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Health
Care |
What
is
the biggest problem caused by humans to themselves during their 'progress'
from forests to cities ? My answer is, 'loss of wholesome
health giving rise to many diseases associated with the new habitats,
possesions and life styles'. Some of the life styles typical to
rural areas and cities are healthy, if organized and managed well in
environment-friendly ways Elsewhere in two other articles (Green Life and Learn from Nature), some peculiarities of lives in forests, rural areas and cities are described. Forest lives are found to be totally natural ( hence environment-friendly) and wholesomely healthy. Hence mental diseases could be nil and body diseases are due to genitical reasons or due to fights, accidents, bad foods, bad weathers etc.. In rural areas where urban influences are negligible, life styles are almost fully natural and health situations are good. But cities and semi-urban areas are very different. Bad effects of environmental imbalances, pollutions, congestion, speed, hard competetion, stress, greed etc. can be seen everywhere. In fact speeding can be seen everywhere in day-to-day life, like washing, learning, communicating, commuting, working etc. Basically, humans evolved to walk and work with hands. Hence urban living ways are learned or acquired ways with backgrounds of high levels of organization and enginering. Many complain, 'something is wrong', 'I am sick of all these', 'I want to quit', 'this is killing me' etc. Fatal diseases of heart and brain, cancer, AIDS etc. are increasing alarmingly. (Today, on 19-th of December 2010, I read in a news paper that 'health care generated maximum number of jobs in 2010 in India' , an indication of number of sick persons also.). Urbanites now constitute more than 50% of global population. Hence urban areas stand to be thoroughly cleaned and revived for good health. In the page 'green values' it is stated that ' evolutionary qualities and healthy environments stand to be restored first for recouping all the lost qualities of the urbanites in comparison to healthy rural people. Methods of 'greening' cities or making cities pollutionless and healthy are described in the page 'green life'. In this background, what are the special health care efforts urbanites and others should plan and programme? The following diagram presents the most fundamental aspects of a person's life and activities. Since it deals with fundamentals, it is applicable to all types of persons, except dependent children and similar persons. This diagram shows self-discipline as the core factor in the scheme of fundamentals of health care. See below details of each aspect starting from the core.  LIFE See 'what is life' for a definition of life and for some opinions on 'how to live' rightly. Each and every living being has a natural 'right to life' . (So do not kill anything knowingly, except as preying). Killers or predators are not the only problem in life. Diseases, hot and cold weathers, bad foods and water, heavy rains and snowing, storms etc. are all hazards in life. These problems or hazards are prevalent in all places, forests, farm lands and cities. All organisms have to be self-organized and careful against these problems and other life threatening forces. Built-in defences by immune systems safeguard all organisms against diseases. Other problems are to be faced with learning and self-discipline, a capacity or ability which tells 'what is right or wrong', 'what is safe or dangerous', 'what is less or excess', 'what is good or bad for health', 'what and how much to eat', etc. Without this capacity safe living could be difficult or impossible. Wild animals acquire these abilities from their natural instincts and learnings from group (or communal) living. Click here for a list of quotations on life, discipline, values, family, love, etc. SELF-DISCIPLINE Self-discipline is an acquired capacity or faculty through long term learning, self-monitoring, and self-controlling. The most important thing needed to develop self-discipline (another name is 'self monitoring and controlling faculty') is independent living. When a person starts living on one's own, thinking for oneself, planning for oneself, taking own decisions, setting own limits, monitoring one's activities, deciding whom to contact or to avoide, watching whats and hows of eating, etc., he/she automatically develops this faculty. (Read that again and make a guess about the time and background learning required for self-discipling! ). In interdependent group-living situations(e.g. family, school) also, a person has to have self-discipline for effective self-control and this needs separation of personal interests and group interests. In these situations, self-disciplining has a consultative or interactive component. In the vast majority of grouped persons, what exists can be good physical health and group discipline. Mind is matter (or body) holds good for this type. Ill-disciplined or misorganized persons get controlled or used up by others. Group disciplining is done by different ways in different types of families (liberal, educated, rural, religious etc. ) and groups and involve a common code of conduct and a leader, head or monitor. A noteworthy feature in some cases of indiscipline (in groups) is that it might be starting point of self-discipline and learning for an individual. (Here a little wisdom is relevant; " When groping in dark , group and become strong. But when groping in a group, quit