Chronic diseases: Everyone’s business

Chronic diseases are unfortunately common. Here are a few facts about these diseases. The most important message in this video is that many of these diseases are preventable by adopting proper lifestyles.

Diseases and their risk factors

Chronic diseases can be modified by public policies that affect how people behave. That is hardly a new concept, but it warrants repeating. Then again, talk is cheap and more than this sort of information is needed. Actions need to be taken, but changing behaviours is an overwhelming difficult task.

Non-communicable diseases: Chronic illnesses

Chronic diseases can come about through various factors. These range from genetic and epigenetic processes as well as many environmental influences and age. Often, several factors need to be present for a chronic disease to emerge. Here we will see a few of these conditions.

Chronic, non-communicable disease is world's leading killer

The greatest health problems worldwide comprise chronic non-communicable diseases. In some countries communicable diseases are still the leading types of illness, but non-communicable diseases are catching up quickly, facilitated by poverty and the accompanying poor lifestyles.

The epidemic of chronic disease and understanding epigenetics

Kent Thornburg | TEDxPortland

This is a wonderful and very important presentation. The frequency of chronic diseases has been increasing, yet lifespan has also been increasing. A few years from now we will probably see lifespan decline (today’s behaviours will affect lifespan down the road). Moreover, many of the issues that are currently faced may stem from epigenetic changes that occurred in our parents and grandparents. Likewise, many of the effects on lifespan can first develop when a person is still a foetus. Kent Thornburg portrays a dismal future, but things can change. But can this change?

The hell of chronic illness

Sita Gaia | TEDxStanleyPark

What is a chronic disease and how can a person deal with these conditions? Yes, chronic illnesses are the pits. This applies to physical disorders as well as those that are psychological and often the psychological condition is secondary to the physical illness. In this personal account Sita Gaia describes how she dealt with her condition.

Health-related stigma

What can possibly be said about stigma related to mental illness that has not already been said? The stigma of mental health has been a key driver in patients failing to seek help. The Canadian senator, Michael Kirby, provided an overview of the issue in Canada (‘Out of the Shadows, Forever’), clearly documenting the toll taken by stigma. Do not think stigma is restricted to mental illness? Stigma, as you have read, comes in several forms, and is not limited to mental health issues, affecting those with physical or learning disabilities, as well as people with cancer. This presentation by Jeffrey Lieberman is a powerful and thoughtful exposition about self- and other stigma.