Achieving and maintaining health is an ongoing process, shaped by both the evolution of
health care knowledge and practices as well as personal strategies and organized interventions for staying healthy.
Diet An important way to maintain one's personal health is to have a healthy diet. A healthy diet includes a variety of plant-based and animal-based foods that provide
nutrients to the body. Such nutrients provide the body with energy and keep it running. Nutrients help build and strengthen bones, muscles, and tendons and also regulate body processes (i.e.,
blood pressure). Water is essential for growth, reproduction and good health.
Macronutrients are consumed in relatively large quantities and include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats and fatty acids. Micronutrients – vitamins and minerals – are consumed in relatively smaller quantities, but are essential to body processes. The
food guide pyramid is a pyramid-shaped guide of healthy foods divided into sections. Each section shows the recommended intake for each food group (i.e., protein, fat, carbohydrates and sugars). Making healthy food choices can lower one's risk of heart disease and the risk of developing some types of
cancer, and can help one maintain their weight within a healthy range. The
Mediterranean diet is commonly associated with health-promoting effects. This is sometimes attributed to the inclusion of bioactive compounds such as
phenolic compounds,
isoprenoids and
alkaloids.
Exercise Physical exercise enhances or maintains
physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It strengthens one's bones and muscles and improves the
cardiovascular system. According to the
National Institutes of Health, there are four types of exercise:
endurance,
strength, flexibility, and
balance. The CDC states that physical exercise can reduce the risks of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, and anxiety. For the purpose of counteracting possible risks, it is often recommended to start physical exercise gradually as one goes. Participating in any exercising, whether it is housework, yardwork, walking or standing up when talking on the phone, is often thought to be better than none when it comes to health.
Sleep Sleep is an essential component to maintaining health. In children, sleep is also vital for growth and development. Ongoing
sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk for some chronic health problems. In addition, sleep deprivation has been shown to correlate with both increased susceptibility to illness and slower recovery times from illness. In one study, people with chronic insufficient sleep, set as six hours of sleep a night or less, were found to be four times more likely to catch a cold compared to those who reported sleeping for seven hours or more a night. Due to the role of sleep in regulating
metabolism, insufficient sleep may also play a role in
weight gain or, conversely, in impeding
weight loss. Additionally, in 2007, the
International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is the cancer research agency for the
World Health Organization, declared that "shiftwork that involves
circadian disruption is probably
carcinogenic to humans", speaking to the dangers of long-term nighttime work due to its intrusion on sleep. In 2015, the National Sleep Foundation released updated recommendations for sleep duration requirements based on age, and concluded that "Individuals who habitually sleep outside the normal range may be exhibiting signs or symptoms of serious health problems or, if done volitionally, may be compromising their health and well-being."
Role of science , May 1946.
Health science is the branch of science focused on health. There are two main approaches to health science: the study and
research of the
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 diseases and other physical and mental impairments. The science builds on many sub-fields, including
biology,
biochemistry,
physics,
epidemiology,
pharmacology,
medical sociology. Applied health sciences endeavor to better understand and improve human health through applications in areas such as
health education,
biomedical engineering,
biotechnology and
public health. Organized interventions to improve health based on the principles and procedures developed through the health sciences are provided by practitioners trained in
medicine,
nursing,
nutrition,
pharmacy,
social work,
psychology,
occupational therapy,
physical therapy and other
health care professions. Clinical practitioners focus mainly on the health of individuals, while public health practitioners consider the overall health of communities and populations.
Workplace wellness programs are increasingly being adopted by companies for their value in improving the health and well-being of their employees, as are
school health services to improve the health and well-being of children.
Health care Contemporary medicine is in general conducted within
health care systems. Legal,
credentialing and financing frameworks are established by individual governments, augmented on occasion by international organizations, such as churches. The characteristics of any given health care system have significant impact on the way medical care is provided. From ancient times, Christian emphasis on practical charity gave rise to the development of systematic nursing and hospitals and the
Catholic Church today remains the largest non-government provider of medical services in the world. Advanced industrial countries (with the exception of the
United States) and many
developing countries provide medical services through a system of
universal health care that aims to guarantee care for all through a
single-payer health care system, or compulsory private or co-operative
health insurance. This is intended to ensure that the entire population has access to medical care on the basis of need rather than ability to pay. Delivery may be via private medical practices or by state-owned hospitals and clinics, or by charities, most commonly by a combination of all three. Most
tribal societies provide no guarantee of healthcare for the population as a whole. In such societies, healthcare is available to those that can afford to pay for it or have self-insured it (either directly or as part of an employment contract) or who may be covered by care financed by the government or tribe directly. s Transparency of information is another factor defining a delivery system. Access to information on conditions, treatments, quality, and pricing greatly affects the choice by patients/consumers and, therefore, the incentives of medical professionals. While the US healthcare system has come under fire for lack of openness, new legislation may encourage greater openness. There is a perceived tension between the need for transparency on the one hand and such issues as patient confidentiality and the possible exploitation of information for commercial gain on the other.
