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Factors influencing individual human health. Human health and factors influencing it

A person, throughout his life, experiences a number of factors that both positively and negatively affect his health. There are dozens of factors influencing human health. In addition to the genetic and biological characteristics of a person, environmental, social and physical factors also directly influence him. This affects not only a person’s health directly, but also his life expectancy.

The following factors usually influence a person:

  • Physical
  • Chemical
  • Genetic
  • Healthcare

Chemical factors

Factors affecting human health of this type of impact, as a rule, have a strong influence on the further existence of a person. Pollution of our atmosphere is directly related to the deterioration of health, and, consequently, life expectancy. This has always remained and will remain a pressing issue.

The most likely factors that accompany chemical poisoning or contamination are manufacturing enterprises, which release waste into the atmosphere, soil and water. As a rule, harmful substances - gases - enter the atmosphere, which can have a direct effect on a person, that is, a person inhales harmful fumes along with the air, as well as a dual effect, that is, through water or land. Thus, when released into the soil, harmful substances can be absorbed by plants, which are then consumed by humans. The same goes for water. A person uses water for personal purposes, without even knowing what harmful substances it contains and what they pose as a threat. Since most gases emitted into the atmosphere can easily combine with water, areas with active industry have not only a polluted atmosphere, but also polluted water and soil.

Thus, the factors that shape human health in this case cannot exceed the factors of pollution, and therefore in industrial areas children get sick more often and residents more often suffer from cancer, which significantly shortens their lives.

It is worth noting that the impact of polluted atmospheric air on the population is determined by the following objective principles:

Variety of pollution - it is believed that a person who lives in an industrial area can be exposed to approximately several hundred thousand chemicals and toxic substances. In a certain area, a limited number may be present harmful substances, but in greater concentration, despite the fact that the combination of certain substances can cause an increase in their negative impact on humans.

Massive exposure - a person inhales approximately 20,000 liters of air per day, and even insignificant concentrations of toxic substances contained in the air, comparable to such inhaled volumes, can cause a significant intake of toxins into the body.

Access of toxins into the internal environment of the body. As you know, the lungs have a surface area of ​​approximately 100 square meters, which allows them to absorb harmful substances and disperse them over a large surface of the organ. Toxins have direct contact with the blood, since from the lungs they immediately enter the big circle blood circulation, passing the toxicological barrier – the liver – on its way.

Difficulty of defense. Having refused to eat contaminated food or water, a person still continues to absorb toxins through the atmosphere and air.

Atmospheric pollution, as a rule, negatively affects the body's resistance, the consequence of which is increased morbidity and a number of physiological changes in the body. Factors affecting human health in this case reduce the average life expectancy.

If we compare atmospheric pollution, it is tens of times more dangerous than water or soil pollution, since toxins directly enter the blood through the lungs.

The main soil pollutants are leaks of chemical waste, improperly buried or stored, the deposition of harmful substances from the atmosphere onto the soil, as well as generous application chemicals in agriculture.

In Russia, the soil is contaminated with pesticides by almost 8%. At the moment, it is most likely that almost all water bodies are susceptible to anthropogenic pollution.

The factors influencing human health in chemical terms are so diverse that it is impossible to cope with them all. Since the scale of production is growing geometrically every day, and it takes tens or even hundreds of years to restore natural resources.

Physical factors

The main physical factors that negatively affect a person are noise, electromagnetic radiation, vibration, and electric current.

Let's look at each type of negative influence separately.

Noise is a complex of sounds and sounds that can cause disturbances or unpleasant sensations in the body, and in some cases even destruction of the hearing organs. So a noise of 35 dB can cause insomnia, a noise of 60 dB can irritate the nervous system, a noise of 90 dB causes weakening of hearing, depression, or, on the contrary, leads to agitation nervous system. Noise of more than 110 dB can lead to noise intoxication, which is expressed like alcohol intoxication, as well as to agitation and neurasthenia. The main sources of noise are transport, both road, rail, and aviation, as well as enterprises.

Vibration is an oscillatory process that can have a wide range of frequencies resulting from the action of some mechanism that transmits oscillatory energy. This can be both transport and enterprises.

Electromagnetic radiation is usually transmitted by radio or television stations, radar installations, and various types of industrial devices. Chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields or radio waves can lead to changes in the nervous or endocrine system.

Genetic factor

Typically caused by prior exposure of previous generations of the population to toxic or polluting substances, which may ultimately result in hereditary diseases descendants, and as a result - low life expectancy of certain parts of the population. Also, subsequent generations may be predisposed to certain diseases.

Healthcare

In many ways, everything depends on the development of the healthcare infrastructure in a particular country. Because the health status of the population and its life expectancy directly depend on this. The factors that determine human health are significant in this case. The general awareness of the population, financing of medical structures, development innovative technologies and treatment methods, as well as timely diagnosis, which can only be successful if you have expensive equipment for manipulation.

Try to eat right, lead a healthy lifestyle and not be nervous. From this, your life expectancy will increase by many years. Be healthy!

Per conditionhealth a person is influenced by various indicators. To maintain good physical shape and remain psycho-emotionally stable, you need to pay attention to the quality of your life in a multifactorial natural and social environment. We will learn from the article what factors influence people’s health and how to live a longer life.

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Known Factors

Human health can be affected by various visible and invisible factors. There are also known ways to improve physical, emotional, psychological state.

All factors affecting human health:

  • genetics;
  • medicine, healthcare;
  • : climate, flora, landscape;
  • Lifestyle;
  • physical;
  • biological;
  • chemical.

Experts classify the above factors for the following types:

  1. Social and economic;
  2. Environmental – human communication with the outside world and constant indicators;
  3. Hereditary - the presence of diseases, anomalies in the structure of the human body that are inherited;
  4. Medical - providing assistance to the population, frequency and quality of examinations, disease prevention.

All four factors directly affect a person’s well-being. Right here Side effects need to be taken into account: age, climatic conditions of the area of ​​residence, individual indicators. However, the general average indicators of the influence of each factor separately on the population have been determined:

  • lifestyle - 55%;
  • environment - 25%;
  • genetics - 10%;
  • medicine - 10%.

Harmful factors affecting human health:

  • addictions;
  • incorrect distribution of working time;
  • improper diet;
  • poor living conditions;
  • poor environmental conditions;
  • chemically polluted atmosphere;
  • biological factors;
  • lack of medical examination;
  • genetic predisposition to diseases.

Influence of genetic factors

For general health directly affectsheredity.

A person with genes inherited from his parents begins to adapt to the world.

This factor affects the physical and emotional state.

The gene is subject to the action of natural selection.

It can make the owner more resistant to diseases and other aggressive factors, or, on the contrary, it can worsen the state of health.

Important! Each cell carries a large number of genes that control human development processes. A newborn baby has a set of genes from both parents. These characteristics are passed on to the entire subsequent generation.

It has been proven that marriage between relatives increases the risk of disease by fifty times, and the mortality rate among such people is much higher. Genes are very sensitive to the harmful effects of the environment, improper behavior of people, availability bad habits .

When planning a child, future parents should prepare for conception several months in advance, ensuring all conditions for birth healthy baby. If we take this factor into account, we can significantly reduce the risk of heredity influencing the unborn child and provide him with a healthy gene code.

Lifestyle influence

The influence of lifestyle on human health is colossal! A person who leads a healthy lifestyle feels full of energy, visits doctors less often and has clearly more benefits than those who do not take care of their health and have bad habits.

Lifestyle has an impact into three environments of existence:

  • a person’s immediate environment: friends, acquaintances, colleagues, family;
  • environment, which includes people united by ethnicity, standard of living, place of residence;
  • environment, including all people living in a certain country, who are united by social and economic relations, and climatic conditions.

Each person influences not only himself, but also the people around him. The chosen lifestyle can be constructive or destructive.

Negative factors such as alcohol, smoking, drugs, can cause serious illness.

Also, lifestyle concerns not only physical, but also mental and mental aspects.

A lot is said about a person by what he is interested in, whether he plays sports, or whether he watches his diet.

Attention! Scientists have found that bad habits are passed on through the parental line even after several generations. This means that any wrong choice is fraught with loss of health in descendants.

It is important that a positive worldview on . To change the situation, you need to understand the impact the following factors have on human health:

  • inactivity, lack of physical activity of the population;
  • oversaturation of unhealthy foods and GMOs in products, which leads to obesity and disease;
  • the active rhythm of life leads to stress, the nervous system suffers;
  • bad habits: alcohol, smoking, sexual promiscuity.

Environmental influence

Influence of environmental factors for a healthy lifestyle is huge. Human intervention in the natural environment, even with good intentions, also has a direct impact on the ecology, which subsequently affects the human body.

In addition to human impact on the environmental situation, the following environmental factors have an impact on health:

  • temperature;
  • air humidity;
  • vibration;
  • radiation;
  • gusts of wind,;
  • electromagnetic and sound vibrations.

For well-being and normal functioning influenced by weather conditions. They can cause pressure changes, aggravate joint diseases, and lead to headaches.

If a person is healthy, then changes in weather conditions will pass without consequences. However, weather-sensitive people feel unwell.

Recently, people have been constantly experiencing the influence of electromagnetic waves and radiation. It is emitted by all household appliances and telephones. Radiation affects not only the physical state of the body, but also destabilizes the psyche and changes the functioning of organs.

Important! Regular exposure to electromagnetic waves has a detrimental effect on the nervous system, immunity, thyroid gland, etc. Over the past few decades, the number of cancer pathologies has increased.

Environmental factors include the effects of radiation. All living beings are exposed to background radiation. Radiation leads to changes in the genetic structure, slows down regeneration processes, worsens the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Socio-economic factors

The economic situation in the country, as a factor, is one of the decisive factors for the health of the population. This also includes medical support. Although medicine is now focusing less and less on health, and more and more on treating diseases. Currently, the structure of morbidity has changed: 10% of cases suffer from infections, and 40% of morbidity is due to mental disorders, alcoholism, and drug addiction.

