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
Friday, 26 August 2011
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Nutrition - Basic Nutrition For Your Family
Nutrition
Basic Nutrition For Your Family
Each year brings advances in our knowledge of nutrition. New information reveals that reactions taking place within the human body each day, even each second, are extremely complicated. We are also told about the extensive study of the role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of many chronic disorders.
With nutrition facts seeming to change so frequently, many homemakers wonder whether it is possible for them to feed their families adequately. Yet it is really quite easy for menus to add up to good nutrition. Keep in mind that we need nutrients for three purposes: to provide materials for growth and replacement of muscles tissue, to provide a source of energy (measured as calories), and to provide materials for regulating body processes. Some nutrients help in only one of these functions. Others can (and do) provide materials that participate in more than one. Sometimes they take part in all three functions. Which nutrients are needed daily? Are there certain amounts that we should have, and do we need more of some than of others? It is easy to remember that we need five groups: protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals.
Protein is essential because it contains materials for all three nutritive functions. The proteins in our foods are composed of even smaller units, known as amino acids. It is through amino-acid activity that proteins function. Some amino acids can be synthesized within our bodies from materials in other foods. But there are others that our bodies cannot manufacture; these are called “essential amino acids.” Sources of these should be included in the diet each day. We have also learned that the amino acids we can synthesize (known as “Nonessential”) function better in the presence of the essential amino acids. And we know that all the essential amino acids must be present at the same time, to obtain the most benefit from all. So one might easily wonder if the foods selected meet all these qualifications. Yet there are simple guides to help you get the most nutrition from foods for your family.
Carbohydrates and fats are necessary as energy-givers. However, there are also essential fatty acids (part of some fats) that many believe we need each day. So sources of these should be included in the diet.
Minerals are important as sources of materials that regulate body functions. They may also become part of the structure of the body. Calcium, for example, is an essential component of the skeletal frame. Although this function takes place primarily during growth, there is a continued calcium exchange within the body. So we need calcium as adults. And calcium is necessary for the coagulation of blood. This mineral has other important functions, too.
It is believed that we must have certain amounts of calcium and iron each day. Other minerals equally important to health are needed in such small quantities that we apparently obtain adequate amounts. Some of these are: sodium, potassium, chlorine, phosphorus, copper, zinc, magnesium, manganese, cobalt, iodine, sulfur, fluorine, and others.
Even the youngest family member is soon familiar with the idea that vitamins are important. But again, how much and which ones to include can become a nagging worry to the homemaker.
The National Research Council’s Food and Nutrition Board has published a Table of Daily Recommended Allowances for those nutrients that its members consider necessary to include in the diet each day. The vitamins specified are: vitamin A, thiamine, (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and vitamin D. Other vitamins are equally essential and perform vital roles in our body’s metabolism. However either we are able to synthesize adequate amounts or our need for them is so small that we obtain enough from our food. Chief among these additional vitamins are: pyridoxine, biotin, antithetic acid, folic acid, Vitamin B-12. You have probably seen these names on labels.
The possibility is realized that some factor, unknown at present, remains to be identified as an essential nutrient.
Even though you require some twenty to thirty nutrients daily, your menu planning need not resemble a complex calculator. The United States Department of Agriculture has developed an easy-to-follow menu plan.
A Daily Food Guide
| Milk Group Vegetable, Fruit Group Meat Group Bread, Cereal Group | Some milk for everyone. Children, 3 to 4 cups. Teen-agers, 4 or more cups Adults, 2 or more cups 4 or more servings. Include: A citrus fruit or other fruit or vegetable important for vitamin C. A dark-green or deep-yellow vegetable for vitamin A - at least every other day. Other vegetables and fruits, including potatoes. 2 or more servings. Beef, veal, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, eggs. As alternatives - dry beans, dry peas, nuts 4 or more servings. Whole grain, enriched, or restored. |
The guide is flexible. You can adapt it to fit family preferences. Even though you have freedom of choice, keep in mind that foods within each group are similar but not identical. Thus, to safeguard your nutrient intake, plan to have variety within each group. The foods listed in the guide probably will provide you with your nutritive needs - except for calories. So you may select additional foods, from the four food groups or from other foods, such as desserts, fats, oils, and sweet foods, to provide the necessary calories.
