Potassium

Potassium

This mineral is important for a healthy nervous system and a regular heart rhythm.  It helps prevent stroke, aids in proper muscle contraction, and works with sodium to control the body’s water balance.  Potassium is important for chemical reactions within the cells and aids in maintaining stable blood pressure and in transmitting electrochemical impulses.  It also regulates the transfer of nutrients to the cells.

Sources

Food sources of potassium include dairy foods, fish, fruit, legumes, meat, poultry, vegetables, and whole grains.  It is specifically found in apricots, avocados, bananas, blackstrap molasses, brewer’s yeast, brown rice, dates, figs, dried fruit, garlic, nuts, potatoes, raisins, winter squash, tourla, wheat bran, and yams.

Warnings

Use of diuretics, kidney disorders, diarrhea, and laxatives of all disrupt potassium levels.  Although potassium is needed for hormone secretion, hormones secreted as result of stress cause a decrease in the potassium sodium ratio both inside and outside the cell.  

Copy typed by Shirley-Ann Pearman

All of the above was taken from an excerpt from

Prescription For Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, M.D. – Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C. - $11.75. page2.

Elements Of Health - Flaxseed

Elements Of Health

Herb	Flaxseed
Parts Used	Seeds
Chemical and Nutrient Content	Glycosides, gum, linamarin, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, mucilage, oleic acid, proten, saturated acids, tannins, and wax.
Actions and Uses	Used for female disorders, colon problems, inflammation, and tumors.  Promotes strong nails, bones, and teeth and healthy skin.
Excerpt	All of the above was taken from an excerpt from Prescription For Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, M.D. – Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C. - $11.75. page52.

Is a high-sugar, low-fiber diet really harmful to a person’s health?

Eating Right

Is a high-sugar, low-fiber diet really harmful to a person’s health?

In his classic book Eat Right – To Keep Healthy and Enjoy Life More (New York: Arco, 1979), Dr. Dennis Burkitt points out the absence of a certain group of diseases in third world countries where a high-fiber, low-sugar diet is the norm.  He contrasts that with the astoundingly high incidence of this same group of diseases in the western world.  The author makes these observations as a researcher who worked for twenty years as a surgeon in Africa.  Dr. Burkitt found several interesting facts about the following problems.  

Heart attacks.  This is one of the most common diseases in America, killing about one man in four and becoming more common in older women who are no longer protected by natural estrogen.  This health problem is almost completely unknown in rural areas of third world countries.  

Gallstones.  The operation for removal of the gallbladder is one of the most common operations in America.  Gallstones almost never occur in rural areas of third world countries.  

Diverticulitis of the colon.  This problem causes untold misery and pain for older people, necessitating operations, for removal of parts of the colon and often mandating colostomies.  It occurs in our country in about one in then people over the age of forty and one in three over the age of sixty.  This disease is almost unknown in third world communities. 

Appendicitis.  An appendectomy is the most common emergency operation done in the United States.  Appendicitis almost never occurs in rural countries.  

Hiatus hernia.  The herniation of the stomach up through the diaphragm causes burning indigestion, and discomfort in the upper abdomen.  It is quite common in the United States, and it can be so severe that major surgery is necessary.  It almost never occurs in rural Africa.  

Varicose veins.  Most women naively assume that varicose veins are a result of having been pregnant, and it is reported that as many as 44 percent of women between the ages of thirty and fifty have varicose veins.  In rural societies, however, varicose veins occur in less than 5 percent of the population.  

Hermorrhoids.  The American who does not have haemorrhoids is fortunate.  At least 50 percent of the people in the United States do, and many of those victims have had surgery because of this problem.  Although it is assumed by most American women that haemorrhoids occur only as a result of pregnancy and labor this problem is rear in rural parts of third world countries.  

Cancer of the colon.  This cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in the western world, but it is unusual in rural and agrarian societies.  

Diabetes.  Diabetes is quite common in our society, occurring in as many as 15 percent of adults over the age of fifty.  This disease is very uncommon in all rural and agrarian societies.  

Obesity.  This is an extremely common problem in this country, where at least 40 percent of middle-aged adults are over-weight.  Yet obesity is almost never a problem for rural people who feed themselves by growing their own food.  

History indicates that these diseases occurred infrequently in the Western world until the last hundred years, and that they all seem to be associated with the change in our dietary habits.  One of the examples that Dr. Buritt uses is that although all these diseases are among black South Africans, they affect white South Africans to approximately the same extent as they do Americas – and in the United States they affect blacks and whites alike.  His explanation is that in South Africa the blacks still exist on an agrarian diet, while the whites eat the traditional over-refined Western foods. 