Important! Of the majority of fatalities, the most common causes are diseases such as atherosclerosis, obesity, mental disorders, and oncology.

Now medicine is aimed at treating these pathologies, and not at preventing the problem.

Chemical factors

Chemical pollution of the planet– this is no longer a fairy tale, but a reality in which we live constantly. Even in the womb, the fetus is at risk of chemical harm, which affects future health and quality of life.

Pollution of water bodies, increased background radiation - all this causes the emergence of a huge number of diseases.

Chemical compounds penetrate through food, oxygen, and drink. Negative influence The following chemical factors may have an effect:

  • synthetic food additives, pesticides;
  • household chemicals, hygiene products;
  • medicines and biological supplements;
  • additives for the growth of animals, poultry;
  • building materials, paints;
  • industrial waste;
  • exhaust gases, etc.

Chemical elements especially dangerous due to rapid accumulation in the body, and removing them is not so easy. As a result, the human body is prone to manifesting allergic reactions, are developing various pathologies associated with nervous diseases, the liver and kidneys are affected. There is a risk of developing asthma.

Among the many facts about the person, I would like to note the following:

  • the human skull consists of twenty-nine bones;
  • the body stops working when you sneeze, including heart function;
  • the nervous reaction has a speed of two hundred kilometers per hour;
  • a child still in the womb at 3 months receives unique fingerprints;
  • a woman's heart beats faster than a man's;
  • right-handers live longer than left-handers;
  • length of blood vessels in the body equal to one hundred thousand km;
  • there are about a hundred viruses that cause a runny nose;
  • a smoker absorbs half a cup of tar in a year;
  • after 60 years people lose 50% taste buds, decreased sense of smell and vision;
  • The tooth is the only part of a person that is not capable of self-healing.\

What affects our health

Main factors influencing the body

Conclusion

Harmful factors affecting human health can be reduced if you pay attention to your body, give up bad habits, improve your diet, and exercise. Healthy people can adapt in time to social, biological, chemical factors. Man is the only organism on the planet that has the ability to adapt the environment to suit itself. Be healthy!

By discipline:

Basics of medical knowledge and healthy lifestyle

« Factors influencing health. The role of various factors in promoting health."

Smirnova Elena Andreevna.

Psychology faculty. 1 course.

Address: Novosibirsk region,

Vengerovsky district,

Vengerovo village, st. Herzen 14

Harmful factors affecting human health

Alcohol

The problem of alcohol consumption is very relevant these days. Now the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the world is characterized by huge numbers. The whole society suffers from this, but first of all, the younger generation is at risk: children, adolescents, young people, as well as the health of expectant mothers. After all, alcohol has a particularly active effect on an unformed organism, gradually destroying it.

The harm of alcohol is obvious. It has been proven that when alcohol enters the body, it spreads through the blood to all organs and adversely affects them, even to the point of destruction.

With systematic alcohol consumption, a dangerous disease develops - alcoholism. Alcoholism is dangerous to human health, but it is treatable, like many other diseases.

But the main problem is that most of the alcoholic beverages produced by non-state enterprises contain large amounts of toxic substances. Poor quality products often lead to poisoning and even death.

All this causes great damage to society and its cultural values.

The effect of alcohol on the nervous system.

Alcohol from the stomach enters the bloodstream two minutes after consumption. The blood carries it to all cells of the body. The cells of the cerebral hemispheres are primarily affected. The conditioned reflex activity of a person worsens, the formation of complex movements slows down, and the ratio of excitation and inhibition processes in the central nervous system changes. Under the influence of alcohol, voluntary movements are impaired, and a person loses the ability to control himself.

The penetration of alcohol into the cells of the frontal lobe of the cortex liberates a person’s emotions, unjustified joy, stupid laughter, and ease of judgment appear. Following increasing excitation in the cerebral cortex, a sharp weakening of inhibition processes occurs. The cortex ceases to control the work of the lower parts of the brain. A person loses restraint, modesty, he says and does things that he would never say or do if he were sober. Each new portion of alcohol increasingly paralyzes the higher nerve centers, as if connecting them and not allowing them to interfere with the activity of the lower parts of the brain: coordination of movements is disrupted, for example, eye movement (objects begin to double), and an awkward, staggering gait appears.

“Dysfunction of the nervous system and internal organs is observed with any alcohol consumption: one-time, episodic and systematic.”

It is known that disorders of the nervous system are directly related to the concentration of alcohol in a person’s blood. When the amount of alcohol is 0.04-0.05 percent, the cerebral cortex turns off, a person loses control over himself, and loses the ability to reason rationally. At a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1 percent, the deeper parts of the brain that control movement are inhibited. A person’s movements become uncertain and are accompanied by causeless joy, animation, and fussiness. However, in 15 percent of people, alcohol can cause depression and a desire to fall asleep. As the alcohol content in the blood increases, a person’s ability to hear and visual perception is weakened, and the speed of motor reactions is dulled. An alcohol concentration of 0.2 percent affects areas of the brain that control emotional behavior. At the same time, base instincts awaken and sudden aggressiveness appears. With a blood alcohol concentration of 0.3 percent, a person, although conscious, does not understand what he sees and hears. This condition is called alcoholic stupor.

The harm of alcohol

Systematic, excessive consumption of alcohol can cause serious illness - alcoholism.

Alcoholism is the regular, compulsive consumption of large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time. Let's get acquainted with what alcohol can do to our body.

Blood. Alcohol inhibits the production of platelets, as well as white and red blood cells. Result: anemia, infections, bleeding.

Brain. Alcohol slows down blood circulation in the vessels of the brain, leading to constant oxygen starvation of its cells, resulting in weakening of memory and slow mental degradation. Early sclerotic changes develop in the vessels, and the risk of cerebral hemorrhage increases.

Heart. Alcohol abuse causes increased blood cholesterol levels, persistent hypertension and myocardial dystrophy. Cardiovascular failure puts the patient on the brink of the grave. Alcoholic myopathy : Muscle degeneration as a result of alcoholism. The reasons for this are lack of use of muscles, poor diet and alcohol damage to the nervous system. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy affects the heart muscle.

Intestines. The constant effect of alcohol on the wall of the small intestine leads to a change in the structure of cells, and they lose the ability to fully absorb nutrients and mineral components, which ends in the depletion of the alcoholic’s body. Constant inflammation of the stomach and later intestines causes ulcers of the digestive organs .

Liver. E This organ suffers the most from alcohol: an inflammatory process occurs ( hepatitis ), and then scar degeneration ( cirrhosis ). The liver ceases to perform its function of disinfecting toxic metabolic products, producing blood proteins and other important functions, which leads to the inevitable death of the patient. Cirrhosis – the disease is insidious: it slowly creeps up on a person, and then strikes, and immediately kills. The cause of the disease is the toxic effects of alcohol.

Pancreas. Patients suffering from alcoholism are 10 times more likely to develop diabetes than non-drinkers: alcohol destroys the pancreas, the organ that produces insulin, and profoundly distorts metabolism.

Leather. A drinking person almost always looks older than his age: his skin very soon loses its elasticity and ages prematurely.

Tobacco smoking

Research has proven the harm of smoking. Tobacco smoke contains more than 30 toxic substances: Nicotine, Carbon dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Hydrocyanic acid, Ammonia, Resinous substances, Organic acids and others.

Statistics say: compared to non-smokers, long-term smokers are 13 times more likely to develop angina pectoris, 12 times more likely to develop myocardial infarction, and 10 times more likely to develop a stomach ulcer. Smokers make up 96 - 100% of all lung cancer patients. Every seventh long-term smoker suffers from obliterating endarteritis - a serious disease of the blood vessels.

Nicotine is a nerve poison. Experiments on animals and observations of humans have established that nicotine in small doses excites nerve cells, increases breathing and heart rate, causes heart rhythm disturbances, nausea and vomiting. IN large doses inhibits and then paralyzes the activity of central nervous system cells, including vegetative ones. A disorder of the nervous system is manifested by decreased ability to work, trembling hands, and weakened memory.

Nicotine also affects the endocrine glands, in particular the adrenal glands, which release the hormone Adrenaline into the blood. spasmodic blood vessels, increased blood pressure and increased heart rate. By having a detrimental effect on the gonads, nicotine contributes to the development of sexual weakness in men - impotence.

Smoking is especially harmful for children and adolescents. The nervous and circulatory systems, which have not yet become stronger, react painfully to tobacco.

In addition to nicotine, other components also have a negative effect tobacco smoke. When carbon monoxide enters the body, oxygen starvation develops due to the fact that carbon monoxide It combines more easily with hemoglobin than oxygen and is delivered with the blood to all human tissues and organs. Cancer smoking people occurs 20 times more often than in non-smokers. The longer a person smokes, the more likely he is to die from this serious disease. Statistical studies have shown that smokers often develop cancerous tumors in other organs - the esophagus, stomach, larynx, and kidneys. Smokers often develop cancer of the lower lip due to the carcinogenic effect of the extract that accumulates in the mouthpiece of the pipe.

Very often, smoking leads to the development of chronic bronchitis, accompanied by a constant cough and bad breath. As a result of chronic inflammation, the bronchi expand, and bronchiectasis is formed with serious consequences - pneumosclerosis, leading to circulatory failure. Smokers often experience heart pain. This is due to spasm of the coronary vessels that supply the heart muscle with the development of angina pectoris (coronary heart failure). Myocardial infarction occurs 3 times more often in smokers than in non-smokers.

Smokers endanger not only themselves, but also those around them. The term “passive smoking” even appeared in medicine. In the body of non-smoking people, after being in a smoky and unventilated room, a significant concentration of nicotine is determined.