Each food group makes certain contributions to the diet. For example, fruits and vegetables supply vitamins and minerals. They are especially rich in vitamin A and vitamin C. Dark-green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale, chard, provide vitamin A; while citrus fruits and other fresh fruits, such as strawberries and cantaloupe, and vegetables, like green pepper and broccoli, provide significant amounts of vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
Milk supplies many nutrients. Several studies have indicated that if we do not have enough milk ( or its substitutes), our diet may be low in protein, calcium, and riboflavin. You may have the following, instead of 1 cup of milk, to obtain approximately the same amount of calcium:
1 cup fluid skim milk or buttermilk
1 ¼ cups dairy sour cream
1 ¼ ounces process Cheddar cheese
1 1/3 cups cottage cheese
2 cups (approximately) ice cream
The meat group is especially important for its protein value. It, as well as the milk group, contains high-quality protein. This means that a good supply of all the essential amino acids is found in meat foods - eggs, fish or all varieties, and poultry are included.
Other nutrients found here are the B vitamins and iron.
Breads and cereals, the fourth group, often reflect ethnic cultures, as types of bread vary from country to country. Rice, noodles, macaroni, crackers, grits, and baked goods are among the foods in this group. They can be a good source of the B vitamins and iron if they are whole grain or enriched. You may also obtain some amino acids to supplement those from the meat and milk groups. Read the label to see if the food has been enriched.
The same basic rules can be used for the whole family - children and parents need the same nutrients, just different amounts. And, of course, there will be different needs for foods that supply calories primarily.
Monday, 25 April 2011
Daily Energy Requirements
Nutrition
Nutrition is the process of how the body takes in and utilizes food and other sources of nutrients. It is a five part process that includes intake, digestion, absorption, metabolism, and elimination.
Daily Energy Requirements
The human body requires the nutrients in food for three major purposes:
To provide energy
To build, repair, and maintain body tissues
To regulate body processes
A person’s daily energy requirements depend on many factors. To understand the relationship of food to good health, you need to understand how the body uses food.
Metabolism
Food must be broken down before the body can use it. This process is an integral part of metabolism. Metabolism is the sum of all the cellular processes that build, maintain, and supply energy to living tissue. During metabolism body tissue is built up and broken down, and heat and energy are produced.
Metabolism takes place in two phases. In anabolism, substances such as nutrients are changed into more complex substances and used to build body tissues. In catabolism, complex substances, including nutrients and body tissues are broken down into simpler substances and converted into energy. The body uses the energy to maintain and repair itself. Of the energy people get from the food they eat. About 25% is directly used for bodily functions, and the rest becomes heat.
Each person’s body requires a minimal amount of nutrients to carry on a basic level of metabolism to live. Each person’s daily nutritional requirements vary with age, weight, percentage of body fat, activity level, state of health, and other variables. The body’s metabolic rate, or speed of metabolism, can also be affected by many factors, such as pregnancy, malnutrition, and disease.
Calories
The amount of energy a food produces in the body is measured in kilocalories. A Kilocalorie, commonly called a calorie, is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 C. Foods differ in the number of calories they contain. The more calories in a food, the more available energy it has. Calories are also used to measure the energy the body uses during, all activities and metabolic processes.
As mentioned people’s daily nutritional needs differ, depending on variables of age, weight, percentage of body fat, activity level, and state of health. If people eat an excess of calories - more than the body can use - the excess is stored as fat in the body. Conversely, lowering caloric intake causes the body to burn off stored fat for energy.
Depending on the food’s weight (in grams) or volume, each food has a value in calories. Therefore, you can count the number of calories a person consumes by monitoring, food intake and adding up the calories in each food serving. You can use a food calories counte, such as those often found in cookbooks and in nutrition books, to look up caloric values. A calorie counter tells you , for instance, that 1 cup of cooked carrots contains 50 calories or that 1 cup of cooked corn kernel contains 130 calories. Calories are also listed on the labels of food packages.
You can estimate the number of calories a person burns during certain activities by consulting a chart similar to Table 49 -1. You can se how many more calories a 190-pound person burns than a 120 pound person does during the same activity.