Copy typed by Shirley-Ann Pearman

An excerpt from page 808 of “1250 Health-Care Questions Women Ask With Straightforward Answers by an Obstetrician/Gynecologist” (by Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D. with Susan Nethery)

Women's Health Books

Water

Water

Water has no caloric value, but it contributes about 65% of body weight and is essential to the body’s normal functioning.  In general, water helps provide the body with other nutrients it needs and helps rid the body of what it does not need.  Water has many functions, including these:

1.      Helping to maintain the balance of all the fluids in the body

2.      Lubricating the body’s moving parts

3.      Dissolving chemicals and nutrients

4.      Aiding in digestion

5.      Helping to transport nutrients and secretions throughout the body

6.      Flushing out wastes

7.      Regulating body temperature through perspiration

The amount of water in the body directly affects the concentration and distribution of body fluids and all the functions related to them.  The body maintains a careful balance between water consumed (in foods and beverages) and water lost (through urination, perspiration, and respiration).  In a healthy fluid balance, water input equals water output.  Measuring an ill person’s level of water intake and output can help determine the best fluid replacement regiment to use.

People obtain most of their water from beverages such as tap water, milk, and fruit juices as well as coffee, tea, and soft drinks.  On average, a person needs to drink six to eight glasses of water a day to maintain a healthy water balance.  The daily need for water varies with size and age, the temperatures to which someone is exposed, the degree of physical exertion, and the water content of the foods one eats.  Someone who is eating mostly foods with a high water content, such a fruits and vegetables, can drink a little less water than someone who is eating mostly foods with a low water content.

If people get too little water or lose too much water through vomiting, diarrhea, burns, or perspiration, they become dehydrated.  Signs and symptoms of dehydration include dry lips and mucous membranes, weakness, lethargy, decreased urine output, and increased thirst.  Severe dehydration can lead to hypovolemia, a reduction in result in inadequate blood pressure that affects the functioning of the heart, central nervous system, and various organs – a condition known as hypovolemic shock.  If dehydration progresses so that water is lost from body cells, death usually occurs within a few days.

Procedure 49-1 explains how to educate patients to drink the right amount of water each day to prevent dehydration.  Make sure patients know whether they are to drink extra fluids to replace fluids lost in an illness or to help rid the body of waste.

Copy typed by Shirley-Ann Pearman

Book:  Medical Assisting – Administrative and Clinical Procedures – Including Anatomy and Physiology by Booth Whicker Wyman Pugh Thompson (Third Edition)

Chapter 49 – Nutrition and Special Diets

Fiber

Fiber

Fiber is in a separate category, although it is a type of complex carbohydrate.  Fiber does not supply energy of heat to the body.  It is the tough, stringy part of vegetables and grains.  Fiber is not absorbed by the body, but it serves these important digestive functions:

1.      Increasing and softening the bulk of the stool, thus promoting normal defacation

2.      Absorbing organic wastes and toxins in the body so that they can be expelled

3.      Decreasing the rate of carbohydrate breakdown and absorption

Therapeutically, fiber can help treat and prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticular disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.  It is linked to reduced blood cholesterol level, reduction of gallstone formation, control of diabetes, and reduction in the risk of certain types of cancer and other diseases.  Too little fiber can result in an increased risk of colon cancer, hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol), and increased blood glucose levels after eating.   Too much fiber can cause constipation, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal disorders and can impair mineral absorption. 

The recommended amount of fiber for adults is 20 to 35 grams a day.  Because fiber works in conjunction with other substances and nutrients, it is advisable to get dietary fiber from a variety of food sources (Figure 49-4).  Adequate water intake is especially important for fiber to work properly.

Fiber can be classified as soluble or insoluble.  Soluble fiber, found in foods such as oats, dry beans, barley, and some fruits and vegetables, is the type that tends to absorb fluid and swell when eaten.  It slows the absorption of food from the digestive tract, helps control the blood sugar level of diabetics, lowers blood cholesterol levels, and softens and increases the bulk of stools.  Insoluble fiber, found in the bran in whole wheat bread and brown rice, for example, promotes regular bowel movements by contributing to stool bulk.

Figure 49-4  Dietary fiber serves many functions in the human body and is considered a basic food component.

