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About Health

In 1948, in its constitution, the [World Health Organization] (WHO) defined health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" WHO. Constitution of the World Health Organization, Geneva, 1946. Accessed October 30, 2006.. In more recent years, this statement has been modified to include the ability to lead a "socially and economically productive life."

In the medical field, the technical term for health is [homeostasis], an [organism]'s ability to efficiently respond to challenges (stressors) and effectively restore and sustain a "state of balance". In the field of [alternative medicine] the term used to describe one's overall state of being is [Wellness (alternative medicine)].

Determinants of health The [LaLonde report] suggested that there are four general determinants of health including human biology, environment, [lifestyle], and [healthcare].Lalonde, Marc. "A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians." Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services; 1974. Thus, health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of [health science], but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual.

Physical fitness Mental health Mental health is a concept that refers to a human individual's emotional and psychological well-being. [Merriam-Webster] defines mental health as "A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life."

According to the World Health Organization, there is no one "official" definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined. In general, most experts agree that "mental health" and "[mental illness]" are not opposites. In other words, the absence of a recognized mental disorder is not necessarily an indicator of mental health.

One way to think about mental health is by looking at how effectively and successfully a person functions. Feeling capable and competent; being able to handle normal levels of stress, maintain satisfying relationships, and lead an independent life; and being able to "bounce back," or recover from difficult situations, are all signs of mental health.

Encompassing your emotional, social, and—most importantly—your mental well-being; All these aspects—emotional, physical, and social—must function together to achieve overall health.

Height A strong indicator of the health of populations is [human height], which is generally increased by improving nutrition and health care, and is also influenced by standard of living and quality of life matters. The study of human growth, its regulators, and its implications is known as [auxology].

Health maintenance Achieving health and remaining healthy is an active process. Effective strategies for staying healthy and improving one's health to an optimum level include the following elements:

Nutrition [MyPyramid], published in [2005], is a general nutrition guide for recommended [food] consumption.Nutrition is the [science] that studies how [diet (nutrition)] affects their health and performance, such as foods or food components that cause diseases or deteriorate health (such as eating too many calories, which is a major contributing factor to [obesity], [diabetes], and [atherosclerosis]). The field of nutrition also studies foods and dietary supplements that improve performance, promote health, and cure or prevent disease, such as eating fiberous foods to reduce the risk of colon cancer, or supplementing with vitamin C to strengthen teeth and gums and to improve the immune system.

Between extremes of optimal health and death from [starvation] or [malnutrition], there is an array of disease states that can be caused or alleviated by changes in diet. Deficiencies, excesses and imbalances in diet can produce negative impacts on health, which may lead to diseases such as [scurvy], obesity or [osteoporosis], as well as psychological and behavioral problems. Moreover, excessive ingestion of elements that have no apparent role in health, (e.g. [lead], [mercury (element)], [Polychlorinated biphenyl], [dioxins]), may incur [toxic] and potentially lethal effects, depending on the dose. The science of nutrition attempts to understand how and why specific dietary aspects influence health.

Sports nutrition Sports nutrition focuses on how food and dietary supplements affect athletic performance (during events), improvement (from training), and recovery (after events and training). One goal of sports nutrition is to maintain glycogen levels and prevent [bonk (condition)]. Another is to optimize energy levels and muscle tone. An athlete's strategy for winning an event may include a schedule for the entire season of what to eat, when to eat it, and in what precise quantities (before, during, after, and between workouts and events). Participants in endurance sports such as the [Ironman triathlon] actually eat during their races. Sports nutrition works hand-in-hand with [sports medicine].

Exercise emerges from the water upon completing the [swimming] leg of a [triathlon].

Exercise is the performance of some activity in order to develop or maintain [physical fitness] and overall health. It is often directed toward also honing athletic ability or skill. Frequent and regular physical exercise is an important component in the prevention of some of the [diseases of affluence] such as [cancer], [heart disease], [cardiovascular disease], [Type 2 diabetes], [obesity] and [back pain].

Exercises are generally grouped into three types depending on the overall effect they have on the human body:

Flexibility exercises such as [stretching] improve the range of motion of [muscle]s and joints.
[Aerobic exercise]s such as [walking] and [running] focus on increasing [cardio]vascular endurance.
[Anaerobic exercise]s such as [weight training] or [sprinting] increase short-term muscle strength.

Physical exercise is considered important for maintaining physical fitness including healthy weight; building and maintaining healthy bones, muscles, and joints; promoting physiological well-being; reducing surgical risks; and strengthening the immune system.

