What Causes Health Failure? Understanding Risks and Prevention
Laughing is one of the best exercises to keep us healthy. But do you know the meaning of being healthy? Is disease free or healthy the same? Or is there any difference between healthy and disease free? Health is not only related to physical health, but it also considers mental, social, and emotional health.
In today's time, we developed new technologies, but this modernization and technology are somewhat also responsible for making us diseased in many aspects. To keep ourselves healthy, we need to exercise daily and consume a healthy and well-balanced diet. To know more about health and related topics, continue reading articles.
What is Health?
Health is a condition of complete physical, social, emotional, and mental well being not barely the absence of disease. This definition of health is given by WHO. A person is said to be healthy only when he is not only physically as well as mentally and emotionally healthy. He is happy and has a healthy life. For a healthy life, a person needs to exercise, consume healthy food, and maintain good hygiene.
Significance of Health
Now the question arises why we are focusing so much on health. What is the significance of health?
Following are the importance of good health:
Good health is very essential for a productive life. If we are healthy, we will be able to perform our duties and responsibilities.
Good health also prevents the chances of catching infections or diseases and also maintains our immunity.
Good health also improves our mental health as diseased individuals may get depressed or underconfident.
Good health also reduces the amount of money spent on health needs and hence improves the financial condition.
Good health also reduces mortality and morbidity rate. It increases the longevity of life.
Overall good health helps in the development and progress of the nation.
What is Health Failure?
Health failure is a deterioration in health conditions. It may be physical, mental, social, and emotional.
Causes Of Health Failure
There may be various causes of health failure. Some of the causes of health failure are given below:
Environmental factors - Health may be affected by various environmental changes such as changes in temperature, humidity, and allergy to any environmental factor such as dust, pollen, etc.
Nutritional factor - Intake of nutritious food is very essential for a healthy body and mind. Lack of nutrition in our food may cause various diseases or disorders such as anaemia, rickets, or other diseases. Excessive intake of caffeine or alcohol, and drugs also harms our health.
Social factor - The behaviour of surrounding people such as colleagues and friends also affects our health, especially our mental health.
Difference Between Healthy and Disease Free
Why Do We Fall Ill?
Various factors make us ill. These may be internal factors (any abnormality in our body) or external factors. External factors include the consumption of contaminated food and water, pollution, and inhalation of toxic materials such as poison, drugs, chemicals, and fumes. Any factor or condition that causes discomfort, stress, or pain leads to a diseased condition.
Some of the reasons responsible for making us sick are given below:
The improper functioning of various body organs, cells, and tissues.
External factors such as polluted environment and unhygienic conditions.
Poverty is one of the main reasons in developing countries for making people sick.
Consumption of unhygienic food and water is also responsible for causing diseases.
Lack of exercise and consumption of junk food also makes us sick.
How to Maintain Good Health
Here are a few ways or ideas to maintain good health. Follow these ideas to maintain good health:
Maintain personal hygiene and sanitation - Daily bath, brushing, washing hands before eating or making food, proper sleep, intake of healthy and clean food, adequate intake of water, fluid, limited intake of fatty or junk food, inhibition on the consumption of alcohol and tobacco are essential to lead a healthy and productive life.
Vaccination - Proper vaccination provides immunisation against various disease-causing microbes and pathogens.
Community hygiene - Community hygiene is also very important for the prevention of the spreading of communicable diseases. Proper management of community-generated waste is very important.
Important Questions
1. What are the signs of good health?
Ans: Signs of good health include the complete absence of disease, the person's ability to cope with stress, and mental, social, and emotional pressures without too much difficulty.
2. Suggest some methods to maintain good health.
Ans: Consumption of healthy, clean, and nutritious food, maintenance of a clean and hygienic environment, proper intake of fluid, and exercise can help us to maintain good health.
3. What does disease look like?
Ans: Different diseases have different signs and symptoms. By observing signs and symptoms and performing various diagnostic tests, we can identify the type of disease a person is suffering from.