Copy typed by Shirley-Ann Pearman

Book:  Medical Assisting – Administrative and Clinical Procedures – Including Anatomy and Physiology by Booth Whicker Wyman Pugh Thompson (Third Edition)

Chapter 49 – Nutrition and Special Diets

What does “eating right” mean, and why is it so important?

What does “eating right” mean, and why is it so important?

The primary problem with the American diet is that during the past hundred years we have started eating much more animal fat, fewer high-fiber carbohydrate foods (such as whole-grain bread and cereals), and more concentrated, non-nutritive sugar.  The carbohydrate foods that we normally eat either have had most of their natural fiber content removed or they are sugar carbohydrates,” which are almost completely without fiber. 

I picture food as being one a balance scale – fiber-rich cereals on one end and sugar on the other.   In America today sugar weighs far heavier in what we eat then fiber-containing cereals.  It should be the other way around.  I now think of fiber as being similar to vitamins – and essential element the body continually needs to maintain health. 

The human body was designed to function on a diet high in fiber and low in sugar, just as your new car engine was designed to run on gasoline high in octane and low in lead.  If you run it on leaded gasoline, the engine will become gummed up and start functioning poorly.  In the same way your body will function poorly and deteriorate if you persist in eating a diet that is low in fiber and high in sugar.

It now seems that many of the common diseases and healthy problems we always thought were a natural part of growing older are instead due to the foods we have been eating.  This is exciting news, because it means that if we establish new habits of eating we can eliminate many of the diseases always assumed to be part of old age.

Copy typed by Shirley-Ann Pearman

An excerpt from page 808 of “1250 Health-Care Questions Women Ask With Straightforward Answers by an Obstetrician/Gynecologist” (by Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D. with Susan Nethery)

Women's Health Books

Fiber

Fiber

Fiber is in a separate category, although it is a type of complex carbohydrate.  Fiber does not supply energy of heat to the body.  It is the tough, stringy part of vegetables and grains.  Fiber is not absorbed by the body, but it serves these important digestive functions:

1.      Increasing and softening the bulk of the stool, thus promoting normal defacation

2.      Absorbing organic wastes and toxins in the body so that they can be expelled

3.      Decreasing the rate of carbohydrate breakdown and absorption

Therapeutically, fiber can help treat and prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticular disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.  It is linked to reduced blood cholesterol level, reduction of gallstone formation, control of diabetes, and reduction in the risk of certain types of cancer and other diseases.  Too little fiber can result in an increased risk of colon cancer, hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol), and increased blood glucose levels after eating.   Too much fiber can cause constipation, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal disorders and can impair mineral absorption. 

The recommended amount of fiber for adults is 20 to 35 grams a day.  Because fiber works in conjunction with other substances and nutrients, it is advisable to get dietary fiber from a variety of food sources (Figure 49-4).  Adequate water intake is especially important for fiber to work properly.

Fiber can be classified as soluble or insoluble.  Soluble fiber, found in foods such as oats, dry beans, barley, and some fruits and vegetables, is the type that tends to absorb fluid and swell when eaten.  It slows the absorption of food from the digestive tract, helps control the blood sugar level of diabetics, lowers blood cholesterol levels, and softens and increases the bulk of stools.  Insoluble fiber, found in the bran in whole wheat bread and brown rice, for example, promotes regular bowel movements by contributing to stool bulk.

Figure 49-4  Dietary fiber serves many functions in the human body and is considered a basic food component.

Copy typed by Shirley-Ann Pearman

Book:  Medical Assisting – Administrative and Clinical Procedures – Including Anatomy and Physiology by Booth Whicker Wyman Pugh Thompson (Third Edition)

Chapter 49 – Nutrition and Special Diets

Water

Water

Water has no caloric value, but it contributes about 65% of body weight and is essential to the body’s normal functioning.  In general, water helps provide the body with other nutrients it needs and helps rid the body of what it does not need.  Water has many functions, including these:

1.      Helping to maintain the balance of all the fluids in the body

2.      Lubricating the body’s moving parts

3.      Dissolving chemicals and nutrients

4.      Aiding in digestion

5.      Helping to transport nutrients and secretions throughout the body

6.      Flushing out wastes

7.      Regulating body temperature through perspiration

The amount of water in the body directly affects the concentration and distribution of body fluids and all the functions related to them.  The body maintains a careful balance between water consumed (in foods and beverages) and water lost (through urination, perspiration, and respiration).  In a healthy fluid balance, water input equals water output.  Measuring an ill person’s level of water intake and output can help determine the best fluid replacement regiment to use.