Proper nutrition is just as, if not more, important to health as exercise. When exercising it becomes even more important to have good diet to ensure the body has the correct ratio of macronutrients whilst providing ample micronutrients; this is to aid the body with the recovery process following strenuous exercise. When the body falls short of proper nutrition, it gets into starvation mode developed through evolution and depends onto fat content for survival. Research suggest that the production of thyroid hormones can be negatively affected by repeated bouts of dieting and calorie restrictionCommon fitness mistakes people make Stay Fit retrieved on 11-13-2006. Proper rest and recovery is also as important to health as exercise, otherwise the body exists in a permanently injured state and will not improve or adapt adequately to the exercise.

The above two factors can be compromised by psychological compulsions ([eating disorders] such as [exercise bulimia], [anorexia nervosa], and other [bulimia]s), misinformation, a lack of organization, or a lack of motivation. These all lead to a decreased state of health.

[Delayed onset muscle soreness] can occur after any exercise, particularly if the body is in an unconditioned state relative to that exercise and the exercise involves repetitive [eccentric contraction]s.

Hygiene Hygiene is the practice of keeping the body clean to prevent infection and illness, and the avoidance of contact with infectious agents. Hygiene practices include [bathing], [Dental hygiene], [washing hands] especially before eating, washing food before it is eaten, sterilizing food preparation utensiles and surfaces before and after preparing meals, and many others. See [personal hygiene], [dental hygiene], and [food hygiene].

Health care Main article: [Health care]. See also [#Public health], below

Health care is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well being through the services offered by the [Medicine], [nursing], and [allied health] professions. According to the [World Health Organisation], health care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including “preventive, curative and palliative interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations”. The organized provision of such services may constitute a [health care system]. This can include a specific governmental organization such as the [National Health Service] in the UK, or a cooperation across the National Health Service and Social Services as in [Shared Care]. Natural health In [alternative medicine], natural health is an eclectic self-care system of natural therapies concerned with building and restoring [health] and [wellness (alternative medicine)] via prevention and healthy lifestyles. Natural health includes [diet (nutrition)], [exercise], [naturopathy], [herbalism], [natural hygiene], [homeopathy], [massage therapy], [relaxation techniques] (e.g. [Yoga], [Tai chi chuan]), [accupuncture], [sauna], [aromatherapy], [ayurveda medicine], and [Kneipp therapy].

Workplace wellness programs Workplace wellness programs are recognized by an increasingly large number of companies for their value in improving the health and well-being of their employees, and for increasing morale, loyalty, and productivity. Workplace wellness programs can include things like onsite fitness centers, health presentations, wellness newsletters, access to health coaching, tobacco cessation programs and training related to [nutrition], [Weight loss] and stress management. Other programs may include health risk assessments, health screenings and [body mass index] monitoring. Mostly overseen or not mentioned is a group of determinants of health which could be called [coincidence], [hazard], [luck] or bad luck. These factors are quite important determinants of health but difficult to calculate.

Role of science in health Health science is the branch of science focused on health, and it includes many subdisciplines. There are two approaches to health science: the study and [research] of the human body and health-related issues to understand how humans (and animals) function, and the application of that knowledge to improve health and to prevent and cure [disease]s.

Where health knowledge comes from Health research builds primarily on the basic sciences of [biology], [chemistry], and [physics] as well as a variety of multidisciplinary fields (for example [medical sociology]). Some of the other primarily research-oriented fields that make exceptionally significant contributions to health science are [biochemistry], [epidemiology], and [genetics].

Putting health knowledge to use Applied health sciences also endeavor to better understand health, but in addition they try to directly improve it. Some of these are: [biomedical engineering], [biotechnology], [nursing], [nutrition], [pharmacology], [pharmacy], [public health] ([#Public health]), [psychology], [physical therapy], and [medicine]. The provision of services to maintain or improve people's health is referred to as health care (see above).

Public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society, organisations, public and private, communities and individuals." It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on [population health] analysis. The population in question can be as small as a handful of people or as large as all the inhabitants of several continents (for instance, in the case of a [pandemic]). Public health has many sub-fields, but is typically divided into the categories of [epidemiology], [biostatistics] and health [service]s. [Environmental Health], social and behavioral health, and [occupational health], are also important fields in public health.

The focus of a public health intervention is to prevent rather than treat a disease through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviors. In addition to these activities, in many cases treating a disease can be vital to preventing it in others, such as during an outbreak of an [infectious disease]. [Vaccination] programs and distribution of [condom]s are examples of public health measures.

