why do we fall ill | smart educational learners | suprising facts about illness

Do you like it when you have a fever and can’t go out to play? Of course not! No one likes being sick! However, despite trying our best, at times we do fall sick! It could be because of a change in the weather or any specific virus. You can never predict. But, the absence of diseases also doesn’t mean that you are healthy! In this chapter, we will look at the concept of the importance of health for our well-being. But, before we proceed, do you know why good health is important?

   

Why is Good Health Important?

Cells are the fundamental units of all living organisms. They are made up of a variety of chemical substances. Cells move from place to place. Even if the cell is not moving, a lot of repairing still goes on within it. Besides this, there are various specialized activities in our body, like the heart pumps blood, the kidney filters the urine, the brain is constantly thinking, the lungs help in breathing.

This way, there is a lot of interconnectedness between the various organs in our body. For all these activities, our body needs energy and raw material. Food is necessary for cell and tissue functioning. Therefore, if you are not well, all your bodily activities start getting hampered.

Importance of Health

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being. For a healthy life cycle, a person needs to have a balanced diet and has to regularly exercise. One must also live in a proper shelter, take enough sleep and have good hygiene habits. So, how do we ensure that we are doing all the right things to have good health? Let’s spread awareness for the importance of health:

• The health of all organisms depends on their surrounding or their environment. Our social environment is an important factor in our individual health.
• Public cleanliness is important for individual health. Therefore, we must ensure that we collect and clear the garbage regularly. We must also contact an agency who can take the responsibility of clearing the drains. Without this, you could severely affect your health.
• We need food for health and for food, we will have to earn money by doing work. For this, the opportunity to do work has to be available. Good economic condition and jobs are, therefore, needed for individual health
• We need to be happy in order to be truly healthy. If we mistreat each other and are afraid of each other, we cannot be healthy or happy. Social equality and harmony are important for individual health.

What is Disease?

When one or more organs or systems of our body are adversely affected as in their normal functioning is interrupted, we say that we are not healthy i.e., we have a disease. Disease means something is wrong with our body and that we feel unwell or malfunction of the body.

Our health is affected not only by unbalanced diet but also by diseases, infections, poverty, large family, overcrowded houses, etc. The diseases are normally caused by external organisms (microbes) intersecting the body’s natural barriers and invading into our healthy body. Such organisms can cause havoc if our immune system doesn’t handle it right away.

 Solved Question for You

Q. Write a short note on the types of diseases.

Answer: Diseases are of two types:

• Acute: These last for the only short period of time. These do not cause a long-term bad effect on human health. For example, cold, cough, typhoid, cholera, etc. In acute diseases, the person gets better and becomes well within a week or so.
• Chronic: These last for a long time even as much as a lifetime. For example, Tuberculosis, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, etc.