People obtain most of their water from beverages such as tap water, milk, and fruit juices as well as coffee, tea, and soft drinks.  On average, a person needs to drink six to eight glasses of water a day to maintain a healthy water balance.  The daily need for water varies with size and age, the temperatures to which someone is exposed, the degree of physical exertion, and the water content of the foods one eats.  Someone who is eating mostly foods with a high water content, such a fruits and vegetables, can drink a little less water than someone who is eating mostly foods with a low water content.

If people get too little water or lose too much water through vomiting, diarrhea, burns, or perspiration, they become dehydrated.  Signs and symptoms of dehydration include dry lips and mucous membranes, weakness, lethargy, decreased urine output, and increased thirst.  Severe dehydration can lead to hypovolemia, a reduction in result in inadequate blood pressure that affects the functioning of the heart, central nervous system, and various organs – a condition known as hypovolemic shock.  If dehydration progresses so that water is lost from body cells, death usually occurs within a few days.

Procedure 49-1 explains how to educate patients to drink the right amount of water each day to prevent dehydration.  Make sure patients know whether they are to drink extra fluids to replace fluids lost in an illness or to help rid the body of waste.

Copy typed by Shirley-Ann Pearman

Book:  Medical Assisting – Administrative and Clinical Procedures – Including Anatomy and Physiology by Booth Whicker Wyman Pugh Thompson (Third Edition)

Chapter 49 – Nutrition and Special Diets

What does "eating right" mean, and why is it so important?

What does “eating right” mean, and why is it so important?

The primary problem with the American diet is that during the past hundred years we have started eating much more animal fat, fewer high-fiber carbohydrate foods (such as whole-grain bread and cereals), and more concentrated, non-nutritive sugar.  The carbohydrate foods that we normally eat either have had most of their natural fiber content removed or they are sugar carbohydrates,” which are almost completely without fiber. 

I picture food as being one a balance scale – fiber-rich cereals on one end and sugar on the other.   In America today sugar weighs far heavier in what we eat then fiber-containing cereals.  It should be the other way around.  I now think of fiber as being similar to vitamins – and essential element the body continually needs to maintain health. 

The human body was designed to function on a diet high in fiber and low in sugar, just as your new car engine was designed to run on gasoline high in octane and low in lead.  If you run it on leaded gasoline, the engine will become gummed up and start functioning poorly.  In the same way your body will function poorly and deteriorate if you persist in eating a diet that is low in fiber and high in sugar.

It now seems that many of the common diseases and healthy problems we always thought were a natural part of growing older are instead due to the foods we have been eating.  This is exciting news, because it means that if we establish new habits of eating we can eliminate many of the diseases always assumed to be part of old age.

Copy typed by Shirley-Ann Pearman

An excerpt from page 808 of “1250 Health-Care Questions Women Ask With Straightforward Answers by an Obstetrician/Gynecologist” (by Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D. with Susan Nethery)

Women's Health Books

Ginger Root

Ginger Root

Elements Of Health

Herb	Ginger
Parts Used	Roots and rhizomes
Chemical and Nutrient Content	Bisabolene, borneal, borneol, camphene, choline, cineol, citral, ginerol, inositol, volatile oils, PABA, phellandrene, acrid resin, sequiterpene, vitamins B₅₁, B₅₁, and B₉₁ zingerone, and zingiberene.
Actions and Uses	A spicy herb used for colitis, diverticulosis, nausea, gas, indigestion, paralysis of the tongue, morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, hot flashes, and menstrual cramps.  Cleanses the colon, stimulates circulation, and reduces spasms and cramps.
Excerpt	All of the above was taken from an excerpt from Prescription For Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, M.D. – Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C. - $11.75. page 53.

Ginger Tea

Ginger Common Spice and Wonder Drug by Paul Schulick - $9.95

Prescription For Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, M.D. – Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C. - $11.75.

Health

Health

Health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being.  It involves more than just the absence of disease.  A truly healthy person not only feels good physically but also has a realistic outlook on life and gets along well with other people.  Good health enables people to enjoy life and have the opportunity to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

To achieve and maintain good health, people must have basic knowledge about the human body and how it functions.  Only then can they determine what will or what will not help or damage their health.  Therefore, learning about health should be a part of every person’s education.  Current knowledge about health, together with good living habits, can help almost everyone maintain good health and improve the quality of life.

