UNIT 1
1.1 Health and Lifestyle
Health Definition
The World Health Organization defines health as,” a state of
complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.”(WHO 1947)
Meaning
Health is dynamic condition resulting from a body’s constant
adjustment and adaption in response to stresses and changes in the
environment for maintaining an inner equilibrium called homeostasis.
Concept
The various concepts of health are as follows:
1. Bio medical concept:
According to the biomedical model, health constitutes the freedom
from disease, pain, or defect, making the normal human condition
"healthy." The model's focus on the physical processes (for
example, pathology, biochemistry and physiology of a disease)
does not take into account the role of social factors or individual
subjectivity. The biomedical model does not consider the
diagnosis, which affects the treatment of the patient, to be the
result of a negotiation between doctor and patient.
The biomedical model of health focuses on purely biological
factors and excludes psychological, environmental, and social
influences. It is considered to be the leading modern way for
health care professionals to diagnose and treat a condition in
most Western countries
1. Ecological concept
Ecological health is a term that has been used in relation to both
human health and the condition of the environment
In medicine, ecological health has been used to refer to multiple
chemical sensitivity, which results from exposure to synthetic chemicals
(pesticides, smoke, etc.) in the environment, hence the term ecological.
. The term has also been used in medicine with respect to management of
environmental factors (taxes, health insurance surcharges) that may
reduce the risk of unhealthy behavior such as smoking.
As an urban planning term, ecological health refers to the "greenness"
of cities, meaning composting, recycling, and energy efficiency.
2. Psychological concept
Health psychology is the study of psychological and
behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare. It is concerned with
understanding how psychological, behavioral and cultural factors contribute
to physical health and illness. Psychological factors can affect health
directly. For example, chronically occurring environmental stressors
affecting the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, cumulatively, can harm
health. Behavioral factors can also affect a person's health. For example,
certain behaviors can, over time, harm (smoking or consuming excessive
amounts of alcohol) or enhance health (engaging in exercise).
3. Holistic concept
Holistic Health is actually an approach to life. Rather than
focusing on illness or specific parts of the body, this ancient
approach to health considers the whole person and how he or
she interacts with his or her environment. It emphasizes the
connection of mind, body and spirit.
Holism is the theory that the parts of any whole cannot exist
and cannot be understood except in their relation to the whole;
“holism holds that the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts”; that parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection,
such that they cannot exist or be understood independently of
the whole. The principles of holism have been around since the
time of Hippocrates, 2500 years ago and even earlier then the
eastern healing traditions of Ayurvedic and traditional
Chinese medicine.
1.2 Management of hypertension
All patients should be managed with non-pharmacologic
interventions/therapeutic lifestyle modifications to lower BP. Patients with pre-
hypertension should be followed up yearly to detect and treat HPT as early as
possible. Decisions regarding pharmacological treatment should be based on the
individual patient’s global cardiovascular risk. In subjects with MEDIUM RISK or
HIGHER, the threshold for commencing HPT treatment should be lower.
Untreated or sub-optimally controlled HPT leads to increased cardiovascular,
cerebrovascular and renal morbidity and mortality.
Stress
Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any
event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is
your body's reaction to a challenge or demand. In short bursts, stress can be
positive, such as when it helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline.
1.3 Management of obesity
Management of obesity can include lifestyle changes, medications, or
surgery. The main treatment for obesity consists of dieting and physical
exercise. Diet programs may produce weight loss over the short term, but
maintaining this weight loss is frequently difficult and often requires making
exercise and a lower calorie diet a permanent part of an individual's
lifestyle. Success rates of long-term weight loss maintenance with lifestyle
changes are low, ranging from 2 to 20%. Dietary and lifestyle changes are
effective in limiting excessive weight gain in pregnancy and improve
outcomes for both the mother and the child. The National Institutes of
Health recommends a weight loss goal of 5% to 10% of the person's
current weight over six months.
Calculation of BMI
Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (weight)
and height of a person. The BMI is defined as the mass divided by
the square of the body height, and is universally expressed in units of
kg/m2, resulting from mass in kilograms and height in metres.
The BMI may also be determined using a table or chart which displays BMI
as a function of mass and height using contour lines or colours for different
BMI categories, and which may use other units of measurement (converted
to metric units for the calculation).
FORMULA: BMI = kg/m2
1.4 Effects of alcohol
1. Short term effects:
Slurred speech
Vision impairment
Lack of coordination
Extreme shifts in mood
Memory lapses
2. Long term effects:
Cardiovascular diseases
Liver disease
Respiratory infections
Cancer
Nerve Damage
Effects of tobacco
Lung damage
Heart disease
Fertility problems
Risk of pregnancy complications
Risk of diabetes
Vision problems
Unhealthy skin and hair
Cancer