See also

[Portal:Health]

[General fitness training]

[Physical fitness]
[List of basic exercise topics]

[Health care]

[Health care delivery]
[Health education]
[Health profession]

[Environmental health]

[Hygiene]

[Mental hygiene]
[Oral hygiene]
[Sleep hygiene]

[Longevity]

[List of life extension related topics]

[Medicine]

[Alternative medicine]
[Traditional Chinese medicine]

[Mental health]

[Nutrition]

[Vitamin]s
[Dietary mineral]s
[Healthy diet]
[List of basic nutrition topics]

[Optimal health]

[Public health]

[Population health]

[Reproductive health]

References

WHO (1979) Health for All, Sr. Nos. 1, 2

External links

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)
National Center for Health Statistics (USA)
National Institute of Health (USA)
National Library of Medicine Pubmed Journal Search
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work [EU-OSHA]
The Public Health Portal of the European Union
World Health Organization
KMLE Medical Dictionary

Information Reference: Wikipedia.org

Health

Questions and Answers

What is the difference between Health Insurance and Health care Program?

Q) Is it OK to have just the health care program and not have the Health Insurance Plan? I can get Health care program for half the monthly premium as compared to the Health Insurance Plan. Please advise? Is it advisable?

A) A "health care program" is usually a maintenance program - it doesn't usually cover "major medical" issues, such as you coming down with cancer. But you'll have to read the fine print on the program itself, to see what is and is not covered. THEN you have to figure out which doctors work in the program, and how long/hard it is to get in to see them.

What health problems can cats cause to humans?

Q) I was wondering if cats living in squalor can pose a health problem to those around them. I have a neighbour with mental health problems who keeps a large number of cats. She does not clean up after them and there is sometimes a horrendous smell of urine and faeces that comes out of her home and invades our homes. She lives two flats away from me and I can sometimes smell her home through the pipe work. This has been going on for years. Others have told me that cats can cause health problems but I wasn't sure. Any ideas?

A) Very interesting question..probably one that needs to be researched especially in this person's case. I would imagine that the urine and feces that she does not clean up could become very unhealthy to be around..even breathing the air. Has anyone reported this situation to the humane society or is there an association where you live that would get involved and help resolve this problem? I would be worried also. The only thing that I have ever heard of concerning cats causing health problems to humans other than the obvious "allergies" is that when a woman is pregnant, doctors recommend that the pregnant woman does not change the litter box..they suggest having someone else do it. The reason for this is because how some cats eat mice and other rodents that carry diseases and of course it goes through the cat's digestive system and ends up in the litter box. When I was pregnant with my 22 year old son, the doctor asked me if I had a cat at my first visit. I didn't, but I was curious why he asked. He told me that there is a condition or disease called Toxoplasmosis that a pregnant woman can pass to her fetus if she comes into contact with the feces of a cat that eats mice. Now this has been a long time ago and I haven't heard anything else about it since but I am sure there is plenty of info about it on the internet. Oh yeah, when my 13 year old son was 5 months old, he developed a red, swollen bump under his arm..in the armpit area. I took him to the doctor immediately and they asked if we owned a cat..no again(not a cat person)..or if he had been around any cats. I told the doctor that he had never been around a cat and they said that they were going to run some tests to see what was going on and that they would also test him for "Cat Scratch Fever". Until then I thought that there was no such thing. They said it can be fatal though. Fortunately, he didn't have it and I knew he had had no contact with any cats but it was still scary and it ended up being an infected lymph node or gland. I apologize for my long answer..but these are the things that I am aware of and I hope this helps some. I would hate to have to live there near that mess...I hope that you can find someone that can fix the problem..this can't be healthy for the person that lives in the house with the cats or you since you can smell it so strongly through the pipe work. It just seems like it could cause some sort of respiratory problems if you are breathing it. I hope it works out for you.

What are the health benefits of yoghurt?

Q) I'm trying to introduce more yoghurt into my diet but what are the health benefits and which type is the best to choose?

A) The lactobacillus in yoghurt feeds the intestines, maximizes nutrients you can absorb into your body, insures the digestive system stays healthy, and stabilizes the immune system. "Yoghurt has strong medicinal properties, including the ability to stimulate the immune system and kill bad "bugs" or bacteria in the human gut. ...research at the University of California at Davis showed that eating live-culture yoghurt was associated with higher-than-average levels of gamma interferon, a key component of the body's immune system."

What are the health benefits of chick peas?

Q) What are the health benefits of chick peas? I know a very healthy person who is always eating chick peas. What is so good about them?