Addiction

A drug is any chemical compound that affects the functioning of the body. Drug addiction (this word is derived from the Greek narkē stupor, sleep + mania madness, passion, attraction) - chronic diseases caused by the abuse of medicinal or non-medicinal drugs. This is dependence on intoxicating substances, a state of mental and physical dependence on an intoxicating substance that acts on the central nervous system, changing tolerance to the drug with a tendency to increase doses and the development of physical dependence.

Currently, a new situation related to drug addiction has developed in the country - there is an increase in drug consumption. If earlier drug addicts preferred one drug, now polydrug addiction is the use of various drugs with a transition from weak to strong drugs. Girls' involvement in drugs is on the rise.

The extremely painful way out of drug addiction significantly complicates treatment - “withdrawal”, vegetative reactions and the patient’s fear of a very painful way out of physical dependence on the drug lead to a low percentage of those cured. Some narcologists believe that drug addiction is incurable.

Drug addiction is the most serious threat to the existence of society.

Drug abuse, known since ancient times, has now spread to an extent that alarms the entire world community. Even with the narrowing, from the point of view of narcologists, of the boundaries of drug addiction to legally acceptable ones, in many countries drug addiction is recognized as a social disaster.

Abuse among young people is especially disastrous - both the present and the future of society are affected. From the point of view of narcologists, the full picture of the spread of abuse, including forms of substance abuse, is even more tragic. Substances and drugs not included in the list of drugs, as a rule, are even more malignant and lead to even greater harm to humans.

The International Anti-Drug Center in New York has a document indicating the number of drug addicts on the globe - 1,000,000,000 people.

So, the main reasons for drug abuse are:

Social coherence. If the use of a particular drug is accepted in a group to which a person belongs or with which he identifies, he will feel the need to use that drug to show that he belongs to that group.

Pleasure. One of the main reasons why people use drugs is for the associated and pleasurable sensations, from well-being and relaxation to mystical euphoria.

Curiosity in relation to drugs, causes some people to start taking drugs themselves.

Wealth and leisure can lead to boredom and loss of interest in life, and drugs may seem like an outlet and stimulation in this case.

Relief from physical stress. Most people manage to cope with the most stressful situations in their lives, but some try to find refuge in the form of drug addiction. Drugs often become the false center around which their lives revolve.

The role of various factors in promoting health.

Healthy lifestyle

Human health- this is his ability to maintain age- and gender-appropriate psychophysical stability in conditions of constant changes in quantitative and qualitative units of structural and sensory information.

Healthy lifestyle- this is a person’s established way of organizing the production, everyday and cultural aspects of life, which allows one to realize one’s creative potential to one degree or another, preserving and improving human health.

Based on this, the basis of a healthy lifestyle includes:

Compliance with the daily routine - work, rest, sleep - in accordance with the daily biorhythm;

Physical activity, including systematic exercise in available sports, recreational jogging, rhythmic and static gymnastics, dosed walking in the air;

Reasonable use of hardening methods;

Balanced diet.

Balanced diet

Balanced diet– this is the nutrition of a healthy person, built on a scientific basis, capable of quantitatively and qualitatively satisfying the body’s need for energy.

The energy value of food is measured in calories(one calorie is equal to the amount of heat required to heat 1 liter of water by 1 degree). Human energy expenditures are expressed in the same units. In order for the weight of an adult to remain unchanged while maintaining a normal functional state, the influx of energy into the body from food must be equal to the energy expenditure for certain work. This is the basic principle of rational nutrition, taking into account climatic and seasonal conditions, age and gender of workers. But the main indicator of energy exchange is the amount of physical activity. At the same time, fluctuations in metabolism can be quite significant. For example, metabolic processes in vigorously working skeletal muscle can increase 1000 times compared to muscle at rest.

Even with complete rest, energy is spent on the functioning of the body - this is the so-called basal metabolism. Energy expenditure at rest in 1 hour is approximately 1 kilocalorie per kilogram of body weight.

In nutrition, it is necessary to take into account not only the quantity of food eaten, but also its quality characteristics. That is why the main elements of a balanced diet are balance and proper diet. A balanced diet is considered to be one that provides an optimal ratio of basic nutritional and biologically active substances: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The most important principle of nutritional balance is correct ratio main nutrients - proteins, fats and carbohydrates. This relationship is expressed by the formula 1:1:4 , and during heavy physical labor - 1:1:5 , in old age - 1:0,8:3 . Balance also includes a relationship with calorie indicators.

Based on the balance formula, an adult who does not engage in physical labor should receive 70-100 g of proteins and fats and about 400 g of carbohydrates per day, of which no more than 60-80 g of sugar. Proteins and fats must be of animal and vegetable origin. It is especially important to include in food vegetable fats(up to 30% of the total), which have protective properties against the development of atherosclerosis, reducing cholesterol in the blood. It is very important that food contains a sufficient amount of all vitamins necessary for a person (there are about 30 in total), especially vitamins A, E, which are soluble only in fats, C, P and group B - water-soluble. There are especially many vitamins in liver, honey, nuts, rose hips, black currants, cereal sprouts, carrots, cabbage, red peppers, lemons, and also in milk. During periods of increased physical and mental stress, it is recommended to take vitamin complexes and increased doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Given the stimulating effect of vitamins on the central nervous system, you should not take them at night, and since most of them are acids, take them only after meals to avoid irritating the gastric mucosa.

Thus, from all of the above we can deduce the main rules of rational nutrition:

    do not overeat;

    diversify your diet by eating greens, vegetables, and fruits at any time of the year; limit the consumption of animal fats, including butter, salt, sugar, confectionery; eat less fried foods;

    do not eat hot and spicy foods;

    chew food thoroughly;

    do not eat late in the evening;

    eat at least 4-5 times a day in small portions, try to eat at the same time.

Hardening procedures

Physiological essence hardening a person is that under the influence of temperature influences, with the help of natural factors, the body gradually becomes immune (of course, to a certain extent) to colds and overheating. Such a person tolerates physical and mental stress more easily, gets less tired, and maintains high performance and activity.

The main hardening factors are air, sun and water. Showers, baths, saunas, and quartz lamps have the same effect. Hardening to heat and cold is carried out using various irritants.

Basic principles hardening are:

    gradual increase in hardening factors;

    systematic use of them;

    varying intensity;

    a variety of means with mandatory consideration of the individual properties of the body.

The natural ability of a person to adapt to changes in the environment, and above all temperature, is preserved only with constant training. Under the influence of heat or cold, various physiological changes occur in the body. This includes an increase in the activity of the central nervous system, an increase in the activity of the endocrine glands, an increase in the activity of cellular enzymes, and an increase in the protective properties of the body. A person’s resistance to the action of other factors, for example, lack of oxygen in the surrounding air, increases, and overall physical endurance increases.

The most common hardening methods are water and air methods.

Air hardening can be carried out in the form of air baths, changing the intensity of the load by gradually decreasing or increasing the ambient temperature from season to season, the duration of the procedure and the area of ​​the naked body surface. Depending on the temperature, air baths are divided into warm (over 22°), indifferent (21-22°), cool (17-20°), moderately cold (13-16°), cold (4-13°), very cold (below 4°). Air baths, in addition to their training effect on the mechanisms of thermoregulation, in particular on the blood vessels of the skin, also have an effect on the entire body. Inhaling clean, fresh air causes deeper breathing, which allows for better ventilation of the lungs and more oxygen into the blood. At the same time, the performance of skeletal and cardiac muscles increases, blood pressure normalizes, blood composition improves, etc. Air baths have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, a person becomes calmer, more balanced, mood, sleep, appetite improves, and overall physical and mental performance increases.

Water procedures have not only a temperature effect on the body, but also a mechanical effect, divided into hot (over 40°), warm (40-36°), indifferent (35-34°), cool (33-20°), cold - with water temperature below 20°C. It is best to start hardening with water indoors at the body’s usual room temperature, at any time of the year. First, it is recommended to take local water procedures, for example, wiping with a wet towel immediately after morning hygienic exercises. Having started rubbing with water at about 30°, gradually reduce it by 1° daily, bringing it to 18° and lower, depending on how you feel. The procedure begins with the hands, then wipes the shoulders, neck, and torso. After this, rub yourself with a massage towel until the skin turns red and feels pleasantly warm.

Hardening brings great benefits not only to healthy people, but also to sick people. Many people, it would seem, who were already doomed to chronic illnesses, managed not only to completely recover from the diseases that beset them, but also to completely restore their lost strength and health.

Conclusion

Human health must be protected and strengthened. The health of a person who has any ailments requires mandatory correction. This correction can be purely medical, or it can combine both medical and non-traditional methods of strengthening and restoring health, and can also be based on an individually selected regimen.

A healthy lifestyle is subjectively significant, therefore, preserving and strengthening the health of each person requires a restructuring of consciousness, breaking old ideas about health, and changing behavioral stereotypes. Health is a value without which life does not bring satisfaction and happiness.

The health of an individual and society as a whole is determined by a number of factors that affect the human body, both positively and negatively. According to the conclusions of experts from the World Health Organization, four main groups of factors determining human health have been identified, each of which has a positive and bad influence, depending on the application points:

  • Genetic inheritance;
  • Medical support;
  • Lifestyle;
  • Environment.

The influence of each factor on human health is also determined by age, gender, individual characteristics body.

Genetic factors determining human health

A person’s capabilities are largely determined by his genotype - a set of hereditary characteristics embedded in the individual DNA code long before birth. However, genotypic manifestations do not appear without certain favorable or unfavorable conditions.

The critical periods of fetal development are caused by violations of its genetic apparatus during the formation of organs and body systems:

  • 7 weeks of pregnancy: cardiovascular system – manifested by the formation of heart defects;
  • 12-14 weeks: nervous system - improper formation of the neural tube leads to congenital pathology, most often as a result of neuroinfection - cerebral palsy, demyelinating diseases (multiple sclerosis, BASF);
  • 14-17 weeks: musculoskeletal system– dysplasia of the hip joints, myotrophic processes.

