Health

Health is the general condition of a person in all aspects. It is also a level of functional and/or metabolic
efficiency of an organism, often implicitly human. Overall health is achieved through a combination of
physical, mental, and social well-being, which, together is commonly referred to as the Health Triangle.

Needs of good health

There are a large number of benefits of good health. Good health increases the life of the person
because he\she will be more immune to diseases and physical pain than others. There are many other
incentives of this also. Good health will boost his energy level which in turn boosts working capacity and
reduces the leaves from work. The increase in time will reduce stress which helps in attaining good and
cheerful behavior.

Need for good health

One has to follow some rules, only then he can acquire a good health. A few of them are regular
exercise, diet controller which includes a lot of salad and oil free stuff. Meditation and other stress
release methods like yoga, laughter clubs helps in calming the inner self.

Determinants of health
Many factors combine together to affect the health of individuals and communities. 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 and society. To a large extent,
factors such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income and education level,
and our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on health, whereas the more
commonly considered factors such as access and use of health care services often have less of an
impact.

These determinants—or things that make people healthy or not—include the above factors, and many
others:

 Income and social status - higher income and social status are linked to better health. The
greater the gap between the richest and poorest people, the greater the differences in health.
  Education – low education levels are linked with poor health, more stress and lower self-
confidence.
 Physical environment – safe water and clean air, healthy workplaces, safe houses,
communities and roads all contribute to good health. Employment and working conditions –
people in employment are healthier, particularly those who have more control over their
working conditions
 Social support networks – greater support from families, friends and communities is linked to
better health. Culture - customs and traditions, and the beliefs of the family and community all
affect health.
 Genetics - inheritance plays a part in determining lifespan, healthiness and the likelihood of
developing certain illnesses. Personal behavior and coping skills – balanced eating, keeping
active, smoking, drinking, and how we deal with life’s stresses and challenges all affect health.
 Health services - access and use of services that prevent and treat disease influences health
 Gender - Men and women suffer from different types of diseases at different ages.

Maintaining health
Achieving and maintaining health is an ongoing process. Effective strategies for staying healthy and
improving one's health include the following elements:

1. Observations of Daily Living - Personal health depends partially on one's active, passive, and
assisted observations about their health in their everyday life. The information gleaned from
such observations may be used to inform personal decisions and actions, as well as clinical
decisions and treatment plans

2. Social Activity - Personal health depends partially on the social structure of one's life. The
maintenance of strong social relationships is linked to good health conditions, longevity,
productivity, and a positive attitude. This is due to the fact that positive social interaction as
viewed by the participant increases many chemical levels in the brain which are linked to
personality and intelligence traits.

3. 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, brushing and
flossing teeth, washing hands.

4. Stress management - 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. The
various relaxation techniques are cognitive therapy, meditation, and positive thinking.
 5. Health care - 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 medical,
nursing, and allied health professions.

6. 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, training related to nutrition, weight and stress management.

Public health
Public health is "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.

There are 2 distinct characteristics of public health:

1. It deals with preventive rather than curative aspects of health

2. It deals with population-level, rather than individual-level health issues

Public health began to put more focus on chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Public
health helps in increase in average life, vaccination programs and control of infectious diseases, effective
safety policies, improved family planning, chlorination of drinking water, smoke-free measures, and
programs designed to decrease chronic disease.

In order to achieve all above goals, public help did many efforts and established many school and started
various programs. Public health school training had evolved from a second degree for medical
professionals to a primary public health degree. Schools of public health offer a variety of degrees which
generally fall into two categories: professional or academic. Public health programs providing
vaccinations have made incredible strides in promoting health, including the suppression of smallpox, a
disease that plagued humanity for thousands of years. Most governments recognize the importance of
public health programs in reducing the incidence of disease, disability, and the effects of aging.
W.H.O.
WHO stands for World Health Organization. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a
coordinating authority on international public health. It was established on April 7, 1948, with
headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Concerns

The major concern of WHO is “The attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health”. For
this, WHO provides help to combat disease, especially key infectious diseases, and to promote the
general health of the people of the world.

