Lifestyle Disease Misconceptions You Need to Know

To know the why, you need to know the what first. - Confucius, probably.

The term itself can sound a bit like a life sentence, associated with limitations and missed out life experiences. But here's the thing: despite the name, lifestyle disease misconceptions are too wild to be true while also having earned their namesake.

A bit confusing, isn't it? Allow us to break it down for you.

Lifestyle diseases are ones that are caused by drastic and unhealthy changes in your lifestyle. They are also the ones that require a strict lifestyle change themselves. Because of this, the care for lifestyle diseases is often misconstrued and riddled with hopelessness. Having to live with chronic diseases of any kind is a bit of a downer. That's why we are here to spread some hope and give you the boost you need to face the management of a lifestyle disease head-on.

Ready or not, here they come!

The first step in dismantling all the misconceptions about lifestyle diseases is to know exactly what they are. While there are many conditions borne out of unhealthy lifestyle choices, here are 12 of the most common ones:

• Heart Diseases
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Stroke
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Few variants of Cancers
• Mental Health Conditions
• Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
• Kidney Disease
• Osteoporosis
• Sleep Apnea
• Sexual Dysfunction
• Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that a whopping 61% of deaths globally are linked to the very diseases that can be so invasive that they can turn a life on its head. Calling it a struggle would be an understatement. It can add an extra layer of complexity to daily life.

To get a feel for what it looks like, here are some common struggles that you or someone close to you might come across:

1. Food Frustration: Not being able to eat your favorite food can be very demotivating, especially when eating food is also a common social event. It can feel restrictive, particularly when faced with treats. Planning meals, resisting cravings, and learning to say "no" politely can be a real challenge at parties and the whole process does get exhausting.

2. Exercise or Excuses: Some of these diseases come with a truckload of pain and muscle aches. So, mustering up the time, motivation and energy to exercise regularly can be one hell of a civil war within yourself. With full-time jobs or family members to take care of, exercising becomes a bunch of “tomorrow, for sure” and snoozed alarms.

3. The Mental Toll: A diagnosis of a lifestyle disease can be emotionally draining. The sheer thought of having to change everything so you can live a comfortable life abruptly can be quite bewildering to process. Coping with feelings of frustration, guilt, or fear about the future can be a heavy hit to your mental well-being.

4. Social Stigma: With people barely knowing about the existence of half the diseases on the list, it's easier to have false or little to no information about them. In fact, even you could have entirely self-inflicted misinformation, leading to feelings of shame or judgment. How many of us know that even way back in 2015, one in four Indians had the risk of dying from Non-communicable diseases before they touched 70? With less awareness of the severity of NCDs and chronic disorders, management of lifestyle diseases also becomes a side quest hidden behind multiple shiny main quests.

5. Information Overload: And then there are instances where we are hit with a freight train full of misleading or simply wrong information forwarded by some uncle in a WhatsApp group. Sketchy sources, quack doctors and sadly, ill-educated political leaders - all contribute to this mass distribution of misinformation.

6. The Economic Burden: For a full-time worker from a humble background, a simple procedure can be debilitating in terms of finances. Medical care, meds, and certain limitations at work due to the illness can all strain your bank balance.

The misconception that a diagnosis of a lifestyle disease means you're stuck with it forever is simply untrue. Here are some of the other common myths about lifestyle diseases that can easily lead you down the wrong path with misinformation:

Myth #1: "Being overweight or obese only affects appearance, not health."

Wrong, because it significantly increases your risk of developing chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. With obesity in and of itself being categorized as a lifestyle disease, weight gain being a risk factor becomes a given.

Myth #2: "I'm too young (or old) to worry about lifestyle diseases."

With 80% of adolescents having unhealthy diets and being passive smokers, the risk factor for developing a lifestyle disease is higher now more than ever. Even later on in life, the possibility of developing hypertension or diabetes is still high. Not to mention dementia and other memory-related chronic illnesses. So the myth is partially true in that, rather than worrying, it's time to work towards actively rectifying the damages.