Delivery Provision of medical care is classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary care categories. ,
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Primary care medical services are provided by
physicians,
physician assistants,
nurse practitioners, or other health professionals who have first contact with a patient seeking medical treatment or care. These occur in physician offices,
clinics,
nursing homes, schools, home visits, and other places close to patients. About 90% of medical visits can be treated by the primary care provider. These include treatment of acute and chronic illnesses,
preventive care and
health education for all ages and both sexes.
Secondary care medical services are provided by
medical specialists in their offices or clinics or at local community hospitals for a patient referred by a primary care provider who first diagnosed or treated the patient. Referrals are made for those patients who required the expertise or procedures performed by specialists. These include both
ambulatory care and
inpatient services,
Emergency departments,
intensive care medicine, surgery services,
physical therapy,
labor and delivery,
endoscopy units, diagnostic
laboratory and
medical imaging services,
hospice centers, etc. Some primary care providers may also take care of hospitalized patients and deliver babies in a secondary care setting.
Tertiary care medical services are provided by specialist hospitals or regional centers equipped with diagnostic and treatment facilities not generally available at local hospitals. These include
trauma centers,
burn treatment centers, advanced
neonatology unit services,
organ transplants, high-risk pregnancy,
radiation oncology, etc. Modern medical care also depends on information – still delivered in many health care settings on paper records, but increasingly nowadays by
electronic means. In low-income countries, modern healthcare is often too expensive for the average person. International healthcare policy researchers have advocated that "user fees" be removed in these areas to ensure access, although even after removal, significant costs and barriers remain.
Separation of prescribing and dispensing is a practice in medicine and pharmacy in which the
physician who provides a
medical prescription is independent from the
pharmacist who provides the
prescription drug. In the
Western world there are centuries of tradition for separating pharmacists from physicians. In Asian countries, it is traditional for physicians to also provide drugs.
Role of public health , 1933. Public health has been promoted – and depicted – in a wide variety of ways. Public health has been described as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, 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 typically includes the interdisciplinary categories of
epidemiology,
biostatistics and
health services.
environmental health,
community health,
behavioral health, and
occupational health are also important areas of public health. The focus of public health interventions is to prevent and manage diseases, injuries and other health conditions through surveillance of cases and the
promotion of healthy behavior,
communities, and (in aspects relevant to human health)
environments. Its aim is to prevent health problems from happening or re-occurring by implementing
educational programs, developing
policies, administering services and conducting
research. In many cases, treating a disease or controlling a
pathogen can be vital to preventing it in others, such as during an
outbreak.
Vaccination programs and distribution of
condoms to prevent the spread of
communicable diseases are examples of common preventive public health measures, as are educational campaigns to promote vaccination and the use of condoms (including overcoming resistance to such).
Public health also takes various actions to limit the health disparities between different areas of the
country and, in some cases, the
continent or
world. One issue is the access of individuals and communities to health care in terms of financial, geographical or socio-cultural constraints. Applications of the public
health system include the areas of
maternal and child health, health services administration, emergency response, and prevention and control of
infectious and
chronic diseases. The great positive impact of public health programs is widely acknowledged. Due in part to the policies and actions developed through public health, the 20th century registered a decrease in the mortality rates for
infants and
children and a continual increase in
life expectancy in most parts of the world. For example, it is estimated that life expectancy has increased for Americans by thirty years since 1900, and worldwide by six years since 1990.
Self-care strategies Personal health depends partially on the active, passive, and assisted cues people observe and adopt about their own health. These include personal actions for preventing or minimizing the effects of a disease, usually a chronic condition, through
integrative care. They also include personal
hygiene practices to prevent infection and illness, such as
bathing and
washing hands with soap;
brushing and flossing teeth; storing, preparing and handling
food safely; and many others. The information gleaned from personal
observations of daily living – such as about sleep patterns, exercise behavior, nutritional intake and environmental features – may be used to inform personal decisions and actions (
e.g., "I feel tired in the morning so I am going to try sleeping on a different pillow"), as well as clinical decisions and treatment plans (
e.g., a patient who notices their shoes are tighter than usual may be having exacerbation of left-sided heart failure, and may require diuretic medication to reduce fluid overload). Personal health also depends partially on the social structure of a person's life. The maintenance of strong
social relationships,
volunteering, and other social activities have been linked to positive mental health and also increased longevity. One American study among
seniors over age 70, found that frequent volunteering was associated with reduced risk of dying compared with older persons who did not volunteer, regardless of physical health status. Another study from Singapore reported that volunteering retirees had significantly better
cognitive performance scores, fewer
depressive symptoms, and better mental well-being and
life satisfaction than non-volunteering retirees. Prolonged
psychological stress may negatively impact health, and has been cited as a factor in
cognitive impairment with aging, depressive illness, and expression of disease.
Stress management is the application of methods to either reduce stress or increase tolerance to stress.
Relaxation techniques are physical methods used to relieve stress. Psychological methods include
cognitive therapy,
meditation, and
positive thinking, which work by reducing response to stress. Improving relevant skills, such as
problem solving and
time management skills, reduces uncertainty and builds confidence, which also reduces the reaction to stress-causing situations where those skills are applicable. ==Occupational==