and become disciplined and strong"). Working, living and socializing (see diagram) are interactive to different degrees and depend on state of health. So health care is of vital importance. It has two components, viz., mental health and physical health . Mental heath is of primary importance to maintain integrity, character and good behaviour. Click here for a set of fundamental values for self-disciplining. As stated earlier, self-discipline has two components (see diagram), first leading to good mental health and as a consequence integrity, character, good behaviour, and clarity and second leading to good physical health causing happy living and working. Mental health depends on one's fundamental values, morals, intelligence, works and working ways, family background etc. and their conflictless alignments.One important thing in mental health care is that there should be a balance between one's abilities and aims and goals. Presently, books, periodicals, T.V., radio, internet etc. influence users in different ways and can corrupt weak or young minds, if not guided or safeguarded. Physical health or health of body depends mainly on foods, activities, rest and sleep and excercises (or equivalent physical activities). Mental health as a background factor can affect body health. One noteworthy thing about self-discipline is that with continuous disciplined living, one forms this mental faculty for self monitoring and controlling( make it short as SEMOCOF). Once a person acquires this capacity, a big problem of slf-disciplining is solved. WORKING This is the main part of life to earn a living or to create, produce or do something for trade,sharing, art etc. Even foresters work hard to hunt or gather food items. Work and health are intrinsically related. Good health is needed for working for many hours per day. Similarly proper work control and rest are needed for maintaining good health. As animals evolved to hunt or gather food, they need agility and muscular strength. Many household and farm works involve a lot of physical activities. But there are many sedentary works which pin down a person to a chair, car etc. and thus immobilize legs and other organs. Immobilizing legs results in not using or exercising the basic bipedal upright posture. This can cause many problems and disorders. This weakens muscles , joints etc. considerably and separate exercising would be required to maintain posture and good health.( Do you know that any part of your body can become strained and painful and that any organ or part can be soothed, relaxed or excercised.) If working involves sufficient muscular activities, separate physical execises are not necessary. But introspection, relaxation, meditation etc. might be necessary for self-anchoring. In the case of brain workers and sedentary workers, proper exercises are needed to energize muscles and external organs. In the case of intellectuals with lots of reference works, studies or researches, supportive exercises to energize and relax brain, heart etc.are needed. Walking or jogging is good for many types of professionals. ( I am happy to state here that I have experiences of different types of exercises for over 25 years with backgrounds of different concentrations/works, ages and health situations). One has to select the exercises for energizing or relaxing taking into consideration one's works, special needs and family situations. (Similarly select food items and eating ways also after duly considering works, special needs and family background). Exercises can be grouped into three types; (1) those for external organs like legs, hands etc. and joints, (2) those for internal organs like stomach, intestines, muscles etc. and (3) those for cardiovascular system and brain. These groups are not exclusive or fully noninterfering since all organs work in unison in a healthy organism. (Doctors, consultants, trainers, books etc. are available in all places for interested persons to plan their exercises. There are special health hazards in cities(see second paragraph). Many urbanites have no time or energy for disciplining themselves and to live in self control. In cities the weak, poor, unorganized or misdisciplined become guinea pigs for currupted companies, promoters, politicians etc. If an urbanite decides to care utmost for health, he/she would have to compromise between good health and other things like wealth, promotion and comforts. Controlled use of different household machines, personal vehicles, mobile phones etc. can lead to good health for many urbanites. When engineers and companies clamour and design for speed and more speed, buyers and users should go for controlled and slow use. FAMILY LIFE AND SOCIALIZING These regimes of activities are closely related to the professional life of a person. Socializing is often compromised or cut for concentrating to works, family matters or personal matters. In some ' work -or -perish' situations, not only socializing but other aspects like family life and good health can go uncared for(see diagram and understand the interrelationships). For ordinary familial life styles, there should be proper balancing between works, family life and socializing. In the case of leaders and activists wherein a lot of interactions and transactions are involved, working and socializing go together or have common elements. Here social work becomes profession. This type would need self-anchoring by meditation, introspection, exercises etc. for maintaining good health and self-control. Contact Site map Home |