In addition to genetic changes, epigenomic mechanisms are of great importance as factors determining human health after birth. In these cases, the fetus does not inherit the disease, but, being exposed harmful effects, perceives them as the norm, which subsequently affects his health. The most common example of such a pathology is maternal hypertension. Increased blood pressure in the “mother-placenta-fetus” system contributes to the development of vascular changes, preparing a person for living conditions with increased blood pressure, that is, the development of hypertension.

Hereditary diseases are divided into three groups:

  • Gene and chromosomal abnormalities;
  • Diseases associated with impaired synthesis of certain enzymes under conditions requiring increased production;
  • Hereditary predisposition.

Gene and chromosomal abnormalities, such as phenylketonuria, hemophilia, Down syndrome, appear immediately after birth.

Enzymopathies, as factors determining human health, begin to affect only in cases where the body cannot cope with the increased load. This is how diseases associated with metabolic disorders begin to appear: diabetes, gout, neuroses.

Hereditary predisposition appears under the influence of environmental factors. Unfavorable environmental and social conditions contribute to the development of hypertension, gastric and duodenal ulcers, bronchial asthma and other psychogenic disorders.

Social factors of human health

Social conditions largely determine people's health. An important place is occupied by the level of economic development in the country of residence. Having enough money plays a dual role. On the one hand, a rich person has access to all types of medical care, on the other hand, concern for health is replaced by other matters. Low-income people, oddly enough, have a better chance of strengthening their immunity. Thus, a person’s health factors do not depend on his financial situation.

The most important component of a healthy lifestyle is the correct psychological attitude aimed at long life expectancy. People who want to be healthy exclude factors that destroy human health, considering them incompatible with the norms. Regardless of place of residence, ethnicity, income level, everyone has the right to choose. Being isolated from the benefits of civilization, or using them, people are equally capable of observing basic rules of personal hygiene. In hazardous industries, the necessary personal safety measures are provided, the observance of which leads to positive results.

Social factors of human health include broadly famous concept acceleration. A child of the 21st century is far superior in level of development to his peers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Acceleration of development has a direct connection with the achievements of technological progress. The abundance of information encourages early development intelligence, skeleton and muscle mass. In this regard, adolescents experience delayed vascular growth, which leads to early diseases.

Natural factors of human health

In addition to hereditary and constitutional characteristics, human health is influenced by environmental factors.

Natural influences on the body are divided into climatic and urban. The sun, air and water are far from the most important components of the environment. Energy influences are of great importance: from the electromagnetic field of the earth to radiation.

People living in areas with harsh climates have a greater margin of safety. However, costs vital energy in the struggle for survival among the northerners are not comparable with those people who live in conditions where favorable natural factors of human health are combined, such as the effect of the sea breeze, for example.

Environmental pollution due to industrial development can have an impact at the genetic level. And this action is almost never beneficial. Multiple factors that destroy human health contribute to shortening life, despite the fact that people try to lead a healthy lifestyle. Exposure to harmful environmental substances is today the main health problem for residents of megacities.

Constitutional factors of human health

A person’s constitution refers to a feature of their physique that determines their susceptibility to certain diseases. In medicine, the following types of human constitution are distinguished:

The most favorable body type is normosthenic.

People with an asthenic type of constitution are more often susceptible to infections and are weakly resistant to stress, so they more often develop diseases associated with innervation disorders: peptic ulcer, bronchial asthma.

Individuals of the hypersthenic type are more susceptible to developing cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders.

According to WHO, the main (50-55%) factor influencing human health is his lifestyle and living conditions. Therefore, preventing morbidity in the population is a task not only for medical workers, but also for government bodies that ensure the standard and life expectancy of citizens.

Health as the most important property of a living organism, in relation to a person, is a measure of spiritual culture, an indicator of the quality of life and at the same time the result of the moral codes of social policy.

A person’s life depends on the state of health of the body and the extent to which its psychophysiological potential is used. All aspects of human life in a wide range of social life: production - labor, socio-economic, political, family, spiritual, health and educational - are ultimately determined by the level of health.

The current economic situation in our country has made a person’s well-being directly and strictly dependent on his psychophysical health. Health in the minds of people, instead of the previous consumer category, is increasingly acquiring the character of an economic category, which requires an active ideological position. We can state a new psychological phenomenon: in the system of market relations, psychosomatic health becomes a basic property of an individual. A social dominant is being formed, focused on health as a prerequisite for socio-economic well-being in conditions of fierce competition.

There are different approaches to defining the concept of “health”, which can be classified as follows:

health is the absence of disease;

“health” and “normal” are identical concepts;

health as a unity of morphological, psycho-emotional and socio-economic constants.

What these definitions have in common is that health is understood as something opposite to disease, different from it, as a synonym for normality.

In modern developments of domestic scientists devoted to the problems of forming the concept of domestic medicine of the 21st century, the following definition of the concept of health is given: “The health of an individual is a state of optimal adaptation of the body as a biopsychosocial being (system) to living conditions at the moment.”

The World Health Organization views health as components of complete physical, mental and social well-being.

Reserve capacities change throughout life. Their increase or decrease is associated not only with age, but is also largely determined by lifestyle. Constant training of functions, which allows one to increase “reserve capacities”, creates conditions for improving health, and, conversely, its absence certainly leads to a decrease in the “reserve capacities” of the body, i.e. to a “quantitative” decrease in health.

Health is largely determined genetically, but also depends on the conditions in which we live and work.

There are a large number of factors that reduce the level of health: previous illnesses, addiction to alcohol and nicotine, chronic influence of unfavorable living and working conditions, poor nutrition (both its insufficiency and abundance and high calorie content), disordered work and rest, sleep, frequent emotional tension, air and water pollution, abuse of medications and household chemicals. Among these factors, one of the first places is motor impairment.

The meaning of each of these factors varies for specific people. To a large extent, it is determined by the genotype and the phenotype formed on its basis.

Currently, epidemiological, environmental-hygienic and clinical-social studies make it possible to establish the following hierarchy of factors affecting health:

conditions and lifestyle of people - 49-53%.

environmental condition - 17-20%.

genetic factors – 18-22%.

activity of healthcare institutions – up to 8-10%.

Let's briefly consider the influence of these factors.

1. The beginning of the 21st century is characterized by an increase in morbidity and mortality of the population against the backdrop of high achievements in medicine, perfection of technical means for diagnosing and treating diseases. Modern stage The development of our society is associated with a demographic crisis, a decrease in life expectancy, and a decrease in the mental health of the country's population. Given the traditional focus current system healthcare to identify, define and “eliminate” diseases, which has intensified due to the progressive socio-economic destruction of society, it becomes clear that the medicine of today and the foreseeable future will not be able to significantly influence the preservation of human health. This fact justifies the need to find more effective ways and means of maintaining and developing health.

It is known that the level of human health depends on many factors: hereditary, socio-economic, environmental, and the activities of the healthcare system. But, according to WHO, it is only 10-15% associated with the latter factor, 15-20% is due to genetic factors, 25% is determined by environmental conditions, and 50-55% is determined by human conditions and lifestyle.

Thus, it is obvious that the primary role in the preservation and formation of health still belongs to the person himself, his lifestyle, his values, attitudes, the degree of harmonization of his inner world and relationships with the environment. At the same time modern man in most cases, shifts responsibility for his health to doctors. He is actually indifferent to himself, is not responsible for the strength and health of his body, and at the same time does not try to explore and understand his soul. In reality, a person is not busy taking care of his own health, but treating diseases, which leads to the decline of health that is currently observed against the backdrop of significant advances in medicine. In reality, strengthening and creating health should become the need and responsibility of every person.



The primary task for increasing the level of health should not be the development of medicine, but the conscious, purposeful work of the person himself to restore and develop vital resources, to take responsibility for his own health when a healthy lifestyle becomes a need.

Forming people's attitudes towards health is a complex and dynamic process. From an individual point of view, health is most often presented as a fundamental value that is significant in itself. However, in everyday life, people may choose not always rational goods as priorities, including health. Often the choice is determined by other, sometimes irrational, and, for example, more profitable factors at the moment. For example, a prestigious salary may rank higher on the priority scale than healthy behavior. In this example, health is a value that is less significant compared to money. Or, another example. A person can drink and smoke a lot and, at the same time, theoretically believe that health is the most important thing in life. Why doesn't he then try to protect his health by reducing his consumption of alcohol and tobacco products? The problem may be that in his individual scale of priorities, alcohol and smoking occupy a fairly high place as significant values. At the same time, he believes that these habits help him deal with life’s difficulties, relax, concentrate, etc.

Currently, it is already becoming obvious that seeing the causes of ill health is only poor nutrition, environmental pollution and lack of proper medical care is unjustified. Much higher value For the global ill health of humanity, the progress of civilization has contributed to the “liberation” of man from self-effort, which led to the destruction of the body’s defenses. The primary task for increasing the level of health should not be the development of medicine, but the conscious, purposeful work of the person himself to restore and develop vital resources, to take responsibility for his own health when a healthy lifestyle becomes a need. “To be healthy is a natural desire of a person,” writes K.V. Dineika, considering the main task facing a person in relation to his health is not the treatment of diseases, but the creation of health. 34

The state is also concerned about the health of its citizens and places responsibility for its preservation and development on a number of government structures: the education system, healthcare and physical culture. IN Russian Federation Federal programs for the protection and promotion of public health are financed by the state; measures are taken to develop state, municipal, private systems health care, activities that contribute to the strengthening of human health, development physical culture and sports. Concealment by officials of facts and circumstances that pose a threat to the life and health of people entails liability in accordance with the law.

