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92.3% of Indians do not trust the healthcare system in India: GOQii India Fit report 2018

Lead Trust 2018-01-11

An alarming new report from GOQii, the smart preventive healthcare company has revealed the trust index that Indians have on the healthcare system and the extent of the health crisis facing the citizens of this country. The key findings paint a grim picture of the Indian healthcare system as well as of the average Indian as being inactive, an overweight adult who has gut issues and does not eat healthily and has several nutritional concerns.

On the Trust index, the report that is based on data collated over the last one year from 200,000 subscribers of GOQii both male and female found that 92.3% don’t trust the healthcare system in India including doctors, hospitals, Pharma companies, Insurance companies, Diagnostic labs, etc. The report collected data from across India’s 8 fitness conscious cities namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

The 3 stark points that come out clearly in the report with regard to the trust index of the healthcare system are 

  • Lack of transparency is the single biggest impediment to the healthcare system in India
  • Chennai and Hyderabad showed slightly higher trust and Pune had the least trust in the healthcare system
  • Akshay Kumar and Baba Ramdev are the most trusted public figures for health advice for Indians

India being a celebrity-crazy country and Bollywood celebrities are revered akin to God. One such celebrity is actor Akshay Kumar who is well known for his healthy lifestyle. So when asked which celebrity’s advice they would pay heed to when it comes to health, ‘Akshay Kumar’ was top of the charts as the most trusted celebrity/public figure for health advice, followed by Baba Ramdev, a yoga guru.

Vishal Gondal, Founder and CEO of GOQii commenting on the report said, “Indians are no longer silent or docile patients, but instead they are now well-informed consumers keen to participate in the care process and demanding dignity and transparency from the healthcare providers. This shift will play a significant role in the evolution of healthcare system in the country.”

The changes people would like to see in the healthcare system

 Transparency

Ombudsman for medical practice

Cheaper healthcare facilities including medicines

Price capping for hospital charges

The India Fit report 2018 has captured real fitness and health insights. The new addition this year is BMI. India Fit Report 2018, indicates that weight is a major concern with approximately more than 55% of the population overweight. Both men and women have a similar pattern of being overweight.

Overweight population 2018-01-11

A higher % of overweight individuals are seen among people above 30 years. Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata, have the most people who are overweight. One of the reasons why these cities have the most illness and health concerns.

Another cause for concern that the report indicates is the fact that the average daily step count of an individual across India is 6126 steps, a drop from last year’s count of 7746 steps. The recommended daily step count by World Health Organization to lead a healthy lifestyle is 10,000 steps.

Mumbai moves more than Bengaluru 2018-01-11

While Mumbai surpassed Bengaluru this year for the first rank with an average step count of 6488 steps, Bengaluru tops the chart as the healthiest city in India. Chennai stays at the bottom of the list where step count is concerned and is also is the unhealthiest city. Despite having a predominantly younger population tracking steps in Chennai, the step count is low at 5605 steps daily average.

Bengaluru healthiest 2018-01-11

 

This year the GOQii India Fit report has added a new dimension to its analysis to include the quality of air, as Indians, especially in the Delhi-NCR and Gurgaon region, are increasingly breathing polluted air.

While Indians are striving to be fit, chronic lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension etc are a cause for concern. It is estimated that around 130 million may suffer from lifestyle diseases such as diabetes in the next few years. The disruptive lifestyle changes in the country due to a rapidly evolving urban economy and Indian middle class have resulted in the increase in chronic diseases.

Lifestyle disease 2018-01-11

In comparison to last year, there has been a rise in the number of lifestyle diseases among people. Diabetes has increased from 7.7% to 7.9%. Also, more Indians have high cholesterol this year increasing from 9.4 to 10.1%.  With age as well people are more prone to lifestyle diseases. 23.8% people below the age of 45 have one or more diseases such as diabetes, cardiac problems including high cholesterol, blood pressure, thyroid and Cancer. Post 45 years this has doubled to 52.1%.

“Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of chronic diseases due to the disruptive lifestyle changes in the country. Lack of exercise, erratic eating habits, increase in stress levels and poor sleep patterns are just some of the key reasons behind the increase of this epidemic,” says Gondal.

