Chapter 13

1 We have all heard of the earthquakes inLatur, Bhuj, Kashmir etc. or the cyclonesthat lashed the coastal regions. Thinkof as many different ways as possible inwhich people s health would be affectedby such a disaster if it took place in ourneighbourhood. How many of these ways we can think ofare events that would occur when thedisaster is actually happening? How many of these health-related eventswould happen long after the actualdisaster, but would still be because of thedisaster? Why would one effect on health fall intothe first group, and why would anotherfall into the second group?

2 When we do this exercise, we realise thathealth and disease in human communitiesare very complex issues, with manyinterconnected causes. We also realise thatthe ideas of what health and disease meanare themselves very complicated. When weask what causes diseases and how we preventthem, we have to begin by asking what thesenotions have seen that cells are the basic unitsof organisms. Cells are made of a variety ofchemical substances proteins, carbo-hydrates,fats or lipids, and so on. Cell is a dynamic or the other is always happeninginside them.

3 Complex reactions and repair goeson inside cells. New cells are being made. Inour organs or tissues, there are variousspecialised activities going on the heart isbeating, the lungs are breathing, the kidneyis filtering urine, the brain is these activities are interconnected. Forexample, if the kidneys are not filtering urine,poisonous substances will accumulate. Undersuch conditions, the brain will not be able tothink properly. For all these interconnectedactivities, energy and raw material are is a necessity for cell and tissue that prevents proper functioning ofcells and tissues will lead to a lack of properactivity of the is in this context that we will look at thenotions of health and and its SIGNIFICANCE OF HEALTH We have heard the word health used quitefrequently.

4 We use it ourselves as well, whenwe say things like my grandmother s healthis not good . Our teachers use it when theyscold us saying this is not a healthy attitude .What does the word health mean?If we think about it, we realise that italways implies the idea of being well . We canthink of this well-being as effectivefunctioning. For our grandmothers, being ableto go out to the market or to visit neighboursis being well , and not being able to do suchthings is poor health . Being interested infollowing the teaching in the classroom so thatwe can understand the world is a healthyattitude ; while not being interested isconsidered the opposite.

5 Health is therefore astate of being well enough to function wellphysically, mentally and AND COMMUNITY ISSUESBOTH MATTER FOR HEALTHIf health means a state of physical, mental andsocial well-being, it cannot be something that13 WWWWWHYHYHYHYHY D D D D DOOOOO W W W W WEEEEE F F F F FALLALLALLALLALL I I I I ILLLLLLLLLL?????Chapter2022-23healthy. Social equality and harmony aretherefore necessary for individual health. Wecan think of many other such examples ofconnections between community issues andindividual one of us can achieve entirely on our health of all organisms will depend ontheir surroundings or their environment.

6 Theenvironment includes the physicalenvironment. So, for example, health is at riskin a cyclone in many beings live in societies. Our socialenvironment, therefore, is an important factorin our individual health. We live in villages,towns or cities. In such places, even ourphysical environment is decided by our what would happen if no agencyis ensuring that garbage is collected anddisposed. What would happen if no one takesresponsibility for clearing the drains andensuring that water does not collect in thestreets or open spaces?

7 So, if there is a great deal of garbagethrown in our streets, or if there is open drain-water lying stagnant around where we live,the possibility of poor health , public cleanliness is important forindividual Find out what provisions are made byyour local authority (panchayat/municipal corporation) for the supplyof clean drinking water. Are all the people in your locality ableto access this? Find out how your local authoritymanages the solid waste generated inyour neighbourhood. Are these measures adequate? If not, what improvements would yousuggest?

8 What could your family do to reducethe amount of solid waste generatedduring a day/week?We need food to be healthy, and this foodwill have to be earned by doing work. For this,the opportunity to do work has to be need to be happy in order to be trulyhealthy, and if we mistreat each other and areafraid of each other, we cannot be happy orWHY DO WE FALL ILL? BETWEEN HEALTHY AND disease -FREE If this is what we mean by health , what do wemean by disease ? The word is actually self-explanatory we can think of it as disease disturbed ease.

9 disease , in other words,literally means being uncomfortable. However,the word is used in a more limited talk of disease when we can find a specificand particular cause for discomfort. This doesnot mean that we have to know the absolutefinal cause; we can say that someone issuffering from diarrhoea without knowingexactly what has caused the loose can now easily see that it is possible tobe in poor health without actually sufferingfrom a particular disease . Simply not beingdiseased is not the same as being healthy.

10 Good health for a dancer may mean beingable to stretch his body into difficult butgraceful positions. On the other hand, goodhealth for a musician may mean having enoughbreathing capacity in his/her lungs to controlthe notes from his/her flute. To have theopportunity to realise the unique potential inall of us is also necessary for real Five F s What is to be done?Protect the water source (H)Treat and store watersafely (S)Wash hands before preparing andtaking food (H)Wash hands after defecation (S)Cover the food (H)Control flies (S)Clean vegetables and fruits beforeuse (H)Avoid open defecation (S)Proper drainage system (H)Treatment of water (S)