufficiently conducted to make conclusive statements about prevalence nor who tends to suffer EHS. One study found that 13.5% of a sample of undergrads reported at least one episodes over the course of their lives, with higher rates in those also suffering from sleep paralysis. 

History:

 Case reports of EHS have been published since at least 1876, which Silas Weir Mitchell described as "sensory discharges" in a patient. The phrase "snapping the brain" was coined in 1920 by the British Physician and psychiatrist Robert Armstrong- Jones. A detailed description of the syndrome and the name "exploding head syndrome" was given by British neurologist Jhos M.S Pearce in 1989. More recently, Peter Goadsby and Brain Sharpless have proposed renaming EHS"Episodic cranial sensory shock" as it describes the symptoms more accurately(including the non-auditory elements) and better attributes to Mitchell. 

Diagnosis of Exploding Head Syndrome:

 The diagnosis if EHS varies from migraines, different types of nocturnal headache conditions(eg, cluster, hypnic, thunderclap), startled sleep, and nightmares. Obstruction sleep apnea is another diagnosis of EHS. The disturbing sounds occur in individuals during the stage of non- rapid eye movement sleep(non-REM), when individuals are in transition from wakefulness to deep sleep or vice versa. A research study also observed that such attacks occurred soon after snoring. 
  Individuals who suffer from EHS episodes should maintain a diary of their sleep patterns. This enables the doctor to understand the frequency of occurrence of the episodes. The doctor may also reduce the effect of other syndrome based on the pattern of the frequency of occurrence. Doctors tend to perform an overnight sleep study or Polysomnogram of an individual who is affected by frequent episodes of EHS and is unable to sleep. The polysomnogram records heartbeat, breathing rate, movement of limbs (arms, legs), and brain signals to confirm the condition as EHS or the result of another disorder. 

Some palliative procedures to reduce the frequency of EHS: 

 Healthy, balanced diet: 

 Individuals are encouraged to eat a well- balanced diet. Vegetables and fruits provide a rich source of minerals and vitamins that aid in relieving stress. This leads to a restful night. 

Reassurance:

 A patient suffering from EHS should be reassured that the condition is not serious and physically debilitating. This is the best and often most reliable procedure to reduce a patient's anxiety related to EHS. 

Relaxation:

 Individuals are encouraged to relax in order to reduce the frequency of occurrence of EHS. Relaxing also reduces stress and anxiety that set in due to EHS. 

Minimum of 6 hours of sleep: 

 It is a good idea to obtain a minimum of 6 hours fo sleep during the night. Individuals, who sleep for less than 6 hours, suffer from sleep-related disorders or myoclonus. 

Minimize Stress: 

 Individuals are faced with different forms of stress every day. Hence, it is preferable to keep aside time for leisure activities such as relaxing with family and friends, spending some recreation time(eg, taking a walk, reading, listening to music, yoga, etc) before going to sleep. The body is thus relieved of stress and is relaxed before falling asleep.  

Relax:
 This is a benign condition while no one likes being startled out of sleep, exploding head syndrome is not a symptom of a more serious condition. 

Reduce stress:
 Stress and worry affect sleep and may contribute to exploding head syndrome. While no one can get rid of all stress in life, encourages people to work toward a more balanced life. Separate work and daily stress from sleep by setting aside time to read, take a walk or visit with friends. 

Dr. Hahnemann as the father of modern medical hygiene and sanitation

      Dr. Hahnemann as the father of modern                   medical hygiene and sanitation

  Hahnemann, lifestyle diseases, prevention & social medicine: A prelude to the Unsung Hero: 

   Behoves me only to preach upon the greatest of all corporeal blessings, health, which scarcely any take the trouble to seek after, and few know how to value until it is lost..... Samuel Hahnemann. 

Introduction: 

Lifestyle Disease: 


 A disease associated with the way a person or group of people lives. Lifestyle diseases include atherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes, and diseases associated with smoking and alcohol and drug abuse. Regular physical activity helps prevent obesity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, colon cancer, and premature mortality. 

 The term "Lifestyle" simply means 'the way people live'. At the same time, the term also represents a whole range of cultural & social values, behaviors, personal or group habits or attitudes and social/ personal activities. Lifestyle is learned through social interaction with immediate family, community exposure, peer groups, friends, school, place of work and mass media. 