Society as a whole benefits from people’s good health just as individuals do.  For that reason, many government and voluntary agencies strive to preserve and improve the health of all people.  The World Health Organization (WHO), an agency of the United Nations, works to promote better health throughout the world.

Elements Of Physical Health

All parts of the body must work together properly to maintain physical health.  A person who is in good physical condition has the strength and energy to enjoy and active life and withstand the stresses of daily life.  Proper nutrition, exercise, rest and sleep, cleanliness, and medical and dental care are all essential parts of healthy living.

Nutrition

A balanced diet provides all the food substances needed by the body for healthy growth and development.  Nutritionists use the term nutrients for these substances and classify them into five main groups:  (1) carbohydrates, (2) fats, (3) proteins, (4) vitamins, and (5) minerals.  Water is also essential for life, but it is often considered separately from nutrients.

A balanced diet consists of a wide variety of foods.  Fruits and vegetables provide important vitamins and minerals.  Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, and nuts are rich sources of protein.  Bread, cereals, and potatoes furnish carbohydrates in addition to vitamins and minerals.

Good nutrition also includes eating the proper amount of food each day.  Overeating can lead to obesity (fatness).  Excess weight puts extra strain on the heart and increases a person’s chances of getting such diseases as diabetes and heart disease.  Many people try to lose weight quickly and easily by following one of the many widely advertised fad diets.  But these diets can be dangerous, especially if used over a long period of time.   The safest way to lose weight is to consult a doctor and follow the reducing programme he or she prescribes.  Most programmes combine moderate daily exercise with a balanced diet that contains a limited number of calories.

Exercise

Exercise helps keep the body healthy and fit.  Vigorous exercise strengthens muscles and improves the function of the circulatory and respiratory systems.  Physical fitness benefits both physical and mental health.  It enables the body to withstand stresses that otherwise could cause physical and emotional problems.

To achieve fitness, a person should start and exercise programme slowly and build it up gradually to a level that maintains a healthy heart and strong muscles.  Daily exercise provides the greatest benefits, and so it is important to choose exercises that can be performed every day.  Such popular activities as bicycling, jogging, and swimming and even taking long, brisk walks, furnish the vigorous exercise necessary for fitness.  Participating in golf, tennis, or some other sport only once or twice a week cannot develop and maintain fitness.

Rest And Sleep

Rest and sleep help overcome fatigue and restore energy to the body.  Everyone needs rest and sleep, but the amount required differs for each individual.  Most adults sleep for 7 to 8 ½ hours a night, though some need less sleep and others need more.  Young children may need more sleep at night plus a daytime nap.  Nearly everyone has trouble falling asleep occasionally.  However, frequent insomnia (inability) to sleep naturally) can indicate various physical or emotional disorders.  Therefore, it is best to consult a doctor about any persistent sleep problem.  Some people take sleeping pills to counteract insomnia, but such drugs should not be used without a doctor’s prescription.

Rest and relaxation are as important as sleep.  After strenuous work or exercise, a person may need a period of total rest.  At other times, only relaxation or a change  of pace is necessary.  Any activity that differs from the normal routine of work or study can be relaxing.  Pleasurable and relaxing activities help the body shed tension and remain robust.  If rest and relaxation do not relieve fatigue and tension, the individual may have a physical or emotional problem.  

Cleanliness

Cleanliness controls the growth of bacteria and other germs that can cause disease.  A daily bath or shower keeps the body free from dirt and odour.  In  addition, it helps prevent skin infections that may develop if bacteria grow and multiply on the skin.  The hair should also be washed regularly. 

Daily dental care is another important part of personal cleanliness.  Bushing the teeth properly and using dental floss keep the teeth clean and help prevent decay and gum disease.

Medical And Dental Care

Medical and dental care.  Regular checkups by a doctor and dentist play an important role in safeguarding health.  Doctors recommend that people have medical care a the first sign of any illness.  Early care can result in quicker cure.  Treating oneself for more than a day or two is unwise unless the condition improves steadily.

Prevention of disease is an important part of medical care.  Parents should make sure that their children receive immunization against diphtheria, German measles, measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, and whooping cough.

Elements Of Mental Health

Physical health and mental health are closely connected.  Mental health plays an important role in both the way people behave and the way they feel.  Emotionally health individuals accept themselves as they are with all their weaknesses as well as their strengths.  They remain in contact with reality, and they are able to deal with stress and frustration.  They also act independently of outside influences and show genuine concern for other people.

