Health Defense: 18 flashcards

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Physical health, mental health, and social health.

A symptom is what a patient feels inside (e.g., headache, tiredness). A sign is what can be seen or measured by others (e.g., fever, rash).

They are signs that the body's defense system is working. Fever kills germs by raising body temperature, while cough and sneezing expel germs from the body.

Communicable diseases are caused by pathogens (germs) that spread from person to person. Non-communicable diseases are caused by lifestyle, diet, and environment, not germs.

Malaria (spread by mosquitoes) and dengue (spread by mosquitoes).

Smallpox and polio are caused by germs and have been reduced due to vaccination, clean water, better hospitals, and health awareness. Diabetes and heart problems are lifestyle-related, increasing due to junk food, less physical activity, screen time, stress, and late sleeping.

Climate change leads to extreme heat, floods, and irregular rains, which increase germs and insects. For example, more mosquitoes spread dengue, and floods contaminate water, increasing waterborne diseases.

White blood cells act as the body's soldiers. They detect foreign invaders like germs, activate to fight the infection, and help the body recover.

Immunity is the body's natural power to fight diseases. It can be boosted by drinking fruit juices like amla, carrot, and pomegranate, and by maintaining a healthy lifestyle with good food, sleep, and exercise.

Vaccines introduce weakened or dead germs (or harmless parts) into the body. The immune system learns to recognize and fight them, remembers the germ, and if the real germ attacks later, it quickly destroys it. This is called acquired immunity.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria become strong enough to survive antibiotics, making medicines ineffective. Causes include unnecessary use of antibiotics, not completing the full course, incorrect doses, using them for viral infections, and giving them to animals unnecessarily.

Their immune systems are weaker or still developing. Children have developing immunity, elderly have weaker immunity, and people with poor nutrition or lack of medical care are also at higher risk.

Ayurveda defines health as the balance of body, mind, and surroundings, while WHO defines it as complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Both emphasize holistic well-being, but Ayurveda adds the element of balance with nature.

Eating healthy food, keeping the body clean, daily exercise, proper sleep (8-9 hours), limiting screen time, and practicing yoga/breathing.

Health is not just about not being sick. It is about taking care of body, mind, and habits every day.

Prevention is better because diseases weaken the body, treatment is costly, some diseases spread to others, and some are long-term. In Bhadrak, a community sanitation campaign reduced open defecation and diarrhea cases, showing that clean habits prevent disease.

He helped develop the Rota Virus vaccine, which saved children from diarrhea and made vaccines affordable.