Health : Meaning, Rules and Affecting Factors

Health 

Meaning, Rules and Affecting Factors

  

               Human being is a short of complex and delicate machine made of various small parts that work collectively in union and thus contribute to its proper working. As happens in all the machines, a slight malfunctioning of one part leads to a breakdown of the machine. A similar situation can arise in human body. When such a situation arises in the human body it leads to malfunctioning of the body. Since the human body has a great ability to withstand stress and adapt itself to several abnormal situations, its functions do not stop at once but carry on with the abnormality for some time. This state of abnormality of the body is termed as disorder of disease. When such a situation arises in the case of an individual, we generally say that the particular individual is not keeping good health. Proper working of the body therefore is the general concept of health.

              Meaning and Concept of Health

                As has been suggested above, the concept of health some time back was the absence of disease in an individual. This concept was a limited concept to the extent that it did not take consideration the other physical,mental,moral or social aspects of individual's behavior. To clarify further, it is pointed out that a man whose social or moral conduct is not good as per the norms made by society in which he lives cannot be said as healthy. For this reason some individual's who show unsocial behavior and create problems for others, cannot become good members of society. In some cases, they are not tolerated and are put behind the bars or even prosecuted, no matter how powerful they may appear to be.

           As per the present concept of health, an individual's health is based upon the states of his:

            1. Body

             2. Mind

              3. Soul

    A man is therefore said to be healthy if his body, mind and soul are healthy in all respects and he has all the social merits to live in a healthy society. Taking into consideration the above mentioned factors according to Voltmer and Esslinger, " Health is considered as that condition, mental and physical, in which the individual is working well adjusted internally as concerns body parts and externally as concerns his environment. The World Health Organisation has defined health as, " a state of complete physical, social and mental well being and not only the absence of disease". It may also be defined as," The quality of life that makes a person to live most and serve best." In the end we can conclude that the three factors referred to above, together contribute to ultimate health and are considered as the three foundations of health. These three factors termed as foundations of health are also interdependent. A good physique is conductive to good mental health and social well being.

      Importance of Health

              The importance of health can be measured from the fact that it is the foundation that makes an individual to live most and serve best. Health is that state of well being that enriches a person's life. The value of health is very forcefully described in the words of Shri Ramakrishna that," he who is soft and week minded like the puffed rice soaked in milk, is good for nothing. He cannot get anything great. But the strong and virile one is heroic. He is the performer of everything in life." This saying of Ramkrishna heightens the fact that an individual cannot perform any work successfully if he is not healthy.

              A healthy individual is like a pillar of society whereas as unhealthy individual becomes a burden on society. By remaining healthy an individual not only makes him self to lead a richer and satisfying life, but also can prove to be an efficient worker, parent, teacher,engineer or soldier. A healthy  citizen not only  contributes towards the progress of his family, community, state or the nation, but also helps in raising the economic standard of his country. There is a direct relation between the economic standard of his country and the health standard of its citizens. A country whose workers are often victims of disease cannot compete in matters of production and prosperity with other healthy countries of the world.

               Health of an individual is also very important on account of the fact that the health of an individual and the society in which he lives are interlinked. There are many diseases which are communicated from one individual to another in the neighborhood, that leads to the degradation of health standards of the whole society. A healthy individual, be keeping himself free from disease helps in stopping the spread of disease in his neighborhood, or society as a whole. On the other hand, a healthy society adopting healthy practices produces healthy citizens." That is why it is said that, : healthy citizens live in a healthy society." On this account the health of an individual assumes such importance.

          

              The health of the citizens of a country is also very important from monetary point of view because in a healthy society, less amount is  required to be spent on the provision of hospitals, staff, medicines and various other facilities. The money saved on this account can be used for other necessary services and projects. Some western countries by  following the principle of "Prevention is better than cure". have been able convinced that health contributes to the wealth of a nation, then all essential steps should be taken to preserve individual health.