Emotional Development

Emotional development.  Experiences during childhood strongly influence a person’s mental health throughout life.  An infant is completely helpless at birth and must depend on its parents for all its needs.  Children remain dependent for many years, but they slowly mature and learn to do things for themselves.  They make many mistakes during this long period of growth and maturation.  Children thus develop the knowledge and maturation.  Children thus develop the knowledge necessary to deal with difficult situations in life.  This knowledge helps them maintain good mental health.

Emotional development does not end when a person reaches adulthood.  Similarly, an individuals mental health continues to change from time to time.  These changes result from daily circumstances that cause either pleasure or pain for the person.

Handling Stress

Handling Stress is essential for avoiding both mental and physical illness.  Feeling of stress are the body’s response to any threatening or unfamiliar situation.  Most severe stress results from such serious events as bereavement, a divorce, or loss of a job.  However, stress can occur even in pleasant situations, such as watching a football game.  If not handled properly, stress can lead to physical or emotional illness.  It may produce only mild symptoms, such as a cough, a headache, or a rash.   But severe and prolonged stress can contribute to serious health problems, including high blood pressure and stomach ulcers.

No one can ovoid stress, but a person can lessen the danger of becoming ill from it.  Regular exercise and sufficient sleep strengthen the body’s resistance to stress.  Everyone should learn to relax by resting, taking a walk, meditating, pursuing a hobby, or by any other method that he or she finds successful.

Social Relationships

Social relationships have an important influence on mental health.  Close personal relationships with friends and relatives provide opportunities for communication, sharing, and emotional growth.  Such relationships also can provide strength and support for dealing with challenging situations or personal problems.

Health Hazards

The nature of health problems in the industrialized nations has changed dramatically during the 1900’s.  Until then, most people died from infectious diseases, such as diphtheria or pneumonia.  Today, however, infectious diseases are no longer the main killers.  Improved sanitation, immunization programmes, and the development of antibiotic drugs have brought these diseases under control.  Today, health specialists are concerned chiefly with diseases related to the aging process, unhealthy lifestyles, and environmental hazards.

Tobacco, Alcohol, And Drug Abuse

Cigarette smoking is a principal cause of unnecessary and preventable illness and early death.  Heart disease and lung cancer and other lung diseases occur at a much higher rate among smokers than among nonsmokers.

Many individuals use various drugs in an effort to solve their problems or to improve their alertness mood, or self-confidence.  However, the regular use of alcohol, narcotics, or sedatives can lead to addiction and also serious damage to the body.  People may become psychologically dependent on a wide variety of other drugs, including amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, marijuana, and tranquillizers.  These individuals may harm themselves further by neglecting their health and nutrition.  In addition, drugs can distort a person’s judgment and so increase the risk of accidents.

Alcohol is the most widely abused drug in the western world.  About a tenth of all drinkers become alcoholics.  There is no cure for alcholism, but the condition can be treated.  An alcoholic who gives up drinking can return to a healthy, productive life.

Environmental Health Hazards

Environmental health hazards caused by modern technology can produce serious problems.  Air pollution can worsen the condition of people who suffer such respiratory diseases as asthma and bronchitis.  It may even help  cause some diseases, including cancer and even emphysema.  In some areas, insecticides and industrial wastes contaminate food and waste supplies.  Excessive noise can also threaten people’s health.  Noise coming from aeroplanes, construction projects, and industrial plants can cause hearing loss as well as emotional damage.

Occupational Health Hazards

Occupational health hazards threaten the health of many workers.  In some cases, substances involved in a person’s job may cause long-term damage that appears only after many years.  For example, many coal miners develop a lung disease call pneumoconiosis from haling coal dust.  Dust also causes lung diseases among workers in the asbestos and cotton industries.  Some industrial chemicals,  including arsenic and vinyl chloride, cause cancer.  People who work with X rays and other forms of radiation also face a health hazard unless proper precautions are taken.

Public Health

Public health includes all actions taken to maintain and improve the general health of a community.  Government health programmes provide most public health services.  In addition, many voluntary health agencies receive contributions to combat specific, diseases, such as cancer and lung disease.  These agencies provide medical services, campaign for health legislation, and make important contributions to health education.

In many countries, health departments provide a wide range of services in most communities.  For example, they work to prevent and control disease by providing proper sanitation, conducting immunization programmes, and enforcing quarantine regulations.  Another important function of public health agencies is to provide health education for individuals, groups and organizations.

The World Book
Encycopedia