The health of your family is one of the most important things in your life, so you need to know what to look out for that could be an indication that all isn’t well. To ensure you have a happy, healthy and well-balanced household, you need to know what makes a healthy lifestyle and how you can implement one into your home. While you may be met with qualms when it comes to swapping out the usual fries with carrot sticks, you should rest assured that your family will be thanking you in the long-run.
Weight loss: Fluctuating weight is normal during the course of life, as activity levels increase and decrease over time. What you need to be on the lookout for is any sudden or significant weight loss, especially when there has been no change in lifestyle such as an increase in exercise or a strict diet. Other symptoms to check for include lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite, and any kind of pain. Sudden weight loss is always a sign that needs to be checked out by your doctor, and don’t forget the same applies to your pets as well, so if you have a dog losing weight, take them for a check-up at the veterinarian.
Changing behavior: This could affect any or all of your family members, and can be caused by both mental and physical illnesses. If you notice anyone in the family seeming constantly unhappy, irritable, or angry, you need to talk to them and see if you can find out what’s wrong. There may be a problem in their life that you can help with. They may not know why they feel low, or could be feeling unwell in other respects too, in which case a check-up is advisable.
Complaining of pain: Acute onset of pain is generally attributable to a clear cause, like an injury or illness. However, if someone in your family starts complaining of chronic pain, there could be an underlying cause that needs to be determined. Often chronic pain is caused by degenerative diseases such as arthritis, especially in older age. Other times the pain may indicate one of a wide range of illnesses, or could be neuropathic in origin, i.e. be caused by faults in the nerves and pain receptors. A specialist pain clinic with experts in pain medicine like Dr. Rishin Patel is the best place to have your diagnosis confirmed.
Gaining weight: If you notice that members of the family are gaining weight to an unhealthy degree, then either they are not exercising enough, they’re consuming too many calories, or a combination of the two. Being overweight can lead to many health problems, so a calorie-controlled diet and encouraging everyone to exercise more are vital. Going for family walks or bike rides are excellent ways to help lose weight at the same time as spending quality time together. Don’t forget to take the dog if he’s looking a little plump, too.
Fatigue: Everyone feels tired at times, but feeling exhausted all the time can be caused by physical illness, hormone imbalance, or mental strain, so finding the cause will need some medical intervention. Blood tests will identify most physical causes, so it’s important to rule those out first. If you notice everyone is feeling tired, you might need to consider lifestyle changes like improved diet and increased hydration, but it could be worth investigating external sources like gas leaks in case you are all being affected by some form of pollutant.