The Federal Law “On Education” determines that “All educational institutions create conditions that guarantee the protection and promotion of the health of students.” 35 Federal law“On Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation” it is determined that physical culture and sports are considered as one of the means of preventing diseases, promoting health and maintaining high human performance. 36 According to expert estimates, physical education and sports make it possible to reduce the incidence of illness in children, adolescents and young people by 10-15%, which can save 2.1 billion rubles per year from the budget, and a reduction in crime among young people by 10% can reduce the cost of their maintenance in correctional labor institutions by 700 million rubles. in year. 37

However, these laws are still only declarative in nature. The pharmaceutical industry will die and go bankrupt without disease. No one will close distilleries and tobacco factories, although everyone knows how harmful their products are to health. Medicine has actually withdrawn from the fight against the greatest evil - alcoholism, as a result of which alcoholism and drug addiction have acquired monstrous proportions in the country: up to 1 million people die annually due to alcohol poisoning. Medicine behaves just as passively when it comes to smoking. There has never been and is not a fight against the growing chemicalization of agriculture, chemical poisoning of food, water, and air, although this directly affects the health of the country's population.

Therefore, along with high professional knowledge, optimism and good physical performance, every student should be healthy person and, of course, know and be able to use what methods and secrets to prolong your well-being, how to overcome professional and everyday difficulties and lead an active and healthy lifestyle. Developing basic rules for a lifestyle causes psychological satisfaction, positive emotions, and joy in communication. Every person should have a high life position aimed at good health. The goal of every person’s life position is to be not only healthy himself, but also to have a healthy future generation, to have healthy children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

2. Structural and social changes in Russia in recent years have led to fundamental economic losses and a catastrophic decline in human potential. There is now virtually no indicator of health and social well-being that has not undergone sharp deterioration. For last decade Russia is experiencing a demographic crisis, which has affected all its main indicators: birth rate, mortality, life expectancy, population aging, etc. All these processes are undoubtedly related to the health and lifestyle of the population. The population vitality coefficient, according to the World Health Organization UNESCO, in Russia is 1.4 points on a 5-point scale (in Somalia, Haiti, Burma - 1.6).

By the beginning of 2001, according to the State Statistics Committee of Russia, the population was 144.8 million people and is decreasing annually by approximately 750 thousand people. According to the latest forecast of the State Statistics Committee, by 2016 the population will decline and reach 134.4 million people, which is 7% less than at the beginning of 2001. The birth rate in Russia in recent years is 8-9 people, and the mortality rate is 13-15 people per 1000 population. Over the past 10 years, life expectancy in Russia has decreased by 10 years. The gap between the life expectancy of men and women in Russia is 13 years (58.9 and 72.4, respectively), which is almost twice as much as in developed countries (7 years), where men live for 10-15 years, and women for 6 -8 years longer than Russians.

Data from the State Statistics Committee of Russia indicate that over the past 5 years, the level of primary morbidity in the country has increased by 12%, and the total morbidity by 15%. More than half of the population, especially urban residents, live in extremely unfavorable environmental conditions associated with environmental pollution and emissions industrial enterprises and vehicles. Over the past few years, there has been a high level of industrial injuries, including fatalities. During the years of reform, a significant part of the population was in a state of prolonged psycho-emotional and social stress, which led to an increase in depression, reactive neuroses and suicide, alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction, antisocial outbursts, and crime. The number of Russians suffering from mental disorders has increased.

The health of schoolchildren is of particular concern. Today, only one student out of ten is healthy. According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, of the 6 million adolescents aged 15-17 years who underwent preventive examinations, 94.5% were registered with various diseases, including chronic diseases. Among children entering 1st grade, 70-80% have various health conditions: from functional disorders to chronic diseases. During school, children lose another 75-80% of their health. Due to the poor health status of about 1 million children school age Today they are completely excluded from physical education. The prevalence of physical inactivity among schoolchildren reached 80%.

After graduating from school, about 50-60% of graduates have restrictions in choosing a profession and serving in the army due to health reasons. For the first time in 40 years, doctors are faced with the problem of malnutrition among young men of military age, which affects the recruitment of healthy troops into the Armed Forces. Almost a third of young men are medically unfit to serve in the Armed Forces.

Numerous studies indicate that the health status of student youth is also of serious concern. The number of students in special medical groups increases from year to year and in many of them amounts to 30% of the total number of students.

The problem of smoking is becoming increasingly acute in the country. In Russia, two-thirds of men and at least one-third of women smoke. Every year, 300,000 people die from smoking-related causes. 42% of deaths aged 36-69 years are related to tobacco. No less dangerous is passive smoking, which, according to various studies, increases the risk of developing lung cancer, by 50% - cardiovascular pathology. In recent years, the number of men under 40 who smoke has increased from 45 to 70%. The proportion of teenagers who smoke is rapidly increasing. Suffice it to say that today every tenth schoolchild is dependent on tobacco and has certain signs of smoking-related diseases.

Prevalence in Russia only domestic drunkenness is 20%. The overall morbidity rate for people who abuse alcohol is 2 times higher than for people who do not drink alcohol. Alcohol abuse is the cause of more than 70% of accidents. WHO assesses the situation as hazardous to health when alcohol consumption exceeds 8 liters per year. In Russia, the average annual alcohol consumption ranges from 11 to 14 liters. There are 15 million alcoholics in the country. It is no coincidence that mortality from alcohol poisoning increased by 32% in 1999-2000.

According to sociological research, more than 2.5 million Russian citizens regularly use drugs, and 76% are young people under 30, almost 4 million have tried them, and the estimated number of drug addicts is more than 400 thousand people. The trend in the spread of drug addiction is such that in the near future Russia will become one of the drug-addicted countries. Since 1997, mortality from drug use has increased 12 times, and among children - 42 times. The non-medical use of narcotic drugs, psychotropic and intoxicating substances is gaining threatening proportions. The number of patients with drug addiction and substance abuse has increased 8 times over the past 10 years and exceeds 425 thousand people. The number of officially registered drug addicts is more than 269 thousand people, and according to the results of expert studies, there are more than 1.5 million people. The trend of “rejuvenation” of drug addiction is especially alarming. During this period of time, the number of adolescent drug addicts increased 17 times, and today their share among drug abusers is 31.2%. In 2000, 17.7 thousand people were released from service in the Armed Forces due to drug addiction (5.5 thousand people in 1996). In the next 3-5 years, we should expect a sharp increase in mortality among drug addicts and an increase in drug-related crime.

All this indicates that in the Russian Federation a critical situation with the state of health has matured, the development of which is facilitated by the high level of poverty of Russians, social instability, employment problems, the general unsatisfactory state of affairs with health care, the expansion of child neglect, homelessness and social orphanhood. By physical condition Russia's human potential lags significantly behind advanced countries. At the same time, the mass national system of physical, spiritual and moral improvement of the population, promotion of a healthy lifestyle with access to individual self-awareness and operational control over health status is outside the focus of the state political dominant.

Underestimation of the role of physical education in a healthy lifestyle leads to significant government losses. Thus, the state costs for the treatment of sick children, adolescents and young people per year are about 40 billion rubles, including the payment of benefits to parents - 10.5 billion rubles. If, through active physical education and sports, it is possible to actually reduce the number of sick people among children and youth by 10% (and according to experts, this figure is quite real and can reach 50% or more), then the state can receive real prevented economic damage in the amount of almost 4 billion rubles. Experts also calculated that the funds allocated for recreational activities are 26 times less than the funds that are currently spent on the treatment and rehabilitation of patients.

Thus, the health situation of the Russian population is assessed as a crisis, leading to depopulation, which is reflected in the “Concept of National Security” - “the consequences of this deep systemic crisis are a sharp reduction in the birth rate, average life expectancy, deterioration in people’s health, deformation of the demographic and social composition society."

3. What is health? Try to answer this question. It is possible that the well-known saying will arise: “health is when nothing hurts” or “health is when you wake up and want to move mountains.” This is close to the truth. The state of the body when there is no disease? Time interval between illnesses? Everyone seems to understand: health is the opposite of illness. More health means less chance of developing disease. Little health means illness. Our medical practice and health view it this way. If there is no illness, then you are healthy. Medical science has created a nomenclature numbering several thousand names. Each disease was described: mechanisms of development, symptoms, course, prognosis, treatment, mortality rate and severity of suffering.

The famous Russian doctor and writer V. Veresaev especially accurately assessed the role of health in a person’s life: “... nothing is scary with it, no trials, losing it means losing everything; without it there is no freedom, no independence, a person becomes a slave of the people around him and the environment; it is the highest and necessary good, and yet it is so difficult to keep it!” Diseases are different: large and small, mild and severe.

At all times, among all peoples of the world, physical and mental health has been and is an enduring value of man and society. “When there is no health, wisdom is silent, art cannot flourish, strength does not play, wealth is useless and the mind is powerless” (Herodotus). Health is an amazing property of the human body, about which Socrates said long ago: “Health is not everything; but everything without health is nothing.”

Among the priority human values, health is given paramount importance. And sacrificing your health for the sake of anything (wealth, career, science, fame, temporary pleasures) is the greatest madness. On the contrary, everyone else should sacrifice for the sake of health.

The truth is that only a healthy person with feeling good, optimism, psychological stability, high mental and physical performance, he is able to live actively and successfully overcome professional and everyday difficulties. The true beauty of the human body is physical perfection, intelligence and health.

Improving the health status of the population is an indicator of the development of society. Health is the most important component of human happiness, one of the inalienable rights of the human person, one of the conditions for successful social and economic development.

In general, the study of human health is of global importance, as are physics, chemistry, and biology. In terms of its practical significance and relevance, this problem is considered one of the most difficult problems modern science, not inferior in this quality to such areas as the problem of environmental protection.

Regarding the phenomenon of health, summarizing the opinions of experts, we can formulate a number of provisions that are axiomatic in their essence:

In an absolute sense, health does not exist. Absolute health is an ideal. Every person is relatively healthy. No person is completely healthy throughout his life.