Activities

WHO coordinates international efforts to control outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as malaria,
Tuberculosis, swine flu, AIDS, etc. It also sponsors programs to prevent and treat such diseases. The
WHO supports the development and distribution of safe and effective vaccines, pharmaceutical
diagnostics, and drugs. In addition to its work in eradicating disease, the WHO also carries out various
health-related campaigns like consumption of fruits, discourage tobacco, etc.

Health care sector

Health care is the treatment and prevention of illness. Health care is delivered by professionals in
medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and allied health.

Institutions of health care sector

There are many institutions which provide health care to people. These institutions are combined to
form Health Care Sector. Health care sector includes –

1. Medical care providers like physicians, specialist clinics, nursing homes, hospitals.
2. Diagnostic service centers and pathology laboratories.
3. Medical equipment manufacturers.
4. Contract research organizations (CRO's), pharmaceutical manufacturers
5. Third party support service providers (catering, laundry).

Health care sector in India

Healthcare in India features a universal health care system run by the constituent states and territories
of India. The Constitution charges every state with "rising of the level of nutrition and the standard of
living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties". The National
Health Policy was endorsed by the Parliament of India in 1983 and updated in 2002. However, the
government sector is understaffed and underfinanced; poor services at state-run hospitals force many
people to visit private medical practitioners.

Government hospitals, some of which are among the best hospitals in India, provide treatment at
taxpayer expense. Most essential drugs are offered free of charge in these hospitals. Government
hospitals provide treatment either free or at minimal charges. In-hospital treatment costs depend on
financial condition of the patient and facilities utilized by him but are usually much less than the private
sector.

Impact of Science and Technology

Science

Health science is the branch of science focused on health, and it includes many sub disciplines. 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 diseases.

Information technology

Information technology deals with the storage, retrieval, sharing, and use of health care information,
data, and knowledge for communication and decision making.

Health information technology may be useful for:

 reducing paperwork by eliminating the need for handwritten medical records

 reducing medical errors by transmitting accurate information electronically and eliminating
mistakes due to misreading of your doctor’s handwriting
 reducing health care costs by decreasing the need for repeat medical tests by different doctors
and eliminating storage space and staff time to maintain medical records
 improving your quality of care by decreasing medical errors and assuring that all your health
care providers have accurate and timely information

Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-
growing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care. It also refers
pejoratively to the practice of healthcare providers travelling internationally to deliver healthcare. Since
India can provide high quality health care service at a very low cost, medical tourism is found beneficial
economically.
Alternative Health Care Techniques
Apart from clinical or allopathic treatment, many other health care techniques are famous in India like
homeopathy, Yunani medicine, Ayurveda, Yoga, etc. Out of these, Ayurveda and Yoga are well known
and practiced not only in India, but worldwide.

Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the use of the inherent principles of nature, to help maintain health in a person by keeping
the individual's body, mind and spirit in perfect equilibrium with nature. It originated in India about
5000 years age which makes it one of the oldest treatment known to man. It is now practiced worldwide
because of effectiveness and no side effects.

According to Ayurveda, one can achieve health through daily routine. A typical Ayurveda routine might
look like this:

- Rise with the sun.

- one should meditate for 20-30 minutes and then exercise.

- Exercise should preferably be done early in the morning before the daily shower or bath.

Yoga

The word yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where yoga originated. It can be
treated as the union occurring between the mind, body and spirit.

In India, Yoga is considered one of the six branches of classical philosophy and is referred to throughout
the Vedas - ancient Indian scriptures and amongst the oldest texts in existence. The Upanishads are also
broadly philosophical treatises which postdate the Vedas and deal with the nature of the "soul" and
universe.

This technique originated in India about 3000 years ago. Yoga includes various postures, breathing and
meditation techniques which in turn develops both strength and flexibility.