  Lifestyle can promote health through adequate sleep, programmed nutrition, protection at vulnerable times, efficient working environments etc. More often than not, in the current scenario of disintegrating familial structures, technological advancements, globalization, consumerism, substance abuse, competitive working styles etc, they give rise to maintain a plethora of illness. 

Lifestyle Disease can include Alzheimer's disease, Atherosclerosis, Asthma, some kinds of cancer, chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Heart Disease, Metabolic syndrome, Chronic Renal failure, Osteoporosis, Stroke, Depression, and Obesity. The main factors contributing to lifestyle diseases include bad food habits (high in animal products, fat, carbohydrates, less in fibers etc). Substance abuse (ranging from salt, sugar to smoking, alcohol, narcotic substances etc.). Physical inactivity, wrong body posture and disturbed biological clock or biorhythm (for example those working body posture and disturbed biological clock or biorhythm, for example, those working in nights shifts). According to a survey, 60% of all deaths worldwide in 2005, resulted from non-communicable diseases out of which 44% were premature. 

  In a country like India, where traditional still persist, the risk of illnesses and death are connected with lack of sanitation, poor nutrition, poor personal hygiene hence poor maternal and perinatal diseases, elementary human habits, customs and cultural patterns. A report, jointly prepared by the World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum, says India will incur an accumulated loss of $236 billion by 2015 on account of an unhealthy lifestyle and faulty diet. Another survey conducted by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and industry 68% of working women in the age bracket of 21-52 years were found to be afflicted with lifestyle ailments such as obesity, depression, chronic backache, diabetes, and hypertension. 

 Adoption of a healthy lifestyle with a properly balanced diet, regular physical activity and paying due respect to the biological clock is required to prevent or overcome these diseases. To decrease the ailment caused by occupational postures, in recent years, ergonomists have attempted to define postures which minimize unnecessary static work and reduce the forces acting on the body. 

 Dr. Hahnemann on LSD, Prevention & Social Medicine: 

".. As it is never good to overtax one's strength, he must stop working at 10 o clock, then talk with a friend for an hour and after taking his medicine, go to bed with his head free from ideas from books or other intellectual work, he must walk for three quarters of an hour to an hour every day, but not immediately after a meal, having to rest for three quarters of an hour to an hour first. Without reading, without writing without relaxing, without indulging in leisure, it's impossible for the chronically ill organism to recover even with the most suitable remedies. 

   The Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine states:

 "The great cholera epidemic of 1832 led... Edwin Chadwick's report on The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population in Great Britain, a landmark in the history of public health, set London 7 other cities slowly on the way to improve housing and working conditions which led to the enactment of Public Health Ac of 1848 in England ". Only a few people in the field of the sciences of Hygiene, public health, town planning, epidemiology and preventive medicine, acknowledge that it was Hahnemann who first placed these branches on scientific bases long before. 

The Friend of Health: 
 Dr. Hahnemann published two very important articles by the name the "The Friend of Health" in two parts in which he advocated active role of person in health management and recommended the use of fresh air, bed rest, proper diet, state responsibility of health, epidemic management and control measures, occupational hazards, sanitation, public hygiene, hospital management etc. At a time when many other physicians considered them of no value."

Organon Of Medicine: 

Footnote 1 to 7 Aphorisms: 

 It is not necessary to say that every intelligent physician would first remove this where it exists; the indisposition thereupon generally ceases spontaneously. He will remove from the room strong-smelling flowers, which have a tendency to cause syncope and hysterical sufferings; extract from the cornea the foreign body that excites inflammation of the eye; loosen the over-tight bandage on a wounded limb that threatens to cause mortification, and apply a more suitable one, lay bare and put a ligature on the wounded artery that produces fainting; endeavor to promote the expulsion by vomiting of belladonna berries, etc. that may have been swallowed; extract foreign substances that may have got into the orifice of the body(the nose, gullet, ears, urethra, rectum, vagina); crush the vesical caclculus, open the imperforate anus of the new-born infant, etc. 