Myth #3: "Lifestyle diseases are inevitable – there's no point in trying."

This whole blog is a sound rejection of this myth. You have more control over your health than you might think! With enough preventive measures, you can drastically reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases and even help manage them if you already have one.

Since these diseases are often closely linked to our daily habits, that's where the secret lies. True to its name, you can end up improving your physical and mental health by making smart changes to your lifestyle.

Here's how you do it!

Think of it like taming a harrowing mischievous puppy. You wouldn't give up on a pup just because it chews on your shoes, would you? Instead, you'd train it with positive reinforcement and give it the right environment that encourages good behavior.

In the same way, managing a lifestyle disease takes a lot of trial and error. It requires learning how to work with your body to finetune your health.

WHO gives an enthusiastic thumbs up for a multi-pronged approach, encouraging governments to implement policies that promote healthy living. This can include things like heavy taxation on unhealthy products, funding more physical activity initiatives, and educational campaigns that spread awareness of both common and uncommon NCDs.

Here are some of Kofuku’s tips for managing your chronic condition:

• Diet Matters, Not Deprivation: Picture a tasty, balanced meal packed with a bunch of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. This doesn't mean abandoning your favourite treats entirely. Moderation is the name of this game and become a legendary rank player to win it!

• King Julien Was So Right: He said move it, move it and there we were, moving it. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore. We know it's a particular brand of hell with a lifestyle disease. But doing stuff you enjoy like dancing, hiking, swimming or even walking like the hellhounds are on your tail can be better alternatives for boring routines. Start off with at least 30 minutes and only most days of the week. The rest will follow automatically.

• We Could Learn a Thing or Two From Sleeping Beauty Getting enough quality sleep (around 8-9 hours for adults) is not just a tip for managing illnesses but a literal necessity to function properly. When you're well-rested, your body can regulate blood sugar like crazy, manage stress like a level-headed monk, and fight off infections in a finger snap.

• Stress Less, Live More: The 2006 study by Jafar proved a connection between hypertension and obesity, seen mainly in Indo-Asian people. Chronic stress can wreak your health so finding better ways to manage stress, like meditation, yoga or video games can help you live a more fulfilling life.

Living with a lifestyle disease doesn't have to be a 1v1. The good news is that scientists and healthcare providers have worked tirelessly to get their patients the necessary help they need. One such glowing example of their hard work is the Chronic Care Model (CCM).

The whole deal of CCM is to go for a collaborative approach to the management of lifestyle diseases with the help of tech. By focusing the tech on supporting its key elements, CCM can streamline how to care for a chronic condition properly. Here are some of its focal points:

• Health & Delivery System Design: Imagine a healthcare system that seamlessly includes tech to take care of your needs. We're talking online appointment scheduling, messaging with your doctor, and even making e-health records in secure online portals accessible from anywhere. This system is a one-stop wonder.

• Community: Guiding you to a virtual community of support. Disease-specific forums you can scroll through, social media groups, and even apps that are a place for people with others on a similar journey to give each other encouragement and gain some bonus knowledge through shared experiences.

• Self-Management Support: Educational apps, medication reminders, and even tools to track your diet, exercise, and sugar levels (for diabetics) can put you in a position of control and regain some of the power.

• Decision Support: Technology can lend a helping hand to your doctor too! Clinical decision support systems can give your wonderful doctors real-time access to evidence-based guidelines and your medical data, making diagnosis and treatment planning as easy as ever.

The possibilities are genuinely innumerable with researchers still in the process of developing new technologies that align with these principles of the CCM. By using these tools, you can have an active part in managing your health and living a fulfilling life despite your diagnosis.

Ultimately, creating a healthier population benefits everyone. Individuals enjoy a better quality of life, healthcare systems become less strained, and everyone wins! It's like that Oprah Winfrey meme.

A diagnosis doesn't have to define you. Learning all the lifestyle disease misconceptions and accepting the new reality with a clear head can help you make healthy choices. So, ditch the stigma and show them you are more than just your disorder!