Factors Involved in Physical Health
by Ron Kurtus (revised 21 March 2012)
Physical health is when your body is functioning as it was designed to function. To sustain your health, you must receive nutrients, exercise or use your parts, and be in an environment amenable to stable growth.
You must also avoid the various attacks or threats to your health. Genetic weaknesses, injuries and losses may cause malfunctioning of some organs. Compensation may often make up for injuries or losses such that the functioning is almost as designed. A major concern in health relates to healing damage done to the various parts.
Questions you may have include:
- How can you sustain health?
- What are the threats your health?
- What factors are involved in healing?
This lesson will answer those questions. Health Disclaimer
Sustaining your healthThe human body is a highly complex mechanism. It is amazing that it operates as well as it does. Requirements necessary to function are proper nutrition and a stable environment. Sometimes a person is born with defects that can inhibit proper functioning. Also injury or illness can inhibit functioning.
Your body requires proper food and water to survive and grow. In general, people seem to be able to tell what foods their bodies need to function properly and to be healthy.
Unfortunately, there are foods that can be harmful but yet fool the brain in saying they are good for you. An extreme example of this are addictive drugs. But there are also salty, fatty, and sugary food that both humans and animals love. They can be harmful to the health and nutritional needs of the being.
The adage is "use it or lose it." Organs must be used or they will atrophy and wither away. Being active is important in keeping your body healthy.
The human body was made to be physically active. The heart needs to pump fast once in a while to keep its muscle tone. Your lungs need exercise to function the way they were made to function. Exercise and using the body is important to maintaining your health.
People who live in polluted areas are exposed to toxins more than those who live in healthy environments. But also political events in an environment can affect a person's health. If there is turmoil and war, there may not be enough food to go around. Plus you may be injured or even killed from the violence in the environment.
Thus a good environment is important to sustaining your health.
Threats to your health
It is a fact that your body is constantly under attack from your environment. Sometimes it is under attack even from yourself. The body has defenses against these attacks. Damage to the health of a person can be caused by birth defects, starvation, illness, injury and poison.
Nothing is perfect
Threats to functioning as designed starts with problems in the birth process, including genetic weaknesses. No one is perfect. Some people have defects that can be life-threatening.
Fortunately, the body can compensate for many defects and may easily live a long life with parts that are only partially functioning.
Improper nutrition can be a threat to your health, You could be deprived of food and nutrients. The result can be starvation, weakness, or degradation of performance.
It is possible to get too much food for a healthy existence. Being overweight can harm a person's health.
Also, there are some foods that are not good for you and even poisonous.
Not exercising or using your various parts and organs can cause them to atrophy.
Sometimes using a part too much can cause injury or excessive wear.
Germs, bacteria, molds, and viruses may attack parts of our bodies, trying to infiltrate and use the body as a home or source of food. Not only can they destroy our cells, but they often may release poisons that can harm our whole being.
Cleanliness is one defense against disease. Also, the body creates internal defenses against specific bacteria and viruses. In fact, because the body builds up these defenses, there is a question whether being too clean is actually good for you, because you may then not develop the natural defenses needed to maintain your health.
Injury to parts of our body can come from attacks by animals or other people, or they can occur through an accident.
Caution is the best defense against injury. Carelessness or ignorance often results in injury.
You can be poisoned by ingesting the wrong material. Sometimes poisons are subtle parts of the environment, such as smog or drugs.
Being aware of potential poisons is an important defense. Sometimes environmental poisoning is unavoidable, since you may not even realize it is happening to you. In many communities, people spread poisons on their lawns to kill insects and then let their children play on the lawn, often resulting in problems years down the road.
A major part of health concerns healing. After you have become sick or injured, your body will fight the disease and then attempt to heal the wounds. Although there are some drugs that can relieve pain, the major part of healing is natural.
Protecting against further attacks or injury and being in good health helps the healing process.
The factors involved in maintaining good physical health include nutrients, exercise and an amenable environment. You must also avoid the various attacks or threats to your health. A major concern in health relates to healing damage done to the various parts. If you are healthy, you will heal quicker.
Being positive improves your ability to heal
Resources and references
Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program: The Proven Plan to Prevent Disease and Premature Aging, Optimize Weight and Live Longer by Joseph Mercola, Brian Vaszily, Nancy Lee Bentley; Mercola.com (2003) $19.99
The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health by Karen J. Carlson, Stephanie A. Eisenstat, Terra Ziporyn; Belknap Press (2004) $24.95
Questions and comments
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Factors Involved in Physical Health