Aphorisms 77:

Those diseases are appropriately named chronic which persons incur who expose themselves continually to: 
. Avoidable noxious influences
. The habit of indulging in injurious liquors or ailments
. Dissipation of many kinds which undermine the health
. Undergo prolonged abstinence from things that are necessary for the support of life
. Reside in unhealthy localities, especially marshy districts, who are housed I cellars or other confined dwellings
. Are deprived of exercise on of open air
. Ruin their healthy by over-exertion of body or mind. 
. Live in a constant state of worry etc. 

 These states of ill-health, which persons bring upon themselves disappear spontaneously, provided no chronic miasm lurks in the body, under an improved mode of living, and they cannot be called chronic diseases. 

Aphorisms 94:

  While inquiring into the state of chronic diseases, the particular circumstances of the patient with regard to his ordinary occupations, his usual mode of living and diet, his domestic situation, and so forth, must be well considered and scrutinized, to ascertain what there is in them that may tend to produce or to maintain disease, in order that is their removal the recovery may be promoted. 

Aphorisms 204:

 If we deduct all chronic affections, ailments and diseases that depend on a persistent unhealthy mode of living, as also those innumerable medicinal maladies caused by the irrational, persistent, harassing and pernicious treatment of disease often only of trivial character by physicians of the old school. 

Aphorisms 208:

 The age of the patient, his mode of living and diet, his occupation, his domestic position, his social relations and so forth must next be taken into consideration, in order to ascertain whether these things have tended to increase his malady, or in how far they may favor or hinder the treatment. In like manner the state of his disposition and mind must be attended to, to learn whether that present an obstacle to the treatment or requires to be directed, encouraged or modified. 

Aphorisms 224:  Role of Psychotherapy:

If the mental disease not quite developed. the result from faults of education, bad practices, corrupt morals, neglect of the mind, superstition or ignorance; the mode of deciding this point will be that if it proceeds from one or other of the latter causes it will diminish and be improved by sensible friendly exhortations, consolatory arguments, serious representations and sensible advice, whereas a real moral or mental malady.

Aphorisms 225: Psycho-somatic ailments: 

 There are, however, as has just been stated, certainly a few emotional diseases which have not merely been developed into that form out of emotional diseases, but which, in an inverse manner, the body being but slightly indisposed, originate and are kept up by emotional causes, such as continued anxiety, worry, vexation, wrongs and the frequent occurrence of great fear and fright. This kind of emotional diseases in time destroy the corporeal health, psychosomatic degree. 

Aphorisms 226:

 It is only such emotional diseases as these, which were first engendered and subsequently kept up by the mind self, that, while they are yet recent and before they have made very great road the corporeal state, may be means of psychical remedies, such as a display of confidence, friendly exhortations, sensible advice, and often by a well-disguised deception, be rapidly changed into a healthy state of the mind (and with appropriate diet and regimen, seemingly into a healthy state of the body also). 

Aphorisms 238: Fever due to unhealthy environment

 This return of the same fever after a healthy interval is only possible when the noxious principle that first caused the fever, is still acting upon the convalescent, as is the case in marshy regions. Here a permanent restoration can often take place only by getting away from this causative factor, as is possible by seeking a mountainous retreat if the cause was a marshy fever. 

Aphorisms 244: Endemic Fevers

 The intermittent fevers endemic in marshy districts and tracts of the country frequently exposed to inundations. it sometimes happens that when these patients exchange, without delay, the marshy district for one that is dry and mountainous, recovery apparently ensues if they are not yet deeply sunk in disease, that is to say, if the psora was not completely in them and can consequently return to its latent state, but they will never regain perfect health without antipsoric treatment. 


Aphorisms 260: 

 Coffee, fine Chinese and other herb teas, beer prepared with medicinal vegetable substances unsuitable for the patient;s state, dishes of herb, roots and stalks of plants possessing medicinal qualities, old cheese, and meats that are in a state of decomposition, or that possess medicnal properties, ought just as certainly to be kept from pateints as they should avoid all excesses in food, and in the use of sugar and salt, as also spirituous drinks, undiluted with water, heated rooms, woolen clothing nest the skin, a sedentary life in close apartments, or the frequent indulgence in mere passive ezercise (such as riding, driving or swinging), prolonged sucking, taking a long siesta in a recumbent posture in bed, sitting up long at night, uncleanliness, unnatural debauchery, enervation by reading obscene books, reading while lying down, onanism or imperfect or suppressef intercourse in order to prevent conception, subjects of anger, grief, or vexation, a passion for play, over-exertion of mind or body, especially after meals, dwelling in marshy districts, damp rooms, penurious living, etc. All these things must be as far as possible avoided or removed, in order that the cure may not be obstructed or rendered impossible. Some of my disciples seem needless to increase the difficulties of the patient's dietary by forbidding the use of many more, tolerably indifferent things, which is not be commended. 