To read the full report download from www.indiafit.org

 

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Hair loss: Causes and Prevention

Everyone loves a beautiful mane, be it, men or women. You could be having hair fall due to androgenic or non-androgenic causes. Androgenic causes are genetic in nature. Take Andre Agassi for instance, who starts losing his hair as early as when he was 19 and soon after, endorsed the ‘baldness’ proudly! If the causes of your hair fall are androgenic, it is best to accept your hair as they are! In case if your hair fall is due to a disease, it might continue with the disease or even after the disease is cured. A lot depends on the way you have treated the disease and the capacity of your body to jump back to a healthy state. Some of the diseases which lead to hair loss are Lupus, thyroid problems, cancer, muscular dystrophy or any severe chronic illness.

hairfall image 1

Prevent Hair Loss

  1. Nothing beats the intake of nutritious foods & regular exercise– Make sure you are consuming enough proteins in your diet as these are the building blocks of tissues and hair. You can include milk, egg whites, pulses and fish; use Omega-3 fatty acids—such as salmon and mackerel— or sprinkle a tablespoon or two of freshly ground flaxseed on to salads or cereal each day.

     2. Vitamin A is crucial for healthy hair because it works with the fat synthesis. Food products rich in vitamin A include leafy greens, carrots, eggs and cow’s ghee.

      3. Vitamin B12 creates red blood cells, which ultimately provides more oxygen to your body! Eggs, milk, cheese, milk products, meat, fish, shellfish and poultry. Some soy and rice beverages, as well as soy-based meat substitutes, are fortified with vitamin B12.

      4. Vitamin C and Iron are good for your hair. Lemon a top source of Vitamin C goes great with iron-rich foods such as spinach, quinoa, chia seeds, lentils, oatmeal, spirulina, soybeans and tomato paste. Oranges, strawberries, sweet potatoes, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, almost all leafy greens, apples, limes, broccoli, papaya, pineapple, gooseberries, and kiwi are also all great sources of Vitamin C.

       5. Vitamin E also encourages circulation in the body and helps grow new blood vessels, which helps hair to grow. Almonds, sweet potatoes, spinach, peanuts amongst others.

Some of the most important minerals for hair health are — calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc which are found in vegetables and fruits.

  1. Regular exercise allows sweat to clean out and unclog your hair pores. The exercise will also make you healthier overall which will help you grow longer, stronger locks.
  1. Stay hydrated. The hair shaft itself is largely made up of water. Drink 8-10 glasses of water every day, along with fruits and juices.
  1. Check if you have a hormonal imbalance. If you do, look into natural supplements for hormone regulation and foods that promote healthy hormone levels.
  1. Health conditions which might lead to hair loss include stress, thyroid disease, anaemia, and medications for heart disease. Read the article on basic tests which you must consider.
  1. Break your habit of smoking. Apart from a number of diseases, it reduces circulation, and this includes blood flow to the scalp. Drinking alcohol and caffeine hampers the immune system and cause further hair fallout.
  1. Oil Scalp Massages stimulate the hair follicles to increase hair growth! Take any natural oil – olive, coconut, almond and massage gently into your scalp. Leave it for ½ hr to 1 hour and wash.
  1. Home remedies: Unless sure, avoid the use of chemical treatments on your hair. Use shikakai soap at least once a week instead of shampoo with aloe vera pulp/curd. Instead of hair gels- use a pinch of brihangraj or coconut oil to settle your hair.

If you have dandruff/ itchy scalp, massage neem oil to your scalp, keep it for 1 hour before rinsing with shikakai soap. Repeat every week till you see an improvement. (if your scalp is sensitive, then neem oil may be diluted with an equal amount of coconut oil to prevent irritation). Neem is antibacterial and antifungal and works wonders for your scalp. Above all, listen to what your hair is telling you. All the treatments, even though natural might not suit your skin type. So try and find what suits you best and use it.

Use henna, to colour your hair if it suits your skin. In case if you use hair colours ensure to hydrate your skin post the treatment. The above remedies would suffice.

  1. Yoga and Pranayam: Lazy bums out there should never give up on yoga and pranayamas they promote an overall wellbeing. While the below-given asanas aid hair growth, these are also beneficial numerous other body functions.

                                                                  Adho Mukha Savasana (downward dog pose)

 

downward dog pose

 

 

Uttahanasana (standing forward pose)

 

standing fowardd pose

 

Pavanmukthasana ( Wind-relieving pose)

wind releaving pose

 

Sarvangasana  Shoulder Stand)

shoulder stand

 

Vajrasana (Adamantine Pose)

vajrasana

 

 

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Eat Healthy Stop counting Calories

I used to count calories

It was part of my training as a dietitian – one of our homework assignments. It seemed everyone in my class was really good at it like they had memorized the calorie content of a bunch of foods. I treated the project as an experiment. What I mean by that is, if this is what we’re supposed to have our patients do, I should be able to do it well.