Every person can be healthy in certain conditions (climate, food, work). There are suitable (normal) and unsuitable (harmful) living conditions for a particular person. Conditions that are normal for one may be abnormal for another. Despite the importance of the concept of health, it is not so easy to give it an exhaustive definition. The number of attempts to cope with this problem is multiplying, but a solution that would suit everyone has not yet been found. For example, P.I. Kalju examines 79 definitions of human health, formulated by representatives of various scientific disciplines at different times in different countries of the world. 38 And this list is far from complete and amazes with the variety of interpretations and the heterogeneity of features used in defining this concept.

The definition of health, formulated in the preamble of the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948, is formulated as follows: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” A lot of time has passed since then, but this formulation, as a rule, is not ignored by any of the specialists dealing with the problem of human health. At the same time, it is most often subject to critical assessment, including for its weak practical applicability, but in return, nothing more universal and generally accepted has yet appeared.

Subsequently, WHO (1999) clarified that the above definition of health, given in the initial period of the formation of WHO, characterizes the ideal goal to be strived for within the framework of multifaceted human activity and introduces a new concept of health: “All people in all countries should have, at least, a level of health that allows them to lead an active productive and social life in the community in which they live.” 39

Today, the concept of health is given a much broader meaning and it is believed that the concept of “health” should, among other things, include such forms of behavior that allow us to improve our lives and make it more prosperous, and achieve a high degree of self-realization. On this occasion, Vladimir Ivanovich Dal writes: “Health is the state of an animal body or plant, when all vital functions are in perfect order.”

Modern hygienists claim that health is “a state of complete social and mental well-being, when all functions of the human body are balanced with the environment - natural and social.”

From these definitions of the concept of health, it is obvious that human health is not only a medical-biological, but, above all, a social category, ultimately determined by the nature and nature of social relations, social conditions and factors depending on the method of social production.

An analysis of all definitions of health allows us to identify its most typical signs.

1. Normal function the body at all levels of its organization: organism, organs, histological, cellular and genetic structures; the normal course of physiological and biochemical processes that contribute to individual survival and reproduction. For all characteristics of the human body (anatomical, physiological, biochemical), average statistical indicators of the norm are calculated. The body is healthy if the indicators of its functions do not deviate from their known average (normal) state. Fluctuations within the upper and lower limits of the norm are regarded as acceptable.

Considering that the functional capabilities of the human body and its resistance to unfavorable factors external environment changes throughout life, then we can talk about the state of health as a dynamic process that improves or worsens, i.e. about weakening or strengthening of health depending on age, gender, professional activity and habitats.

2. Dynamic balance of the body and its functions with the environment. Since ancient times, Pythagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician and doctor, defined health as harmony, balance, and disease as their violation. Moreover, some authors pay attention to maintaining internal balance in the body, while others focus on its balance with the environment. Thus, according to Hippocrates, a person who has a balanced relationship between all organs of the body can be considered healthy. And G. Spencer defines health as the result of an established balance of internal relations to external ones.

3. The ability to fully perform basic social functions, participation in social activities and socially useful work. Thus, a socially healthy person should be considered one who contributes to the development of society.

4. The ability of the body to adapt to constantly changing conditions of existence in the environment, the ability to maintain the constancy of the internal environment of the body, ensuring normal and diverse life activities, and the preservation of the living principle in the body.

5. Absence of disease, painful conditions, painful changes, that is, optimal functioning of the body in the absence of signs of disease or any disorder. It is based on simple logic: those people who do not need medical care can be considered healthy.

6. Complete physical, spiritual, mental and social well-being, harmonious development of physical and spiritual forces, the principle of the unity of the body, self-regulation and balanced interaction of all organs.

Thus, the concept of health is complex. A correct understanding of health as a multicomponent phenomenon, of course, depends on the general culture and knowledge of a person. Unfortunately, many young people, when they are still physically and somatically healthy, do not have the desire to maintain and improve health, there is no need for health. A significant part of people waste their health in the first half of their lives, only then, having lost it, do they begin to feel a pronounced need for it.

Disease. A disease is a reaction of the body to the action of factors harmful to it, characterized by a limitation of adaptability and vital activity. Health and illness are forms of life in all their inherent diversity. The main biological purpose of the disease is to mobilize protective and adaptive mechanisms.

The disease usually occurs in cases where the body is subjected to excessive physical and psycho-emotional stress or when adaptive functions are reduced. Then morpho-functional changes occur, often turning into illness or leading to injury to the musculoskeletal system.

The disease is associated with the transformation of the normal state of a living system into a pathological one, that is, with the transition to a new qualitative state. Any disease is a damage to the entire body. Qualitative changes in the body during illness can be considered, first of all, a decrease in a person’s performance and poor health. This is expressed in the manifestation of certain symptoms and is confirmed by factors of the painful state of individual organs and systems of a person.

Consequently, a deviation from the norm that disrupts the structure of an organ or weakens its functioning can be considered as the development of a disease. However, not every deviation from the norm is a disease. The boundary between normal and non-normal (disease) is not rigid or dividing. In some cases, the boundary between them can be quite difficult to determine. It is vague and quite individual. On the other hand, an individual norm cannot be constant, rigidly fixed for a long time. On different stages Ontogenesis, its meaning is not constant and must be clarified according to age. The very ideas about the norm are constantly being refined in connection with the latest achievements medicine and biology.

Between health and illness there are transitional states, the so-called “pre-illness” or “third state,” which is characterized by “incomplete health.” The state of “pre-diseases,” although it already has some pathological signs, nevertheless, does not yet impair health. Pre-illness only carries objective prerequisites for health problems. Subjective manifestations of this condition include periodically recurring ailments, increased fatigue, a slight decrease in qualitative and quantitative indicators of performance, shortness of breath with moderate exertion, discomfort in the heart, a tendency to constipation, and back pain. Increased neuro-emotional excitability, etc. Objectively, a tendency to tachycardia, instability of blood pressure levels, a tendency to hypoglycemia or distortion of the sugar load curve, coldness of the extremities, etc. can be recorded.

A significant contribution to the development of modern ideas about the causes of morbidity was made by domestic scientists: S.P. Botkin, A.A Ostroumov, I.M. Sechenov, I.P. Pavlov, I.I. Bekhterev, N.I. Pirogov, G.A. Zakharyin, Z.P. Soloviev and other scientists. The foundations of ideas they developed about the structural, functional and biochemical manifestations associated with numerous human sufferings showed the dependence of human diseases on the influence of internal (genetic), external and social factors.

3. Human health, the occurrence of certain diseases, their course and outcome, life expectancy depend on a large number of factors. All factors that determine health are divided into factors that promote health (health factors) and factors that worsen health (risk factors). If all factors are summed up, then health depends on three main components:

a) biological factors;

b) social factors;

c) natural and climatic factors.

^ Biological factors. The main biological factors that determine health include: heredity, age, gender and constitutional characteristics of the human body. The human body is endowed with adaptive and compensatory capabilities given to it by evolutionary development. Man is the highest and most complexly organized product of not only biological, but also social evolution. It is known that human health is determined genetically. About ten million genes and the protein forms they generate form the biological system of the human body. Its work depends on the usefulness of genes, which are very sensitive to harmful toxic substances that penetrate the body’s cells with air, water, and food. These substances can cause mutations (modifications) of genes, in the presence of which the protein in the body is either not formed at all or completely loses its biofunction. The activity of the body decreases, it becomes ill, loses the ability to resist, changes occur in organs and systems, up to pathological changes in mental activity. Thus, the number of children with congenital mental and physical disabilities in the population is increasing.

^ Social factors. Among the causes and conditions that determine the health of the population, factors associated with the lifestyle and living conditions of a person have recently become the leading ones.

The relationship between lifestyle and health is most fully expressed in the concept of a healthy lifestyle (HLS). Healthy image life unites everything that contributes to a person’s performance of professional, social and everyday functions in optimal health conditions and expresses the orientation of the individual’s activities towards the formation, preservation and strengthening of both individual and public health.

The main lifestyle factors that improve health include: a rational balance of work and rest; physical and spiritual comfort; balanced diet; high medical activity; economic and material independence; psychophysiological satisfaction; regular physical activity, etc.

The main lifestyle factors that worsen health include: inadequate rest; social passivity; dissatisfaction with the life situation, overwork; unbalanced nutrition in quantitative and qualitative terms; low medical activity; physical inactivity and hypokinesia, alcohol abuse, smoking, drug addiction, substance abuse, drug abuse; prolonged stressful situations; inappropriate sexual behavior, etc.

A person’s lifestyle is largely determined by socio-economic conditions, at the same time it largely depends on the motives of a particular person’s activities, on the characteristics of his psyche, state of health and functional capabilities of the body. This, in particular, explains the real variety of image options for different people.

Social factors also include the level of medical care for the population.

^ Natural and climatic factors. These factors include learning and working conditions, production factors, material and living conditions, climatic and natural conditions, degree of cleanliness of habitat, etc.

It has now become an irrefutable factor that acid rain, vast expanses of deforested forests, poisoned rivers, environmentally harmful food products and much more have a detrimental effect on human health. Hence – illness, mortality and the shortest life expectancy in Europe, a huge number of handicapped children.

According to the famous scientist, academician Yu.P. Lisitsyn, who is a recognized authority in the field preventive medicine and many human diseases are determined by these factors (Table 1). 40

Table 1. The influence of the main factors on human health and disease

Risk factors in % Lifestyle (%) Environment (%) Heredity (%) Healthcare (%)
In the general population 50-55 20-25 15-20 8-10
Diseases: - Coronary heart disease 60 12 18 10
- Vascular lesions brain 65 13 17 5
- Cancer 45 19 26 10
- Diabetes 35 2 35 10
- Pneumonia 19 43 18 20
- Pulmonary emphysema, bronchial asthma 35 40 15 10
- Cirrhosis of the liver 70 9 18 3
-Transport injuries 65 27 3 5
- Suicide 55 15 25 5

Thus, among the causes and conditions that determine the health of the population, factors associated with the lifestyle and living conditions of a person have recently become the leading ones. This is, first of all, the nature of nutrition, behavioral characteristics, habits (smoking, alcohol abuse), physical activity, psychological attitudes, hygienic literacy, compliance with medical recommendations, etc. Due to the fact that lifestyle factors play a leading role in the formation of health, it is necessary to decide problems related to health should be more actively involved in the population itself.

