Lifestyle disorders or the “Diseases of Affluence” were considered to be the problems of the western world. But, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as known internationally are about everywhere. Data reveals up to 61% of all deaths in India are attributed to lifestyle or non-communicable diseases.

Lifestyle diseases are illnesses caused by people’s daily habits and activities. Times have changed from days that started with prayers and positivity to now days starting with social media feeds and negativity. People don’t look forward to waking up anymore, they drag themselves to work, and there is a lack of energy and motivation.

Office hours begin with a caffeine kick. Lunch and dinner comprise pizzas and burgers. Lack of sunshine, lack of fresh air, lack of activity, within the air-conditioned, glass-wall offices, late-night booze parties, and the corporate lifestyle, eventually gets to us.

Lifestyle disorders not only affect working-class adults, but they also affect women, children, and teenagers too. Children prefer their PlayStations over physical outdoor games, they prefer solitude with their gaming apps over teams and groups. Instant noodles and pasta have replaced the humble Dals and Subzi, Roti and Rice, and Ketch ups and jams replacing fresh chutneys and Murabbas. Women, too, have fallen for these unhealthy eating habits giving rise to a multitude of endocrine and metabolic disorders.

Smoking and alcohol have become social norms for men and women too as if their survival depended on these things. The implications of stress, anxiety, and depression as a result of lifestyle are enormous.

The shift in purchasing capacity and the advent of technology have changed the way our life functions in this era. With more availability of resources and hardly any time to spare, we have become prey to diseases that were unheard of in our grandparents who actually lived their lives in a basic, primitive way and yet were the healthiest generations in terms of body, mind, and spirit.

We have often seen in our patients, that a lot of their chronic illnesses, autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disturbances, and fatigue are all contributed highly by stress, exploding pressure, bad food choices, and a definite lack of activity. Sadly, many of them even know the vices of their lifestyle, yet they lack the motivation and desire to change that.

Let us have a look at major Lifestyle Diseases:

1. Heart Disease: Smoking, alcohol, a diet rich in fat and sodium, and a sedentary lifestyle are largely responsible for arterial thickening, sodium and water retention, and increased cardiac load. Heart diseases like heart failure, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, etc. are largely attributed to NCDs.
2. Obesity: According to the National Family Health Survey, India ranks second with 155 million obese citizens and this number is increasing by 33-51% every year. As much as national health is concerned, personal health deteriorates rapidly with obesity. Obesity in itself gives rise to conditions like Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, PCOS, thyroid disorders, osteoarthritis, not to mention, depression too.
3. Type 2 Diabetes: As a country, we rank 2^nd in Diabetes too. It is unfortunate that in the land of Yoga, Ayurveda, and where holistic wellness was considered to be prime, we are seeing unhealthy people walking among us. It is shocking, but every 12^th Indian is a diabetic.
4. Stroke: We hear young people, almost in their mid-30s who suffered from a stroke and some who succumbed too. When the blood vessel carrying blood to the brain has a blockage leading to an oxygen deficiency, that results in stroke.
5. Hypertension: A 100 million people suffer from High blood pressure, and most of them are due to chronic stress, anger, diet, and lack of exercise.
6. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD):  Inflamed air passages causing obstructed airflow, leading to COPD. Active and passive smoking, chemicals and dust, and polluting factors are responsible. 
7. Asthma: A long-term inflammatory disease caused by narrowing and swelling of the airways which lead to shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness. Childhood allergies, obesity, and smoking are all responsible.
8. Cancer: Cancer is an obvious result of a fragile immune system, and a stressful lifestyle one might be living. Cancer is defined as irregular cell growth in our body and is caused due to many reasons like smoking, lifestyle choices, suppressed emotions, etc.
9. Osteoporosis: This bone-weakening disease is a commonly occurring lifestyle disease. Lack of androgens, Vitamin D deficiency, and smoking, are the known factors.

Role of Homeopathy in Lifestyle Diseases:

So, the list is endless and we know the cause. The question is how we treat them. Since they are lifestyle disorders, it is obvious that lifestyle changes are the topmost priority. But will that be enough? Discouraging as it may sound, the extent to which NCDs have seeped into our lives, mere changing the habits will make no difference.

We need medical interventions, other supporting therapies, and integrated approaches to deal with this holistically. Homeopathy primarily acts on the body-mind-spirit of the person. Its major action is to align the body with nature.

We have observed in our patients, that even before their lifestyles were changed, there were some deep layers of disturbances in the psyche that led them to adopt unhealthier lifestyles. For example, low self-esteem in childhood resulted in eating disorders in children, or in some cases, the need to prove themselves, patients resorted to spending lavishly on food, smoking, and alcohol.

Adopting such a lifestyle was partially considered fashionable and the need to stay in trend leads them to be in these vicious cycles. This is an unhealthy attribute stemming out of self-esteem issues, egotism, envy, jealousy, discontentment, narcissism, etc.

These attributes are precisely what needs to be addressed and which is where Homeopathy comes in to picture. Homeopathy corrects these feelings, and these thought processes and brings about healing at the emotional and intellectual levels.

We have noticed in our patients, that after taking Homeopathy medicines, they feel motivated, they feel content and they are more likely to adopt healthier lifestyles. We have seen undisputable, remarkable results in Hypertension, Diabetes, obesity, endocrinal disorders, and cancer exclusively with Homeopathy.

Dr. Preety and Dr. Prajakta, at Holistic Healing, are not only experts at accurate Homeopathic prescriptions, but they are also well-known for their knack for skillfully dealing with their patients with Integrated Approaches. At our clinic, we have therapeutic processes like Chakra Healing, Zen meditation, emotional detox, stress management, breath work, mindful eating, and Yoga.

We not only do this on an individual patient level, but we do this collectively through our wellness programs too. Through our wellness programs have helped enhance mental wellness, boost productivity, improve physical health, and attune them physically, mentally, and spiritually to nature, in one with the Divine.

With our Holistic and Integrated approaches to treatment, lifestyle disorders are sure to stay at bay.