In the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the world was stopped. Health care professionals have paved research in order to combat this detrimental disease. To date, vaccines offered a cushion but not a cure coupled with the health safety protocols across all nations. Amidst this pandemic lies a greater issue, which needed to be highlighted, issues regarding mental health.
Mental health encompasses the brain, which controls one’s body and functions. In this article, we will tackle the effects of brain diseases specifically on their preventive aspect.
Brain diseases are a broad topic, according to the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) it includes, Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Brain cancer, epilepsy, and mental disorders.
According to Cleveland Clinic
- Alzheimer’s sickness influences in excess of 6 million individuals.
- Autism spectrum disorder occurs in about 1 in 44 children.
- Brain tumours and other nervous system cancers are relatively rare, accounting for 1.3% of all cancers.
- Epilepsy impacts 1.2% of the population, including 3 million adults and 470,000 children.
- Meningitis is rare due to the widespread use of the meningitis vaccine. In 2019, only 371 cases were reported.
- Psychological sickness is extremely normal, influencing 1 of every 5 grown-ups.
- Multiple sclerosis is a condition nearly 1 million people are living with.
- Strokes occur in nearly 800,000 people each year.
The question now is, are these diseases preventable, curable or detrimental? With the evolution of medicine, several types of research and studies may have found a cure and delayed death, but why wait for it to happen if all these diseases are preventable?
As the common cliche goes: “An ounce of prevention is better than pounds of cure.” The only prevention begins within us.
Lifestyle Modification
This includes a change of behaviour, from a sedentary lifestyle to an active and fit lifestyle. This is the number 1 priority because it is the best way to prevent any occurrence of a disease. It starts with yourself, yes YOU!
You can start it by removing all your vices, like cessation of cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption limitation. Instead of dwelling on those things, why not recalibrate your ways into healthier options? Like switching your vices into sports, engage in fitness activities to keep you active. Exercise for 30 minutes every day will improve your immune system, and your mental health and overall can prevent any disease.
Next focus now on your diet, as Americans are fans of burgers, fries, sodas and the like which are proven to cause certain diseases and precursors to different illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and stroke. Why not opt for better options? Discipline yourselves to eat clean to maintain a healthy mind and body.
Another problem is your sleeping habits, we all wanted to have greener pastures, you toil too much on your work, like having double jobs, and sleepless nights. Always remember that the brain can function well if we take enough rest. We are not robots that can do the job 24/7. Rest if you must!
Train your mind, and engage in activities like playing chess, crossword puzzles, and sudoku. These mind activities would eventually sharpen your memory and activate your brain to function better. Instead of being a couch potato, why not engage in such activities?
There is no hard and fast rule in preventing brain disease, it all begins in our choices. Choices for better health and better life.
Remember, it all begins within YOU!