Aphorisms 261: 

 The most appropriate regimen during the employment of medicine in chronic diseases consists in the removal of such obstacles to recovery, and in supplying where necessary the reverse, innocent moral and intellectual recreation, active exercise in the open air in almost all kinds of weather(daily walks, slight manual labor), suitable, nutritious, unmedicinal food and drink. 

Lifestyle diseases

                                                      Lifestyle diseases

Lifestyle Disease: 
 A disease associated with the way a person or group of people lives. Lifestyle diseases include atherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes, and diseases associated with smoking and alcohol and drug abuse. Regular physical activity helps prevent obesity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, colon cancer, and premature mortality. 

 Diseases linked to the way people live their life. This is commonly caused by alcohol, drug, and smoking abuse as well as lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating. Diseases that impact on our lifestyle are heart disease, stroke, obesity and type II diabetes. The diseases that appear to increase in frequency as countries become more industrialized and people live longer.  

Lifestyle Diseases and childhood: 

 Not restricted to adults alone, Lifestyle diseases have started hitting kids as well. The shift in purchasing power and the coming in of technology has changed the way our life functions now. Less physical activity, more availability of resources and no time to spare, we have become preys to some extremely uncommon diseases our grandparents had never even heard about in the 60s and 70s. While there are communicable diseases like Malaria, Cholera, Polio, which can be managed with the help of proper treatment, there are lifestyle diseases which can be prevented if the healthy active lifestyle is followed. 

World Reports: 

 Globally, 14.2 million people between the ages of 30-70 years. die prematurely each year from diseases like heart attack, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Some of these diseases have emerged as more fatal hereditary diseases or infectious ones. 

  A report, jointly prepared by the World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum, says India will incur an accumulated loss of $236.6 billion by 2015 on account of an unhealthy lifestyle and faulty diet. The resultant chronic diseases - heart disease, stroke, diabetes and respiratory infection- which are ailments of long duration and slow progression, will severely affect people's earnings. The income loss to Indians because of these diseases, which was $8,7 billion in 2005, is projected to rise to $54 billion with income loss increasing by $5.5 billion to $6.7 billion by 2015. China, however, will be worse off. While its accumulated loss will stand at $557.7 billion, the loss of income of the Chinese will stand at $131.8 billion, almost eight times what it was in 2005. 

 According to the report, 60% of all deaths worldwide in 2005(35 million) resulted from noncommunicable diseases and accounted for 44% of premature deaths. What's worse, around 80% of these deaths will occur in low and middle-income countries like India which are also crippled by an ever-increasing burden of infectious diseases, poor maternal and perinatal conditions and nutritional deficiencies. Almost half of those who die from chronic diseases will be in their productive years. The report also points to the fact that countries Like Brazil, Chine, Russia, and India currently lose more than 20 million productive life- years annually to chronic diseases, and the number is expected to grow by 65% by 2030. In 2007, exceed 3.6 billion in 2020. 

 The cost to employers of morbidity attributed to non-communicable diseases is increasing rapidly. Workplaces should make possible healthy food choices and support physical activity. Unhealthy diets and excessive energy intake, physical inactivity,, and tobacco use are major risk factors for non-communicable diseases, the report said. 

Some of the most common types of lifestyle diseases are the following: 

Obesity: 

 We are all familiar with the word and yet tend to ignore it. To see whether you've reached this stage, check your BMI. If it is higher than 25, then you are in the obese category. Unhealthy eating habits, stressful lifestyle, reduced physical activity translates to obesity. Anybody who is overweight suffers from breathing issues, blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes etc. This is also the first step to your body attracting all kinds of other lifestyle diseases. 
 According to the National family health survey, India ranks second with 155 million obese citizens and this number is increasing at 33-51% every year. 