Table 49-1 Calories Burned per Hour in Selected Activities
Activity 120 -lb Person 190-lb Person
Bicycling 360 570
Football (touch) 288 456
Calisthenics 324 516
Handball 456 720
Hiking 300 480
Running (10 mph) 720 1140
Skiing (downhill) 426 672
Skiing (cross-country) 564 888
Soccer 456 720
Swimming 228 366
Tennis 330 522
Volleyball 258 408
Walking (2 mph) 156 252
Source: Adapted from Marvin R. Levy et al., Life & Health: Targeting Wellness (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992).
Chapter 49
Nutrition and Special Diets
Daily Energy Requirements
Medical Assisting
Administrative and Clinical Procedure
3rd Edition
Booth Whicker Wyman Pugh Thompson
McGraw Hill
Healthy Eating Marketing
http://healthyeatingmarketing.blogspot.com/
Nutrition is the process of how the body takes in and utilizes food and other sources of nutrients. It is a five part process that includes intake, digestion, absorption, metabolism, and elimination.
Daily Energy Requirements
The human body requires the nutrients in food for three major purposes:
To provide energy
To build, repair, and maintain body tissues
To regulate body processes
A person’s daily energy requirements depend on many factors. To understand the relationship of food to good health, you need to understand how the body uses food.
Metabolism
Food must be broken down before the body can use it. This process is an integral part of metabolism. Metabolism is the sum of all the cellular processes that build, maintain, and supply energy to living tissue. During metabolism body tissue is built up and broken down, and heat and energy are produced.
Metabolism takes place in two phases. In anabolism, substances such as nutrients are changed into more complex substances and used to build body tissues. In catabolism, complex substances, including nutrients and body tissues are broken down into simpler substances and converted into energy. The body uses the energy to maintain and repair itself. Of the energy people get from the food they eat. About 25% is directly used for bodily functions, and the rest becomes heat.
Each person’s body requires a minimal amount of nutrients to carry on a basic level of metabolism to live. Each person’s daily nutritional requirements vary with age, weight, percentage of body fat, activity level, state of health, and other variables. The body’s metabolic rate, or speed of metabolism, can also be affected by many factors, such as pregnancy, malnutrition, and disease.
Calories
The amount of energy a food produces in the body is measured in kilocalories. A Kilocalorie, commonly called a calorie, is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 C. Foods differ in the number of calories they contain. The more calories in a food, the more available energy it has. Calories are also used to measure the energy the body uses during, all activities and metabolic processes.
As mentioned people’s daily nutritional needs differ, depending on variables of age, weight, percentage of body fat, activity level, and state of health. If people eat an excess of calories - more than the body can use - the excess is stored as fat in the body. Conversely, lowering caloric intake causes the body to burn off stored fat for energy.
Depending on the food’s weight (in grams) or volume, each food has a value in calories. Therefore, you can count the number of calories a person consumes by monitoring, food intake and adding up the calories in each food serving. You can use a food calories counte, such as those often found in cookbooks and in nutrition books, to look up caloric values. A calorie counter tells you , for instance, that 1 cup of cooked carrots contains 50 calories or that 1 cup of cooked corn kernel contains 130 calories. Calories are also listed on the labels of food packages.
You can estimate the number of calories a person burns during certain activities by consulting a chart similar to Table 49 -1. You can se how many more calories a 190-pound person burns than a 120 pound person does during the same activity.
Table 49-1 Calories Burned per Hour in Selected Activities
Activity 120 -lb Person 190-lb Person
Bicycling 360 570
Football (touch) 288 456
Calisthenics 324 516
Handball 456 720
Hiking 300 480
Running (10 mph) 720 1140
Skiing (downhill) 426 672
Skiing (cross-country) 564 888
Soccer 456 720
Swimming 228 366
Tennis 330 522
Volleyball 258 408
Walking (2 mph) 156 252
Source: Adapted from Marvin R. Levy et al., Life & Health: Targeting Wellness (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992).
Chapter 49
Nutrition and Special Diets
Daily Energy Requirements
Medical Assisting
Administrative and Clinical Procedure
3rd Edition
Booth Whicker Wyman Pugh Thompson
McGraw Hill
Healthy Eating Marketing
http://healthyeatingmarketing.blogspot.com/
Thursday, 7 April 2011
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
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
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