As we know, the leading cause of death in the world is no longer from infectious diseases as in the past, but from chronic diseases that humans have cultivated themselves through their ordinary lifestyles… Cancer, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and heart disease are all serious illnesses that claim many human lives daily.
Does that mean we get these serious diseases because of our own behaviors?
The answer is… yes!
Get to know NCDs… serious diseases caused by our own behaviors
We call this group of non-communicable diseases… NCDs (Non-Communicable Diseases) in Thai, it is called chronic non-communicable diseases. These are diseases that are not caused by infections, not caused by pathogens, and cannot be transmitted through contact, close interaction, vectors (carriers), or bodily secretions… but arise from various internal factors resulting from lifestyle and risky behaviors such as alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise, diets high in sugar, fat, and salt, and stress.
The danger of these chronic non-communicable diseases is that they usually develop symptoms gradually and worsen little by little if not treated or controlled. And of course, if behaviors are not changed, these minor symptoms can turn into serious diseases that can easily cause death. The top 4 diseases in the NCD group with the highest patient and death rates, which we are also familiar with, are…
- Diabetes Mellitus: blood sugar or FBS greater than 140 or HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) level greater than 7
- High blood lipids: LDL (bad cholesterol) level greater than 100
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Abdominal obesity (Obesity) or BMI greater than 25
Stop risky behaviors = stop serious diseases
But did you know… even though the statistics of illness and death from NCDs are very high, in reality, NCDs can be prevented more easily than you think. This is because the main causes or risk factors come from our own risky behaviors. Going back to the root cause, just by changing these simple risky behaviors in daily life, we can reduce the risk of developing NCDs by up to 80%.
We would like to invite you to “Modify your lifestyle… to conquer chronic diseases” with the health care program through lifestyle modification or TLM (Total Lifestyle Modification) at the Health Promotion Center, Phyathai 2 Hospital.
