Ways to Protect Your Family from Killer Illnesses in a Metro City

With the rapid urbanization taking place in India, on the one hand, we can avail the best of technologies and lifestyle, but on the other hand, we are losing our health. According to the reports published by WHO, there are more people with Diabetes in India than in many parts of the world even taken together.

Cancer patients are rising in India at an alarming rate of 1 million per year, and a recent report says it is already close to 3 million who are having cancer in India. By 2025, it is estimated that this number will get increased by five times. Heart or cardiovascular diseases kill more people in India than any other diseases have to date. India has been crowned and named as the “Diabetes Capital of the World”, and still, we love our urban lifestyle and don’t take much care to treat and prevent all these deadly diseases.

In India, there are more than 1.3 billion people and out of this 1/6th of the world’s total population, close to seven million people travel by Mumbai local trains every day and another 2.5 million or more by Delhi metros, you might be wondering, why these numbers are so important.

It is because the infectious diseases spread faster in these places, in recent few years, diseases like T.B. or cholera has been spreading like an epidemic in the rural areas of the metropolitan cities. Chikungunya has been increased by close to 400% in just three years in the recent past.

So, here is a list of such five diseases which are killing India rapidly with the growing urbanization and the remedies or the precautions you should take to avoid these diseases are as follows:

1. Cardiovascular Diseases

According to NCBI Report, it is the leading reason of deaths occurring in India at recent times, with the growing stress at work, lifestyle changes, food habits, Ischemic Heart diseases, and stroke have become the deadliest enemy of the mortality in India. The excessive use of tobacco, very less consumption of green vegetables and fruits and the factors which act as catalysts in causing these health issues.

You can prevent and safeguard your family from cardiovascular diseases by:

• Firstly, in an urban setup, the thing you need to take care of is your physical activity. You must be working 14-16 hours in a day, but you do that sitting in a revolving chair in your office cabin, that’s not physical activity. Half an hour of free hands can also reduce the levels of body toxins, so, be physically fit to avoid CVD.


• Keep a check on your blood pressure and cholesterol level and ask your doctor before taking any medicines.


• Quit smoking if possible otherwise it would be difficult to prevent CVD.


• Even if you are busy, take care of what and when you eat, a proper diet can help in maintaining BP and Cholesterol levels helping you to prevent CVD.

2. Respiratory Diseases

Urbanization in India is marked by increasing levels of pollution which is creating various kinds of severe to chronic respiratory problems in the citizens. Asthma, ILD, OLD and even Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases are becoming common these days. People living in the slums, rural areas of the urban cities, have T.B. as one of the killer diseases due to the malnutrition and excessive pollution.

You can prevent these respiratory diseases by:

• First and foremost, monitor the number of cigarettes you are smoking (if you are a smoker) and reduce it to zero.


• Have plenty of water so that the biological system can work smoothly.


• Plant trees around your vicinity and try to live as close to nature as possible.


• Wear a respiratory mask while traveling to prevent you from the dust and pollution.


• If you have a cough and cold for more than 2-3 weeks, get a health checkup done.

3. Digestive problems

If you ever visit a government hospital in India, the most number of people you would see are in the gastroenterological department. Digestive diseases can be mild to chronic and need your attention.

You can prevent this by:

• Having boiling water which is clean from germs and pollutants.


• Avoiding foods which are too oily, containing excessive spices, fat etc.


• Having small but frequent meals.


• Stopping excessive intake of alcohol, cold drinks, and even tea or coffee.

4. Cancer

As mentioned above, close to 3 million people in India have cancer at this moment, and this disease doesn’t even spare the kids or the young people. But you can reduce the risk by:

• In summers Avoid the sunrays in the middle of the day that is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.


• Wear clothes that would protect your skin and body from facing the UV rays of the sun directly.


• Smoking is again a factor which causes cancer, so try to quit.


• A healthy diet and the required amount of rest are mandatory for the prevention of cancer.

5. Viral Diseases

Chikungunya, Tuberculosis, cholera etc. spread like an epidemic in the rural belt of the urban cities. The government should take good care of the environment there to prevent these viral epidemics to have a healthy environment and people of the country.

Health Insurance Plans

While precautions are good, they still do not guarantee a disease-free life. Therefore, a health insurance plan which can take care of the emergency treatment burden becomes essential. Cancer protection plan is especially advisable for the urban population, given the deteriorating environment and high cost of treatment.

Cancer protection plan and heart insurance plans are health plans which cover all stages of the disease and offer financial protection regardless of the medical expense. Thus, offering relief to your household costs as well, just in case you have to leave the job for treatments.