There’s no doubt about it, us Abu Dhabi residents are an unhealthy lot. If we’re not basking for hours in the sun, we’re filling our lungs with fruity-flavoured shisha smoke or gorging on fat-laden foods – and the TOAD team is no exception.
But what does all of this fast living do to your health? We get some advice from the experts about how the environment affects each part of your body, and what you can do to remedy the situation.
Hair
If you’re the sort of person who takes pride in their long, lustrous tresses, then we have some bad news for you. Activities as simple as washing your hair or venturing out for a stroll can be causing you major problems. Although there is no scientific evidence for it, the desalinated water is thought to cause hair loss, with 46 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men saying they’ve experienced thinning locks since moving to the UAE. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to protect your hair. Milad, stylist at New InterContinental Ladies Salon, recommends L’Oreal Soft Peel, which contains small micro-bead particles that gently strip away the build up of chemicals while leaving the hair intact. Other solutions include bypassing the problem altogether by washing your hair in bottled water. A cheaper solution is to wash your hair in cool water, as this will close the cuticles, leaving your hair looking shiny rather than frazzled.
Eyes
The constant squinting in the sunshine, the prevalence of dust in the atmosphere and the drying effect of the air-conditioning units, are all highly damaging to your precious peepers, with many people in Abu Dhabi suffering from deteriorating eyesight and increased susceptibility to infections such as conjunctivitis. But Dr Philip Koshy, an ophthalmologist at the New Medical Centre in Electra Street, says there are numerous ways to solve the problem. First of all, he says, you need to make sure you have a decent pair of polarised sunglasses to wear. A knock-off designer pair that you bought for a few dirhams from a backstreet vendor just won’t cut it. Dr Philip also says to make sure you’re wearing your sunglasses when driving, to protect them from the constant A/C blast. While he also recommends regular use of eye drops and blinking a bit harder when outside in dusty conditions.
Weight
You already know why you’ve put on weight. Oily curries are cheap, delicious and plentiful. It’s practically impossible to eat an Arabic meal without scooping up rich creamy dips with bread as a starter. And when there’s a Baskin Robbins on every corner, you’d have to be very strong-willed not to develop a serious ice cream habit. Freya Jaffar, who runs a weight-loss group in the capital, says part of the problem is also our day-to-day habits, meaning we don’t burn calories where we might in other cities. ‘It’s the culture and lifestyle – having maids to do the housework and practically not walking anywhere contributes to us becoming rather lazy,’ she says. So there’s your answer – try to develop a more active lifestyle and keep an eye on how often you eat out. In other words, move more, eat less.
Skin
The promise of balmy temperatures and year-round sunshine is one of the biggest draws for those who choose to make the move to Abu Dhabi, with the capital’s beaches and pools packed full every weekend with pasty expats eager to get some colour. But, as dermatologist Dr Ahmed Al Kloub of Kaya skin clinic advises, that golden glow comes at a price. ‘In Abu Dhabi the sun shines on average 330 days a year. The intensity of the rays causes premature ageing – the skin becomes rougher and wrinklier the longer it is exposed to the sun.’ And the onslaught doesn’t stop once you’ve stepped inside. Living in a constantly air-conditioned environment may keep the sweat patches at bay, but all that recycled air is drying out your skin like nobody’s business. ‘Using normal soap makes the problem worse,’ says Dr Ahmed. ‘Use an emollient-based wash instead, as this helps to restore moisture to the skin.’
Lungs
Why do so many of Abu Dhabi’s residents seem to be the wheezy, breathless type? The answer is partly down to the humidity and dust in the atmosphere, which can trigger numerous lung conditions – especially asthma. But the fact that smoking is allowed inside many malls, cafés, bars and restaurants also acts as an irritant to anyone with breathing difficulties. A less obvious danger is the air-conditioning units, which can build up mould that sparks off asthma attacks, so it’s best to have these cleaned professionally at regular intervals. Dr Zouhair Harb, a respiratory expert at the Cure Clinic in Al Bateen recommends a number of
solutions to these problems. Firstly, he says you need to wash your pillow covers and bed covers regularly, to remove mites. Also, make sure you don’t walking near building sites because of the cement dust, and avoid shisha joints, as the molasses-coated smoke is twice as hazardous as normal tobacco smoke.
Heart
With recent statistics suggesting that cardiovascular disease is responsible for a staggering 41 per cent of UAE deaths, heart problems are by far the city’s biggest killer. High-pressure jobs are partly to blame, with the stress of constant traffic jams and a penchant for rich meals putting our tickers under even greater strain. Regular exercise is the first and most obvious step to a healthy heart, but, given the fact that it’s too hot for outdoor exercise nine months of the year, keeping the blood pumping either means risking heat exhaustion or signing up to a pricey gym. Your best bet for survival? Keeping an eye on your diet goes without saying, but it’s also worth scheduling a regular check-up with your doctor so any issues can be spotted and dealt with as early as possible. And, sadly, four out of five people in the UAE diagnosed with heart disease will die as a direct result of the condition – largely because problems are often detected too late.