^ Components of health. Currently, it is customary to distinguish several components ( components) health:

1. Somatic health- this is the current state of the organs and systems of the human body (physiological component). The basis of somatic health is determined by the high performance of the body and its resistance to various diseases.

2. ^ Physical Health- level of development and functional capabilities of organs and systems of the body. The basis of physical health is the morphological and functional reserves of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems, ensuring the body’s adaptation to the effects of various factors.

3. ^ Mental Health- the state of a person’s mental sphere. The basis of mental health is self-confidence, based on the ability to manage one’s feelings and thoughts, a state of general mental comfort that ensures adequate regulation of behavior. Mental health is primarily affected by a person’s system of relationships to himself, other people, and life in general; his life goals and values, personal characteristics. The correct formation and satisfaction of these basic needs forms the basis of normal human mental health.

4. ^ Spiritual health (moral health)- this is the desire and ability to manage one’s own health, to build one’s behavior without compromising the well-being of other people. The spiritual health of an individual depends on the consistency of personal and professional self-determination, satisfaction with family and social status, the flexibility of life strategies and their compliance with the sociocultural situation (economic, social and psychological conditions). This component is associated with the universal human truths of goodness, love and beauty.

The moral component of health is determined by the compliance of the nature of a person’s life with universal human laws (for example, the law of saturated need: a person must limit himself in everything; the law of the priority of reason over force: do not use force where you can achieve with reason; etc.).

^5. Sexual health- a complex of somatic, emotional, intellectual and social aspects of human sexual behavior, positively enriching the personality, increasing a person’s sociability and his ability to love. The basis of sexual health is:

1) the ability to enjoy and control sexual and reproductive behavior in accordance with the norms of social and personal ethics;

2) freedom from fear, shame and guilt, false beliefs and others psychological factors suppressing sexual response and disrupting sexual relationships;

3) the absence of organic disorders, diseases and deficiencies that interfere with sexual and reproductive functions.

4. Lifestyle is a system of relationships between a person and himself and environmental factors. A way of life is understood as a stable way of life of people that has developed in certain socio-economic conditions, manifested in their work, life, leisure, satisfaction of material and spiritual needs, norms of communication and behavior.

Lifestyle includes three components: level, quality and lifestyle.

^ Quality of life characterizes the degree of comfort in satisfying human needs (that is, it is primarily a sociological category). Quality of life is interpreted as a fairly broad concept, covering many aspects of a person’s life, related not only to the state of his health. These include: living conditions; satisfaction with studies; job satisfaction; family relationships; social environment; political and economic situation in the country.

^ Lifestyle- socio-psychological category. It characterizes the features of a person’s everyday life, that is, a certain standard to which the psychology and physiology of the individual adapts. Lifestyle is an essential sign of individuality, the manifestation of its relative independence, the ability to form oneself as a person in accordance with one’s own ideas about a full and interesting life. Human health largely depends on lifestyle, which is determined by mentality (national traditions) and personal inclinations.

The relationship between lifestyle and health is most fully expressed in the concept of a healthy lifestyle (HLS). A healthy lifestyle (HLS) is an active activity of people aimed at maintaining and improving health. The formation of a healthy lifestyle is the primary prevention in strengthening the health of the population through changes in style and lifestyle, its improvement using hygienic knowledge in the fight against bad habits, physical inactivity and the manifestation of unfavorable aspects associated with life situations.

Empirically, through experience, humanity has come to the conclusion that excess in food, alcohol abuse, and a sedentary lifestyle reduce health resources, while playing sports, rational nutrition, and hardening increase it. And the sooner a person’s motivation is formed, i.e. perceived need, take care of your health, the healthier each individual in particular and society as a whole will be.

In 1965, American scientists Belloc and Breslau began researching the influence of lifestyle on human health. 41 They surveyed 7,000 people aged 20 to 75 years. Using one list of questions, the nature of the presence of seven factors in the respondents’ lifestyle was clarified: sleep, breakfast, snacking between meals, maintaining optimal weight, smoking, drinking alcohol and physical activity. Another set of questions was aimed at finding out the health status of the respondents over the past twelve months: for example, whether they had to take sick leave due to illness; whether they had periods of low energy; whether they were forced to give up certain types of activities, etc. A comparison of different age groups based on the results of the study showed that in each of them the overall level of health increased as their lifestyle “improved.” Moreover, those who followed all seven rules of a healthy lifestyle showed the same health results as those who were 30 years younger, but did not follow these rules at all or partially. Subsequently, these seven factors began to be considered as the basis of a healthy lifestyle.

Of course, this does not exhaust all the real variety of factors of a healthy lifestyle, which is constantly being clarified experimentally and is not yet a definitively established list.

One of the reasons for a passive attitude towards health lies in the lack of necessary knowledge about it, about the ways of its formation, preservation and strengthening.

Repeatedly engaging in unhealthy behavior in some cases can bring immediate pleasure (smoking a “good” cigarette, eating ice cream, etc.), but the long-term negative consequences of such actions seem distant and unlikely.

Often people simply do not realize the danger associated with this or that unhealthy behavior (violations in the field of nutrition, personal hygiene, work and rest schedules, everyday culture).

A significant part of a person’s self-preservation behavior is determined by his ideas about health. If health promotion recommendations received from products mass media or a doctor, do not coincide, diverge from his ideas, the likelihood that he will follow these recommendations will be low.

There is an age-related dynamics in the importance of health. Its priority role is most often noted by representatives of the middle and especially older generations. Young people usually treat the problem of health as something quite important, but abstract, not directly related to them. Their hierarchy of values ​​is dominated by material wealth and career. If they pay attention to health, it is mainly its physical component. The role of mental and social health is not given its due place in the understanding of young people.

There is a delayed effect feedback: people prefer not to burden themselves with working on their own health, since the result of the effort expended may not be immediately noticeable and obvious. Morning exercises, some type of health system, or hardening do not bring tangible positive results immediately, but more often after months and even years. People don’t understand this; it’s often simply not explained to them. They are not encouraged to patiently, systematically work on their own health. Without receiving a quick effect from actions beneficial to their health, people give up exercise and may never return to it. The effect of delayed feedback is one of the main reasons for people’s unhygienic behavior and their disregard for the rules of a healthy lifestyle.

There is also a gender aspect to health. The value of health is higher for women. They care about their health, even without having any significant problems with it. Men tend to pay attention to their health when it deteriorates. Moreover, in ensuring health, men give preference to “living conditions” and only when there are obvious violations in their health do they begin to attach importance to their own efforts. To a greater extent than women, they consider it possible to sacrifice their health for the sake of a career, achieving professional success, showing a willingness to “burn out at work.”

^ a brief description of main factors of healthy lifestyle.

Dream. Scientists have calculated (using the example of residents Western Europe) that on average it takes about 22 years of a person's life to sleep. Adequate sleep is one of the prerequisites normal life body. The required daily sleep time is a fairly individual indicator, but on average its duration is considered to be 7-8 hours. Sleep hygiene involves observing a number of general rules, including: it is necessary to stop intense mental work 1-1.5 hours before bedtime; you should have dinner no later than 2-2.5 hours before bedtime; sleep in a ventilated room; You need to turn off the lights in the room and establish silence; You should not sleep face down, so as not to make it difficult normal breathing; it is advisable to accustom yourself to go to bed at the same time (the most acceptable, physiologically justified period of sleep is from 22-23 to 7-8 in the morning). You should not use the time allotted for sleep as an additional reserve for doing certain things. Systematically insufficient, poor-quality sleep leads to disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, decreased performance, and increased fatigue, irritability. Ultimately, violation of sleep hygiene rules leads to the development of insomnia.

The enormous importance of sleep for human health has long been appreciated by folk wisdom. Even in ancient times they said: “Sleep is the best dish at nature’s feast.” A. S. Pushkin wrote in his poem “Dream”:

I sing a dream, the priceless gift of Morpheus,

And I’ll teach you how to do it in silence

Rest in a pleasant, sound sleep.

In another poem the great poet exclaims:

A dear and old acquaintance,

O dream, my good keeper!

Many researchers believe that the most complete sleep begins in the first half of the night, before 12 o'clock, and ends early in the morning. Life experience shows that it is best to go to bed early and rise early.

^ Rational ratio of work and rest. Among all spheres of life, work has the strongest impact on health and, mainly, worsens it. Work activity has a strong impact on life satisfaction in general and on physical and mental health. Job satisfaction is a very common and reliable indicator, which is used to assess, for example, the correctness of the choice of profession, the success of professional adaptation, and the state of professional health. As a rule, work that is varied, creative, independent, and places high personal demands on a person is satisfactory.

It has been established that job satisfaction is one of the distinctive features centenarians. More than 70% of long-lived men examined at one time by the Institute of Gerontology of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, whose age exceeded 90 years, had a work experience of over 60 years.

A complete lack of professional employment (unemployment), idleness, and exhaustive work, accompanied by an unforgivable saving of time due to neglect of the basic rules of diet and sleep, unwillingness and inability to properly manage free time to restore physical and mental strength, have a detrimental effect on health.

The rhythmic regime of work and rest, their rational alternation is one of the most important conditions maintaining high performance of the body, maintaining health. The organization of rest and its regime are of the same importance as the work regime and the organization of work. Rest should not be only passive (sleeping, lying down, etc.). For a person engaged in mental activity, light physical labor, physical exercise- wonderful active holiday. I.M. Sechenov also established that active rest has a more beneficial effect on the body and is much healthier than complete rest.

