It was found that the prevalence of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes increased during the corona period. In fact, it was confirmed by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that chronically ill patients delayed treatment or did not receive proper treatment for fear of infection. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis can lead to various complications such as life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage and myocardial infarction if neglected, so lifestyle management is important to address the root cause.
Diabetes requires regular eating, exercise not too much…
Diabetes mellitus is recognized as a common disease, affecting 1 in 7 people over 30 in Korea. Diabetes is diagnosed with a blood test. If asymptomatic, blood glucose measured following fasting for more than 8 hours is 126 mg/dL or more, following 2 hours of oral glucose tolerance test, blood sugar is 200 mg/dL or more, and glycated hemoglobin is 6.5% or more, it is called diabetes. Since diabetes is a vascular disease, complications appear following 5 years of progress even if well managed, and complications appear in most patients following 10 years. It is the most common vision problem, and the kidneys may not know the progress of the condition until it becomes severe. In addition, the mechanism of damage to blood vessels causes various cardiovascular diseases. Kim Yu-mi, an internal medicine manager at Incheon Himchan General Hospital, said, “Diabetes management requires comprehensive management of blood sugar control and prevention of complications. do,” he advised.
Diabetes management requires a combination of diet and exercise. You should reduce your intake of carbohydrates and simple sugars as much as possible, and eat regularly. Fried or roasted dishes should be avoided as they can raise the glycemic index more than steamed or raw. Above all, it is important to avoid the habit of eating too fast or eating too much. Chew your food thoroughly and eat slowly to avoid overeating. In particular, breakfast is the key to metabolic control, so it is good to take medicines following meals. It is also essential to exercise to reduce blood sugar by consuming calories by increasing the glucose in the body. From light aerobic exercise such as walking to exercise to build muscle, it helps lower blood sugar. However, excessive exercise can cause hypoglycemia, so be careful.
Focus on high blood pressure, weight loss and sodium restriction… Avoid outdoor exercise in winter
Hypertension is a very common disease. It usually causes no discomfort, but one day, it suddenly causes serious complications such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Because high blood pressure damages the walls of blood vessels, arteriosclerosis is aggravated, and cardiovascular disease in the heart area and cerebrovascular disease in the head can occur.
Hypertension is referred to as a lifestyle disease. This means that if you change your lifestyle, you can manage it. The first is weight loss. More than half of hypertensive patients are obese. A 10% reduction in body weight can also lower blood pressure. It is recommended to do aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes, but regular aerobic exercise such as brisk walking or climbing stairs helps lower blood pressure. However, avoid excessive exercise or early morning when the temperature is low.
Another important point to control blood pressure is to eat slowly and reduce sodium intake as much as possible through diet management. Check the ingredient list and choose foods with relatively low sodium content and use low-sodium foods for ingredients. It is recommended to increase the use of chopsticks and change the spoon to a smaller one to reduce salt intake little by little, and to exercise moderately every day.
Arthritis pain, need for a balanced diet, avoid exercise that puts strain on the joints
Although degenerative arthritis is recognized as a disease that has little to do with life, patients with arthritis need special attention also for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, in a paper published in an international scientific journal, a follow-up of 18,490 people for 13 years showed that those with arthritis had higher rates of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes than those without arthritis. In particular, patients with arthritis in the hip and knee joints had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The pain caused by knee arthritis leads to a decrease in the amount of activity and exercise, resulting in weight gain and muscle loss.
Director Kwon Tae-yoon of Himchan Hospital’s orthopedic surgery department said, “When muscle mass decreases, metabolism decreases, and nutrients that are eaten are not properly absorbed by the body, which affects vascular diseases such as fat accumulation in the blood.” “In particular, women have less muscle mass than men. I suffer from arthritis symptoms a lot because of my lifestyle, but I can manage it with appropriate treatment and exercise.”
For degenerative arthritis, weight control, lifestyle improvement, and exercise therapy are essential. Maintaining an appropriate body weight will not put strain on the knee, and it will be possible to find vitality through exercise while maintaining cardiopulmonary function, muscle strength, and elasticity of joints and ligaments. It is important to eat an appropriate amount of food evenly rather than eating only foods with specific ingredients that are good for joints. Insufficient protein intake leads to faster muscle loss. It is important to eat enough protein and eat other nutrients as well. Also, if you exercise regularly, you will be able to move your muscles a lot. Cycling and walking on flat ground are effective because they strengthen the strength and flexibility of the lower body muscles, but it is better to avoid climbing, descending stairs, and running as exercises that put strain on the joints.
