Short Essay on Obesity
DR. MEENAKSHI
Short Essay on Obesity
Accumulation of excessive body fat is known as obesity. Obesity is
measured and defined in terms of body mass index (BMI). Body mass
index is the numerical way of deciding the appropriate weight range
according to the height of an individual. A body mass index of more than
30kg/m2 indicates obesity. It is further classified as severe, morbid and
super obesity in the order as the BMI increases. Obesity is a lifestyle
disease which is spreading rapidly worldwide. Individuals of all age,
gender and ethnicity are affected by this disease. Still, a general trend
has been observed that women are affected more than the men. The
tendency to gain weight also increases with the growing age. However,
an alarming trend of childhood obesity is being noticed in the recent
years. Obesity renders an individual susceptible to various other
diseases like hypertension, coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes,
sleep apnoea etc.
Obesity is mainly caused when the intake of the calories exceed the
dissipated calories. In simple words, when one tends to eat more than
his body requirement the extra fat start depositing in the body tissues
giving rise to obesity. Junk food is the main culprit. Children are fonder
of such unhealthy food items and hence are getting more affected by the
rising incidences of obesity. The other common cause is the lack of
physical activity. To properly digest the consumed food, physical
exercise is compulsory. But the modern day sedentary life style leaves
less time to work out. Thence, lack of exercise is a major contributing
factor. However, in certain cases a plateau phase has been noticed. This
generally occurs due to hormonal imbalance mainly caused by
disturbance in physiological system of the body. Genetic predisposition
also plays a major role as a causative factor.
There are as no such presenting symptoms of the disease except the ever
increasing body weight. Generally, shortness of breath, fatigue,
tiredness, over-sweating, lethargy etc. is the chief complaints of the
patient. But most of the times, the patients does not pay much attention
towards these changes in the body. They visit the physician only after
the serious manifestation of the disease occurs. It has been seen that
such medical complications resolve on their own, when the patient
starts losing weight.
Obesity can be managed by eating healthy food and increasing physical
activity. There is no need to alter the quantity of the food but the quality
of the food must be checked and improvised. Avoiding red meat, oily
food, extra fats in form of ghee, butter etc. can dramatically help to
reduce the weight. And if the right eating is accompanied with the
physical work out, it becomes the perfect way to lose weight and stay
healthy. In some patients surgery is also carried out. The choice of the
treatment depends on various factors. And the decision is taken by the
physician by thoroughly examining the patient.
WHO has declared obesity as a global epidemic. Earlier, obesity was
seen as a disease of high-income countries only. But now, the global
trend has been observed. There is an acute need to make the public
aware about the morbid effects of obesity. Outdoor sports and activities
should be encouraged by both the school authorities and parents to
tackle rising cases of childhood obesity. And healthy eating habits and
an active life style should be adopted by the individuals of all age groups
and gender, to prevent obesity.
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Stress is unavoidable and it is not possible to eliminate it from our lives
entirely. Life is full of challenges, and a life without some turmoil is not
only impossible but is also undesirable. The hassles, deadlines,
frustrations, and demands of modern life have made stress so
commonplace that it has become a way of life for many people.
In small doses, stress can help people perform under pressure and
motivate them to do their best. But it is not desirable to constantly be in
an emergency mode as the mind and body would have to ultimately pay
the price.
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make us feel
threatened or upset our balance in some way. When a threat is
perceived, our nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress
hormones, including adrenaline and Cortisol. These hormones rouse the
body for emergency action. As a result, our heart pounds faster, muscles
tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and senses become
sharper.
These physical changes increase our strength and stamina, speed our
reaction time, and enhance our focus, thus preparing us to either fight
or flee from the danger at hand. This reaction to a real or imagined
danger is called the stress response.
The stress response is the body's way of protecting us. When working
properly, it helps us to stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency
situations, stress can save our life by giving us extra strength, or for
example, spurring us to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. The
stress response also helps us rise to meet challenges.
It keeps us on our toes during a presentation at work, sharpens our
concentration when attempting the game-winning free throw, or drives
us to study for an exam when we would rather be watching TV. But
beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing
major damage to our health, mood, productivity, relationships, and our
quality of life.
It is important to understand that our body does not distinguish
between physical and psychological threats. When we are stressed over a
busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of
bills, our body reacts just as strongly as if we were facing a life- or-death
situation. If someone has a lot of responsibilities and worries, chances
are that their emergency stress response may be 'on' most of the time.