Proper alternation of work and rest, observing a lunch break, daytime sleep, i.e. an established and firmly established day and night routine, a strict daily routine of life - all this preserves health and performance.

The body needs daily, weekly and annual rest. Rest daily means taking short breaks during the working day, as well as wisely organizing rest after work. In the process of intense mental work, you should take pauses - divert attention from the main issue to something secondary, get up, walk around, do some physical exercises, and warm up.

Thus, rest is a necessary factor in a healthy lifestyle. Sufficient, timely and good organized holiday is one of the most important ways to improve performance and maintain health.

^ No bad habits. A healthy lifestyle presupposes a negative attitude towards alcohol, smoking, and drug use. These bad habits ruin the health of those who use them and bring grief to those around them.

One of the worst vices of humanity is drunkenness, which has always caused self-loathing.

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said that intoxication is voluntary madness. And, indeed, severe intoxication is essentially an acute mental disorder: excessive talkativeness and mobility, a feeling of complacency, frivolity, loss of the ability to navigate in space, sometimes senseless rage, aggressiveness, illusions and hallucinations, a feeling of fear and melancholy with delirium and attempts at suicide . All this fits perfectly into the picture of acute mental illness. Alcohol is a narcotic poison that acts primarily on brain cells - on the highest centers of mental life, stimulating and then paralyzing them. A dose of 7-8 g of pure alcohol per 1 kg of body weight is lethal for humans. An adult weighing 75 kg can die after drinking 1 liter of forty-proof vodka.

Frequent and systematic consumption of alcohol leads to a serious illness - chronic alcoholism.

With chronic alcohol poisoning, degeneration of nerve cells occurs, and at the same time the functions of the liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines are impaired. Alcohol has a harmful effect on the heart and blood vessels, as well as the respiratory system. Children of persons suffering from alcoholism are usually born physically weak, grow poorly, develop slowly, and often get sick. People who abuse alcohol shorten their lives by 10-12 years or more. Chronic alcoholism causes severe mental illness - alcoholic psychosis.

Smoking tobacco is one of the most common bad habits. It has been established that a seemingly harmless cloud of tobacco smoke contains toxic substances that affect not only the smoker’s body, but also the health of others. Medical statistics have shown that, in addition to lung cancer, for a number of diseases, the mortality rate for smokers is several times higher than for non-smokers.

A wonderful way to combat both smoking and alcoholism are organized physical education and sports. Daily physical exercise, cool water treatments, light sports, excursions, tourism and mountaineering strengthen the body, harden it, and distract it from bad habits.

^ Optimal motor mode. One of the fundamental conditions for ensuring health is rational physical activity. Motor actions are powerful factors that increase the body's adaptive capabilities and expand functional reserves.

The problem of movement and health was of sufficient relevance back in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Thus, the Greek philosopher Aristotle (IV century BC) expressed the idea that nothing destroys the body as much as physical inaction. The great physician Hippocrates not only widely used physical exercises in treating patients, but also substantiated the principle of their use. He wrote: “Harmony of functions is the result of the correct relationship of the amount of exercise to the health of a given subject.” The ancient Roman physician Gallen in his work “The Art of Restoring Health” wrote: “Thousands and thousands of times I have restored health to my patients through exercise.” The French doctor Simon-Andre Tissot (18th century) wrote: “...Movement as such can replace any remedy, but all the medicinal remedies in the world cannot replace the effect of movement.”

A. S. Pushkin rightly exclaimed:

What is needed? Movement, gentlemen!..

Look, Klim, gray in his pillows,

Exhausted, pampered, sick,

I've been sitting with gout and melancholy all my life!

Here is his call on how to get rid of this condition:

My friends! Take your staff

Go to the forest, wander through the valley,

Stand on top of steep hills -

And your sleep will be deep throughout the night.

For many years, the health-improving, socio-economic and educational role of physical culture and mass sports in the country has been underestimated. At the same time, the level of public health remains low. Two out of five schoolchildren have poor posture, 20-25% of students are overweight. Among the adult population, every third person is overweight. Scientifically based recommendations on the volume of cultural and sports activities are followed only by a small part of the population.

Motor activity is very diverse. The choice of specific types of physical exercise largely depends on the inclinations of each person and his individual characteristics. When selecting a particular type of physical activity, it is necessary to be guided by its health-improving orientation. The positive impact of motor actions is determined by the following requirements: comprehensive impact on the body, accessibility, safety, gradual increase in load, positive emotional state.

Sports and physical education, participation in various health programs (walking, jogging, physical exercise, etc.) undoubtedly help improve physical well-being and mental health. The health-improving effect of physical exercises is observed only in those cases when they are rationally balanced in direction, power and volume in accordance with the individual capabilities of those involved. The health-improving, therapeutic and training effect of physical exercise on the body becomes more effective if it is correctly combined with hardening agents in the form water procedures, sun and air baths, as well as massage.

In addition to the healing effect, physical exercise has a training effect on a person (increases mental and physical performance), allow you to increase the level of physical qualities, promote the formation and further improvement of vital motor skills (swimming, skiing, etc.).

^ Hardening the body. Hardening is an increase in the body's resistance to various harmful external influences and fostering the ability to quickly and painlessly adapt to changes in the external environment (in particular, sharp atmospheric and temperature fluctuations). It is based on the reasonable use of natural factors - sun, water and air. At the same time, physical training in itself is an excellent means of hardening the body. It is known how easily unhardened people develop a cough, runny nose, or hoarseness if their feet get wet or even if they simply walk on the floor barefoot.

Among our great compatriots who used the hardening method, we can name the names of I. P. Pavlov, L. N. Tolstoy, I. P. Repin, A. V. Suvorov. I.P. Pavlov wore an autumn coat throughout the St. Petersburg winter, did not like to wrap himself up, and until he was 80 he swam in the Neva not only in the summer, but also in the fall. L.N. Tolstoy loved to walk, dousing himself with cold water in the morning. I. Repin slept all winter in a room with open windows, despite the most severe frosts; Having lived to the age of 85, he did not know colds. A.V. Suvorov doused himself with cold water in the morning, did not like to dress warmly, slept on a hard bed, and in field conditions - on straw.

Having accustomed oneself to drafts, to cold, to sudden changes air temperature, a person develops greater resistance to various pathogenic agents. Hardening, especially at a young age, also affects the mental education of a person and his character. A seasoned person works normally and feels good in a wide variety of climatic and meteorological conditions; both in the north and in the south, and in great frost, and in heat, and in foggy autumn, and in sunny spring.

Nutrition. Nutrition is one of the basic vital needs of any organism. A person’s vital activity, performance and even life expectancy depend on the nature of nutrition. Only with rational nutrition is it possible to fully develop all the functional abilities of the body and achieve the highest labor productivity.

We do not live in order to eat, but we eat in order to live, said the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. A person who eats properly and nutritiously usually looks good and young, he is cheerful, cheerful and has a high performance. A person who is systematically malnourished or malnourished looks older than his age, he is lethargic, has little initiative, is irritable, and picky; his performance is reduced, and he is predisposed to diseases.

The main provisions of rational nutrition are that food must meet certain hygienic requirements and be:

Optimal in quantitative terms, i.e. correspond to human energy expenditure. The daily diet, first of all, must correspond to the energy expenditure of the body. Calorie content daily ration should be 2550-4300 kcal for men, and 2200-2700 kcal for women. The greater the energy consumption, the higher the calorie content of food should be. With sufficient calorie food, body weight fluctuates within small limits. An increase in body weight with excessive fat deposition indicates overnutrition, while a decrease in body weight indicates insufficient calorie intake.

Complete in quality terms, i.e. include all the necessary nutritional components (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral salts), balanced in the most favorable ratio. Nutrition should include five groups of products: 1) milk and dairy products, eggs; 2) meat - beef, poultry, fish and meat products; 3) bread, baked goods made from wholemeal flour, pasta, cereals, beans, rice, potatoes, sugar; 4) fats - butter, sour cream, cream, lard, lard, vegetable oil; 5) vegetables and fruits. The daily diet should include 60% carbohydrates, 30% proteins and 10% fats. Since protein plays an important role in recovery processes and, unlike carbohydrates and fats, cannot accumulate in the body, its daily consumption is mandatory (lean meat, skinless chicken, fish, egg white). The correct diet is of great importance, i.e. eating at a strictly defined time, which promotes better absorption of food and good functioning of the digestive organs.

Diverse and containing various products of animal and plant origin;

Well digestible, appetizing and has a pleasant taste, smell and appearance. Food must be chemically harmless and safe in terms of bacterial composition. Food should be taken silently and in a calm environment (do not eat food that does not meet the requirements of freshness). The person should like the food and cause a reflex secretion of gastric juice (it is necessary to eat at a moderate pace, slowly. The food should be chewed thoroughly. It is necessary to drink water no later than 10-15 minutes before meals and it is not advisable to drink during meals);

The diet and menu must correspond to age and occupation.

^ Personal hygiene. The basis of personal hygiene is a rational daily regimen. It creates optimal conditions for activity and restoration of the body and helps improve health and improve performance.

Due to different conditions life and work, everyday life and individual characteristics, there cannot be a single daily regimen for everyone. However, its main provisions must be observed in any case. This is execution various types activities at strictly defined times; proper alternation of work, training and rest; regular meals, sufficiently long and adequate sleep.

Personal hygiene includes body care. It includes care for the body, skin, hair and nails, teeth and oral cavity, eyes, nasal cavity, digestive and respiratory organs, genitals, control over the course of mental and emotional processes, and the functioning of the nervous system. After physical exercise, be sure to take a shower. A good hygienic procedure is a bath; it helps keep the body clean, improves skin function, hardens the body, and improves health. .

^ Sufficient medical activity. Medical activity - this