The funny thing however was, the more I counted calories and the less I was paying attention to the food in front of me. It was like looking at a spreadsheet on a plate. All you see is numbers.

I’d choose the less tasty entree because it was lower in calories, even if it didn’t sound appealing. If I got hungry after the meal, I’d second guess myself. “But I ate 700 calories!? That should be enough!”

It was like a battle between the calculator and my stomach. The calculations said I needed a certain amount of calories per day. If I went over, it was a “bad” day. If I went under, it was an excuse to eat junk food. I’d think to myself, “Well, these chocolates are only 90 calories…”

I’ll admit, I failed miserably at counting calories and gave up within a few weeks. I never really enjoyed it and I felt restricted, what I was going to develop is ordered eating.

Making good food choices is important for everyone. As a Nutritionist and Dietitian, I believe there are two important things you can do to achieve healthylifestyle—

# Make good food choices.

# Identify habits that you can keep doing over a long period of time, which fit easily into your daily routine, and can become a sustainable part of your life (what I mean by this is no fad diets!)

How else can you start making good food choices? Let’s start with the grocery store.

Here are some tips that may help you:

# Never shop when you are hungry. You will make much better choices if you shop after you’ve had a good breakfast or lunch, or when you’re not in a rush.

# Try to spend the most of the time while shopping in the fresh fruit and vegetable section. Most of us don’t eat enough vegetables, which offer many nutritional benefits and fill you up so you can better resist the temptation of unhealthy foods. Deeply colored fruits and vegetables provide more nutrients, so be sure to eat a variety of different color produce.

# Select whole grains instead of white flour, white pasta, and white rice. Quinoa is a great grain to try because it has a lot of protein, which is not the case for many grain products.

# Choose naturally low-fat and high-fiber foods (e.g., low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, whole grain cereals).

# Know that not all oils are bad for you. Look for nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil and other healthy oils which can provide the fat you need in your diet.

# See if you can check out and exit the store without buying packaged and processed foods.

It’s simple to conclude that all you need to do is take in fewer calories than just count calories and make sure you are getting healthy fats into your diet each day.

 

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Simple tips for Lifestyle Changes

people-working-in-the-office

Today, everybody, everywhere seems to be busy.And, in the rush to make more money, the busy work life has got the worst of every individual leaving them with little or no time to think about themselves and their health.

Most people’s work in the current times either involves sitting for about 8-10 hours in one place or too much travel thereby resulting in people developing many issues such as

-Joint pains specially neck and back pain

-Irregular meal timings

-Problems like indigestion due to unhealthy eating

– Complete or partial cut off from social life

– Stress or depression

-Lack of Sleep

Hence the question on top of everybody’s mind is what do I do? Leaving the job is not a solution. In that case how do I get rid of all these problems?

The answer is very simple … bring about a ‘Lifestyle Change’ .

Tips for Change

-Set your meal timings. Set alarms for your meals on your mobiles and laptops

-Eat a balanced diet.

-Eat fruits, Vegetables and Salads

-Have small meals after every two to three hours rather than having three large meals or skipping any meal

-Get up from your seat every one hour and walk for about 5 to 10 minutes. You could also walk and talk when you get a call instead of sitting in your seat and conversing

-Don’t cradle your phone or message your colleague if you want something walk down to their desk.

-Use the staircase instead of the elevator As much as you can. There is no better exercise that walking up and down the stairs

-If your office is at a walking distance, try to walk or buy a bicycle for the same. It cannot get better than this

-Stretch in between work whenever possible so that the muscles get relaxed

– Instead of keeping a bottle on your table every time you are thirsty, walk down to the water cooler and have water.

-During tea breaks sit with colleagues rather than having it alone

-Listen to soothing music before you sleep. Believe me you will certainly get good sleep

-Breathing exercises works well whenever you feel stressed.

Bring about these simple lifestyle changes and you will realize that life is so much better.  In case you find it difficult to bring about these changes go through the following blog http://goqii.com/blog/why-is-it-difficult-to-make-a-lifestyle-change-6-tips-to-follow/and you can follow the tips given in this so as to bring about a change within your lifestyle.

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