A) Some varieties of beans, notably chick peas, are rich in plant substances known as phytoestrogens which have an action similar to, though far weaker than, the hormone oestrogen in the body. Some scientists have speculated that consuming a diet rich in phytoestrogens may help protect against heart disease. Research suggests that one effect of phytoestrogens is to lower blood levels of the blood fats low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides that are linked with heart disease and stroke. One study, found that feeding rats with chick peas brought about significant reductions in the levels of both these forms of unhealthy fats. However, even beans that do not contain much in the way of phytoestrogens may have benefits on fat levels in the bloodstream on account of their rich fibre content. Beans also tend to be rich in folic acid which, amongst other benefits, appears to help reduce the risk of heart disease. In one study, eating four or more servings of beans or lentils each week was found to confer significant protection from heart disease. While baked beans are seen as a staple food by many of us, I would tend to avoid these on account of their added sugar and salt.

How to become a health carer and salary expectations?

Q) What is needed to become a health carer. What's the best way to get into it and what jobs can be expected with no experience. Also how much is the usual salary??

A) I am a health care assistant in the UK and salalry is rather low paid to start off with until you undertake formal training programmes like NVQs on the job, then salary increases from in the region of £5.90 per hour up to £7.60 + and more at weekends or on nights. You dont nessesarily need any formal experience but ability to deal with all types of people, be naturally caring and responsive to peoples needs - if you are a naturally empathic person, you will excell in the job.

How's your health care system and does it break your pockets to pay for Universal Health Care?

Q) I live in America and I think we should have the health programs you have, but people here say the health care is substandard and/or the taxes to provide such services seriously cripple the pocket? Is any of this true? Thanks. If you don't have insurance here, you could lose your home and life savings if you ever became seriously ill. Many people here work but their employers do not offer health insurance and the premiums are so high, many families can't afford to pay for them.

A) Great and it is cheaper than the US system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Economics Our system has problems (I should know, I work in it) but it is better than that the US has. Infant mortality rates http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate in the UK are lower than in the USA, and life expectancy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy is higher as well. In fact, the USA has the worst figures of most western European democracies. Yes there are waiting lists, and yes treatment is rationed. But like in the USA, you can get private health care as well. And if you pay for private medicine, you can bypass the waiting lists.

What qualifications do I need to be a Health and Safety consultant?

Q) I want to change careers and I've always been interested in health and safety.Do you think it is a good career path for a mother of 3.So far I have NEBOSH general certificate level 3 and saving up to start my diploma and eventually my masters

A) just seen job for one today.£300 to £350 per day.

What health risks are there when you put animals in cages?

Q) Not domestic animals, the type you put in a circus (tigers, horses, ect). Please try and name as many diseases or health risks you can think of in as much detail is possible.

A) Animals in cages can face unsanitary conditions,,,,not well socialized,,,have development problems...and depression. As w/horses, they are a grazing animal so boredom is a big issue. They become cribbers or wood chewers. A caged animal needs its freedom to exercise and expand the lungs and to get sunlight. Do you realize how many vitamins an animal gets from the sun or by eating grass. The leg problems that occur from not getting the adequate amt of exercise or too much exertion on an animal that has been left for days in his prison walls. Only responsible ppl should have caged animals.

How good is the mental health treatment programs in the UK and Ireland?

Q) I was once released from hospital because my annual inpatient mental health benifits had been reached. I was still to sick to take care of myself, if it had not been for my sister's intervention, I would be dead. (Good U.S.A. Health Care)

A) Well, I live in Nova Scotia. When we had a mental health crisis in our family in Northern England, I was appalled to find out how little help is a available, public or private. It struck me as odd (seeing as what I came from UK to Canada). So, when I was in Carlisle on a visit I dropped in on the UK version of the Canadian Mental Health Association and found that other than for people on social assistance or on alcoholism programs, there was nothing in the way of depression / bipolar selp-help groups. So, that nicely rules out "peer support". The family that needed mental health services in the form of psychiatry and therapy could not find anything of any real use. There do seem to be somewhat bizzare counselors who can nod their heads and repeat statements back to the client, but nothing proactive. Private therapists as far south as Lancashire could not be found in Yellow Pages searches. So, it seems rather bleak to me. I was hoping to find a whole lot of new ideas from the people I visited. Instead they sat with their mouths hanging open at what is available in my small town of about 12,000 inhabitants. I am very concerned for my families lack of help and wish they could come here and experience what I have. It was sad to see things in this state. Be well and look after your mental health as much as you look after your physical health. Don't take if tor granted.

How could I get a job a an Environmental Health Inspector in catering establishments?

Q) I have my NVQ level 1 in profesional cookery, Health & Safety, Food Hygine and First Aid certs. I live in Watford Herts, UK. Any help or advice would be really appriciated.

A) Ask at your local college. You may well need to get NVQ 2 to be an EHO but they might be able to get you in the right direction, or go to your local council and ask them, ask to speak to their EHO and ask them how they got started. It's something I've been wondering about too...so good luck.

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