- The concept of health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Totally physical comfort is all of the life activities including physical activity, shape, eating, sleeping, sexual activity, etc. are in the best state and suitable for each age. Mental comfort is peace of mind, knowing how to cope with and overcome life’s stresses. Totally social comfort is occupation with a sufficient living income and guaranteed social security. No disease or disability is not having physical illness, mental illness, and socially related illness. The WHO has decided to take April 7, since 1950, as “World Health Day” with the wish that people care about their own health and that of the community.
It can be said that health is a highly profitable investment and the greatest responsibility of each person. We often talk better than act, therefore we have to bear the disease for the rest of our lives. Why do we regret our efforts and money to prevent illness, only to later regret spending a lot of money hoping to cure the disease? Thus, the golden key of health care is to be proactive: Prevention is better than cure.
The WHO has divided health into 3 levels: (1) Healthy; (2) Average – Weak and (3) Sick. Of which, only 5% people are really healthy, 80% are average – weak, and the rest are sick. The 80% average – weak is always close to risks of germs of diseases, and epidemics, especially modern epidemics such as: SARS 2003, H1N1 2009, MERS 2012 and SARS – CoV2 2019-2021…
Article 10 of the 14 articles of commandments of the Buddha also empharizes: “The greatest asset in human life is health and wisdom”. A healthy body without illness is the dream of many people. Good health and a healthy mind are conditions for us to fulfill our dreams, ambitions, and meaningful things in our life. But when a person is sick, he only dreams of having good health like normal people.
- Factors affecting health
Health is affected by the combined effects of natural factors (physical, chemical …), biological and economic, and social factors. The change in the ecological environment, especially the social environment, causes negative effects on human psychology and emotions and is the reason for pathology. Factors that are critical to human health include:
– Genetic factors: Biological factors that determine the structure and function of the body. Abnormal changes in the structure of genes can cause corresponding diseases. Currently, gene mapping has been used as a diagnostic tool for a number of diseases such as sickle cell anemia, pancreatic cystic fibrosis, and diabetes (diseases that can have bad consequences for the next generation)… Most genetic factors cannot be changed and so far, medicine can only limitedly intervene.
– Environmental factors: Environmental factors have played a very important role in determining the health status of any community. Environment factors includes: social environment (such as social organization, resources), natural environment, (such as temperature, sunlight, air, soil, water, natural disasters, degraded roads, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters that can cause death or injury to people), living and working environment (such as the difficulty in housing, working, family and community easily lead to mental health problems).
– Health care system: Quality of treatment and care; people’s accessibility to health services (costs, waiting time…); whether the attitude and professional qualifications of the medical staff meet the requirements; the nature of the health care system (specialized health care, public or private health care). The state of individual and community health is highly dependent on the status of the above factors belonging to the health care system.
– Nutritional factors and human lifestyle: good nutrition is the best foundation for health, stature, and intelligence. A nutritious and scientific diet is to eat enough and suitable for an individual’s nutritional needs. Human lifestyle is related to the creation, protection, care and promotion of health, or to a certain health problem, such as: exercise and sanitation. Personal health behavior is the center of health education and research. Unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles are a cause of illness, death, and other health problems…
- Prevention
Prevention is always the root of health. The human body can protect its own health and compensate up to 31%, so the body is the perfect “doctor” of healing. Compensatory capacity is highest at about 35-40-year-olds and decreases over time. However, a body that is supplied too “poorly” in terms of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, will not have enough resistance againsting disease. To prevent the disease proactively, you need to take actions as follows:
– Equip knowledge: It is necessary to equip yourself with basic knowledge about medical and health. This gives you important insights into taking care of and improving the health of yourself and your family.
– Periodic health examination: According to scientific statistics, 40% of cancers can be prevented, 30% can prolong quality of life and 30% can be cured if detected and treated early. Therefore, perform periodic health examinations to detect, monitor, and prevent harmful complications for health.
– Doing exercise regularly: Each person should spend at least 30 minutes/day to exercise appropriately to achieve the best result in enhancing and protecting health.
– Eating a balanced diet: The daily diet should be reasonable and scientific based on each age and health status. Pay attention to food hygiene and safety, not eating too much salt, eating green vegetables and fruits, supplements vitamins, and minerals through genuine functional foods.
– Drink enough water to help boost metabolism and detox. The amount of water that is enough for the body is 400ml/10 kg of body weight in 24 hours.
- Disease treatment
Naturally, when being sick, no one can take the disease for you. Whatever is lost can be regained, there is only one thing that cannot be regained, which is life. In fact, many Vietnamese people only care about their health when they have obvious diseases. By then it is really late for treatment and recovery. Many people spend most of their lives making money without caring about their health, and in the end, they have to convert most of their earnings into hospital fees. The most expensive bed in the world is a hospital bed. If you are a working person, spend half a month’s salary to buy items to support health and enjoy life. You must make a plan to exercise right now, do not hesitate, if not, you may spend money on the hospital! At that time, you will not only make suffer for yourself but also suffer for your family and friends. The scariest thing in life is that you have a lot of money but your disease can’t be cured, then, what’s the value of money?
- Conclusion
Illnesses always come suddenly and without warning. When you feel that you are healthy, you still need to pay attention to your health. No investment is more valuable than an investment in health. Everyone knows, health is the most precious thing in the world, health does not come naturally. The most common greeting is “Good health”.
Thus, to have good health is not too difficult, but to achieve optimal health needs perseverance, effort, and determination. We want to achieve good things and ambitions in life, the first thing we need to conquer is our own health. When we have good health, we have everything.
Dr. Nguyen Trieu Van
Senior doctor, professional advisor of NAPHARCO