Type II diabetes: 

 As mentioned in the first point, obesity is one of the primary causes of type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is the non-insulin form which develops in adults due to poor eating habits and bad lifestyle choices. India has the largest number of diabetics with type II ar 40.9 million. This number is increasing with kids entering the bandwagon. 

Arteriosclerosis: 

 Arteriosclerosis occurs when the arterial blood vessel walls thicken and lose elasticity. This usually causes blood circulation disorders, chest pain, and heart attacks. Arteriosclerosis is also linked to obesity, diabetes,, and high blood pressure. At least 3-40% of cardiovascular deaths happen in the age group of 34-64 in India. 

Heart Diseases:

 Any irregularity or abnormality which affects the heart muscle and blood vessel walls can be referred to as a heart disease. Smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol contribute to its development in the body. India ranks number one when it comes to cardio patients with 50 million suffering heart health issues. 

High Blood Pressure:

 100 million in India suffer from high blood pressure. Some very common reasons for high blood pressure are stress, obesity, genetic factors and unhealthy eating habits. When the reading in the blood pressure machine is 140/90 or higher, your blood pressure is high. Once this happens, you will feel severe discomfort. 

Swimmer's Ear: 

 When you use headphones constantly and are exposed to loud music more than you should be, the ultimate result of this is swimmer's ear. Swimmer's ear causes inflammation, irritation or infection in the ear canal or the outer ear. According to studies, 12.5% approximately have suffered permanent damage to their hearing due to constant exposure to noise. This number is said to be increasing by the year.  

Cancer: 

 Due to the stressful lifestyle that we lead now, our body's immunity has decreased. This means that the white blood cells lose their power to fight the viruses that enter our body. Because of this, there may be an irregular cell growth, which can be concluded as cancer. Cancer can be caused due to many reasons like prolonged smoking(lung cancer), too much exposure to the sun (skin cancer). 

Stroke:

 When the blood vessel carrying blood to the brain has a blockage leading to an oxygen deficiency for the area of the brain it carried blood to, the result of this is called a stroke. High blood pressure, if not taken care of in time with proper treatment, can lead to a stroke. Stroke can also be caused due to hereditary reasons. 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease:

 COPB is caused by the permanent obstruction of the airways. The increase in air pollution due to factors like gas leaks and smoking can worsen this condition. In 2014, 4.3 million were diagnosed with this disease in India. 

 Cirrhosis:

 Cirrhosis can be defined as a group of liver disorders. The liver can be severely affected by heavy alcohol consumption and chronic hepatitis. This has become a common lifestyle disease as many people consume alcohol on a daily basis to deal with stress. 

Nephritis:

 When there is swelling in the kidneys leading to abnormal function, it is known as nephritis. There are many causes of nephritis, one of them being an allergic reaction to a medication or antibiotic. Other than this, it can also be caused due to bacterial infections, which may enter through stress foods not prepared in hygienic conditions. 

Control and prevention of lifestyle diseases:

 An important way of controlling non-communicable is by controlling the risk factors associated with it. In other words, a number of communicable diseases can be prevented by controlling the behavioral or lifestyle habits associated with those diseases. There are a number of low-cost solutions that can be implemented by the government and other involved groups to reduce the common modifiable risk factors. 1 monitoring the trends of non-communicable diseases and their associated risks is crucial for guiding policies and guidelines. 

 A comprehensive approach that involves all sectors including health, finance, education, planning, and others, to minimize the impact of lifestyle diseases on individuals and society. The approach needs to instigate a collaborative effort to minimize the risks associated with no communicable diseases and at the same time inspire interventions to control and prevent them. 

 Lifestyle diseases are a threat to the socio-economic aspects of nations globally and appropriate actions for their management are the need of the moment. Management of lifestyle diseases includes proper diagnosis, screening, and treatment of these diseases in the treatment of these diseases in addition to providing palliative care for people who require it. Quality lifestyle diseases intervention needs to be delivered through a primary health care approach where early detection and proper treatment are prioritized. Stop smoking, have a balanced diet with plenty of fiber. Exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight and body mass index(BMI), Cut down on alcohol.