Health

outline: –    what I am going to talk about

• foreword
• definition
• practices
• the Czech medical system
• process at a General Practitioner
• my postscript

Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being. It involves more than just the absence of disease. Good health enables people to enjoy life and have the opportunity to achieve their goals.

All parts of the body must work together properly to maintain physical health. A person who is in good physical condition has the strength and energy to enjoy an active life and withstand the stresses of daily life. You must combine several practices to have good health: proper nutrition, exercise, rest and sleep, cleanliness and regular medical and dental care.

Nutrition. A balanced diet provides all the food substances needed by the body for healthy growth and development. These substances, called nutrients, can be classified into six groups: water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables provide important vitamins and minerals. Meat, fish, eggs and diary products are rich sources of protein. Bread, cereals and potatoes furnish the body with carbohydrates. Fiber is also important because it is essential for our digestion system.

Good nutrition also includes eating the proper amount of food each day. Overeating can lead to obesity, which strains the heart and increases the risk of getting such diseases as diabetes and heart diseases. Many people try to lose weight very quickly by following diets. But some of these diets can be dangerous. The safest way is to consult it with specialists.

Exercise helps keep the body healthy and fit. Vigorous exercise strengthens muscles and improves the function of our body. Physical fitness benefits physical and mental health. It enables the body to withstand stresses.

Rest and sleep help overcome fatigue and restore energy to the body. The amount required by each one of us differs for each individual. Most adults sleep from 7 to 8.5 hours a night, though some need less and some more. Young children need more sleep at night plus a daytime nap.

Cleanliness controls the growth of bacteria and other germs that can cause disease. A regular bath or shower keeps body from dirty and odor. It also helps prevent skin infections. Daily dental care is also very important. Brushing teeth keeps teeth clean and help prevent decay and gum disease.

Medical and dental care. Regular checkups play an important role in safe-guarding health. Early care can result in a quicker cure and lower medical costs, plus it is more likely that one will be cured.

In the Czech Republic medical treatment is paid from one’s salary and there is no other payment for people. It is provided by the state and private doctors also exist here.

Medical treatment is provided for all citizens from birth to death. Each of us is looked after even before birth, this is called prenatal care. Soon after birth each child is vaccinated against such disease as small pox, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, tuberculosis and whooping cough. Each child must undergo a series of preventive medical checkups till the age of 18. Children are weaker than adult men and they also suffer from children diseases such as otitis, mumps, measles and chicken pox.

A lot of people cure the common diseases as cold and influenza by themselves. But it is better to visit a doctor to make sure that it isn’t anything else and more dangerous to our health.

In our country we visit a General Practitioner who can send us to some specialist. People have to wait in a waiting room before it is their turn to go in a consulting room. A nurse invites patients in. It depends on it who you are in the line of comers. When you are in, you give the nurse your insurance card and the nurse look for your medical record. It is common that the nurse takes your pulse, measures your blood pressure and takes your temperature. When I was a child a nurse would measure my high and weight, and in addition would check my sight and hearing. A doctor asks us then what the problem is and you are asked to strip yourself to waist. The doctor hears your lungs and heart, and checks your throat. The doctor can also examine other parts of the body depending on the problem and the doctor can also send you to other examination (blood, urine, X-ray, etc.). After this process the doctor writes you a prescription. If it is something which is more serious, you can be taken to hospital.

I have never had any serious disease. I have suffered from colds and influenzas, and I have had a virous disease once, but it wasn’t anything serious. I think I am healthy and I am trying to keep it this way (exercise, healthy food, no smoking).