Key Features
In this article, we have studied what the meaning of health is, it is defined as the complete absence of physical, mental, social, and emotional problems or the ability to cope with factors without much difficulty.
The main difference between healthy and disease free is that a healthy person will be overall healthy (emotionally, mentally, socially) whereas a disease free person may or may not be healthy.
Maintaining hygiene or eating a well-balanced diet is very important for good health.
Health failure may be due to environmental, physical, or other factors.
Interesting Facts
Exercise gives us more energy even when we are tired.
Too much sitting and sleeping can increase the chances of early death.
Being overweight is one of the most important problems at present. Almost 39% of adults are overweight.
Sugar is very harmful to our health. It is as harmful as cigarettes.
Practice Questions
1. What can cause disease?
2. What is poor health?
3. What conditions can cause poor health?
4. What are major diseases?
5. How can we prevent diseases?
FAQs on Health and Its Failure: Concepts, Causes, and Solutions
1. What is the complete definition of 'health', and how does it differ from simply being 'disease-free'?
Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. A person can be disease-free, meaning they have no detectable illness, but still be in poor health if they are experiencing significant mental stress or social isolation. Therefore, being 'healthy' is a much broader concept that encompasses all aspects of a person's life.
2. What does 'failure of health' mean, and what are some common examples?
'Failure of health' refers to any condition where the body's normal functions are disrupted, leading to a state of being unwell. This can impact a person's physical, mental, or social well-being. Common examples include:
- Diseases: Conditions like diabetes, tuberculosis, or the common cold.
- Injuries: Physical harm from accidents or trauma.
- Disorders: Mental health issues like anxiety or depression that affect daily functioning.
- Nutritional Deficiencies: Illnesses caused by an unbalanced diet.
3. What is the key difference between acute and chronic diseases?
The primary difference lies in their duration and long-term effects. Acute diseases, like the common cold, last for a very short period and generally do not cause long-lasting damage to the body. In contrast, chronic diseases, such as elephantiasis or diabetes, are long-lasting, often persisting for a lifetime and can have significant, prolonged effects on a person's health.
4. Compare infectious and non-infectious diseases, providing an example for each.
Infectious and non-infectious diseases differ mainly in their causes and modes of transmission.
- Infectious (Communicable) Diseases: These are caused by external pathogens like bacteria, viruses, or fungi and can spread from an infected person to a healthy one. An example is tuberculosis (TB), which spreads through airborne droplets.
- Non-Infectious (Non-Communicable) Diseases: These are not caused by pathogens and cannot be spread from person to person. They are often caused by genetic factors, lifestyle choices, or environmental influences. An example is high blood pressure (hypertension), often linked to diet and stress.
5. How can poor public health and sanitation in a community lead to the failure of an individual's health?
An individual's health is deeply connected to their community's environment. Poor public health measures, such as improper garbage disposal or contaminated water supplies, create breeding grounds for disease-causing microbes (pathogens). Even if an individual maintains personal hygiene, they can easily contract infectious diseases like cholera or typhoid by consuming contaminated food or water from their surroundings. Therefore, a clean and sanitary community is essential for preventing the spread of disease and maintaining everyone's health.
6. Why is a balanced diet considered a fundamental requirement for maintaining good health?
A balanced diet is fundamental because it provides all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals the body needs to function correctly. Without adequate nutrition, the body's immune system weakens, making it more susceptible to infections. Furthermore, deficiencies or excesses of certain nutrients can directly cause diseases, such as goitre from iodine deficiency or obesity from excessive calorie intake. Thus, a balanced diet is a cornerstone of disease prevention and overall well-being.
7. What are the two main principles of disease prevention?
The two main principles of disease prevention are based on general and specific approaches:
- General Principles: These involve strengthening the body's natural defences and reducing exposure to pathogens. This includes maintaining public hygiene, consuming a balanced diet, practising personal cleanliness, and getting adequate exercise to boost the immune system.
- Specific Principles: This involves targeting specific diseases through immunisation. By introducing vaccines, the immune system is primed to recognise and fight a particular pathogen, providing specific immunity without the person having to suffer from the actual disease first.
