The pandemic has spared no sector or country; it has forced governments worldwide to enforce lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. The lockdown has had a tremendous change in the lifestyle habits of individuals. Barring the essential services category, most people are working from home for nearly 6 months, even for school and college students, the classes have gone online. While this is a good arrangement to use technology to maintain social distancing and prevent yourself from getting infected by the virus, it has created some new problems. It has been reported that due to long working hours due to Work from Home, improper sitting posture is leading to neck, back-related pain. This is not only because of the change in the working patterns but also due to the growing incidence of lifestyle disorders.
Chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases have a tendency of reoccurrence and it rises due to unhealthy eating habits, sedentary daily routines, work-related stress, and most importantly lack of regular exercise. The lockdown has also led to a rise in obesity cases in children as well as adults; age not being a limitation. Staying at home with restricted movement and sitting all day long has led to three main health issues Backache, Obesity, and Anxiety.
In this technology-driven era, India has advanced in the healthcare segment by manufacturing light weighed and portable devices that any and every individual can utilize it in its personal capacity. Let's talk about a few portable medical equipments that are a must during this lockdown to keep you not only safe but also in good shape.
Backache: TENS (Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulator): It is a device that generates micro-level pulsed currents. These pulses are applied to painful body parts through two Electrodes. The current passes through the skin between these electrodes and relieves pain blocking the pain signals. It works on ‘sensory’ nerves. Besides back, it is widely used in cervical and knee pains.
Weight Loss/Obesity reduction: The device is known as EMS (Electric Muscle Stimulators). It is similar to TENS, except that the pulsed signal is larger and affects ‘motor’ nerves causing an exercise of the muscles. Motor nerves pass through the muscles, and the stimulation causes an exercise thereby toning the muscles. This combined with a low-calorie diet will help an individual lose weight.
Stress Relief: A device known as CES (Cranial Electric Stimulator) can help induce changes in neurohormones and neurotransmitters that have been implicated with stress-related disorders. Electrodes are placed on the ear lobes, or temples, use of this helps with stress relief/power nap. Listening to soft music along with the use of CES is advisable as can help with total relaxation of the body.
Blood Pressure Monitor: High blood pressure is known to be a silent killer. A portable blood pressure monitor for frequent checks of BP can help maintain a balanced and healthy body. The advent of medical devices has made frequent monitoring of health very easy.
It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle by doing what is right for the body. Two ways health issues can be treated through drugs and medical equipment. It has been proven that drugs have mild adverse effects and every person’s body reacts differently. Lesser known facts are that medical devices play a vital role in the treatment of normal to critical health issues.