The more our body's stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and
the harder it is to shut off.
Leading a long-term stressful life can even rewire the brain, leaving us
more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. Chronic stress disrupts
nearly every system in our body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress
the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke,
contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Problems
related to sleep and digestion, obesity, autoimmune diseases, and skin
conditions such as eczema are some other health problems that or
caused or exacerbated by stress.
The ability to withstand stress differs from person to person. While
some people seem to thrive on the excitement and challenge of a high-
stress lifestyle, others crumble at the slightest obstacle or frustration.
The ability to tolerate stress depends on many factors, including the
quality of a person's relationships, general outlook on life, emotional
intelligence, and genetics.
The situations and pressures that cause stress are known as stressors.
We usually think of stressors as being negative, such as an exhausting
work schedule or a rocky relationship or death of someone close.
However, anything that puts high demands on us or forces us to adjust
can be stressful. This includes positive events such as getting married,
buying a house, going to college, or receiving a promotion.
Also, to an extent, what causes stress depends on our perception of it.
Something that is stressful to a person may be enjoyed by someone else.
For example, a person may get stressed while going to office due to his
anxiety that traffic will make him late, while another may find the trip
relaxing and enjoy listening to music while he drives.
Stress can also be self-generated. It may occur due to children and
family, being too busy, inability to accept uncertainty, pessimism,
perfectionism, lack of assertiveness, unrealistic expectations, etc. The
most dangerous thing about stress is that it can easily creep up on us, to
the extent that we get used to it. We start to feel familiar, even normal,
and it takes a heavy toll without even our noticing how much it is
affecting us.
The signs and symptoms of stress overload can be almost anything.
Stress affects the mind, body, and behavior in many ways, and everyone
experiences stress differently. So, it is important to learn how to
recognize when our stress levels are out of control.
Some of the common warning signs and symptoms of stress are
cognitive symptoms (memory problems, inability to concentrate, poor
judgment, constant worrying), emotional symptoms (moodiness,
irritability or short temper, inability to relax, sense of loneliness and
isolation, depression or general unhappiness), physical symptoms
(aches and pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain,
loss of sex drive, frequent colds) and behavioral symptoms (eating more
or less, sleeping too much or too little, isolating yourself from others,
neglecting responsibilities, using alcohol or cigarettes to relax, nervous
habits like nail biting).
The more signs and symptoms, the closer one may be to stress overload.
However, the signs and symptoms of stress can also be caused by other
psychological and medical problems. While unchecked stress is
undeniably damaging, there are many things that one can do to reduce
its impact and cope with symptoms. Managing stress is easy if one
learns to handle his thoughts, emotions, schedule, environment, and the
way he deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the
stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when you
cannot, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation.
Stress can be reduced and managed to healthy levels through regular
mediation. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep
breathing activate the body's relaxation response, a state of restfulness
that is the opposite of the stress response. When practiced regularly,
these activities lead to a reduction in our everyday stress levels and a
boost in our feelings of joy and serenity. They also increase our ability to
stay calm and collected under pressure.
A considerable amount of research has shown that meditation has
benefits on mental health, including a reduction in proneness to
depression, an increase in emotional positivity, and an increased ability
to deal with life's inevitable stresses. Meditation not only involves
relaxation (the cessation of unnecessary effort) but promotes
mindfulness, which helps the stress-sufferer to recognize unhelpful
patterns of thought that give rise to the stress response. It also involves
the active cultivation of positive mental states such as love, kindness,
compassion, patience, and energy.
Meditation means awareness. 'Watching your breath' or listening to the
birds is meditation. As long as these activities are free from any other
distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation. Meditation means 'a
cessation of the thought process'. It describes a state of consciousness,
when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns. The
observer (one who is doing meditation) realizes that all the activity of
the mind is reduced to one.
The benefits of meditation are manifold. When practicing meditation,
our heart rate and breathing slow down, blood pressure normalizes,
sweat less, and we use oxygen more efficiently. Also, our adrenal glands
produce less Cortisol, and our immune function improves. It leads to an
increase in creativity. In short, meditation is wonderful—it is free,
always available, and amazingly effective in short-term stress reduction
and long-term health.
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