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 highstress 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 wonderfulit is free, always available, and amazingly effective in short-term stress reduction and long-term health.
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