Dr. Ali Hussein Kadhim
College of Education for Pure Sciences – Department of Biology
Good health is a fundamental foundation for achieving sustainable development. Advanced societies aim to provide a healthy environment that enables individuals to live healthy and productive lives. Improving healthcare, improving nutrition, and ensuring access to clean water all contribute to improving public health. Attention to health services reduces mortality rates and increases life expectancy, enabling societies to achieve higher productivity and greater sustainability. Promoting awareness and education about healthy lifestyles, such as exercise, a balanced diet, and reducing smoking and pollution, also contributes to reducing chronic diseases. Moreover, achieving good health is not limited to treatment alone; it also includes disease prevention through awareness and vaccination programs. Supporting medical research and innovation in the health sector also contributes to providing effective solutions to global health problems. Therefore, good health is a shared responsibility among governments, communities, and individuals, requiring ongoing cooperation among these groups to ensure a healthy and sustainable living environment for future generations.
There is no doubt that everyone wishes to live a healthy life free of diseases. In order for this dream to come true, the individual must commit to following a healthy, uncomplicated lifestyle, maintain an ideal weight, and ensure that he or she feels good. The report, published on the “Health Line” website, which is concerned with scientific news, has identified five simple basic rules or tips that an individual can follow to enjoy good health, based on scientific studies conducted in this field. These rules or tips can be summarized as follows:
⦁ Regular Exercise: Muscle function is crucial for optimal health. Exercise improves bodily and brain function, improves hormone levels such as testosterone, and growth hormones, and reduces the risk of diseases such as depression, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and others. Lifting weights at the desired rate reduces blood sugar levels, improves cholesterol levels, and lowers triglycerides, which reduces the risk of obesity.
⦁ Balanced Nutrition: Following a balanced diet is one of the best daily habits for improving one’s overall mood and physical health. A variety of healthy foods should be consumed daily. It’s important to focus on good plant and animal proteins, as well as fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
⦁ Healthy Sleep: Good sleep is very important for overall health, for feeling better physically and mentally, and for reducing the risk of obesity and heart disease. The average amount of good sleep is between 7 and 8 hours per night.
⦁ Avoid Excessive Stress: Excessive stress causes an increase in cortisol, or the stress hormone, and impairs metabolism, leading to feelings of hunger and cravings for certain foods at all times. It also prompts us to consume unhealthy foods, such as fast food, which ultimately leads to obesity and the diseases it causes, in addition to poor sleep. Some studies have shown that stress can cause depression.
⦁ Avoid Toxic Substances: People introduce certain toxic substances into their bodies through cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol, which cause addiction and an inability to give them up.
The most important signs of good health, which are indicators of a healthy body for an individual, can be summarized as follows:
⦁ Good hair: Thin hair may be a sign of a health problem in the body, as hair is considered a mirror of the body’s health, and the healthier a person is, the better their hair will be.
⦁ Solid nails: Strong and solid nails are an indicator of a healthy body. If they change color or break quickly, this could be an indication of a deficiency in certain nutrients essential for a healthy body, such as iron.
⦁ Dental quality and gum hygiene: Dental hygiene is important for overall health. Brushing your teeth after meals with fluoride toothpaste and flossing between teeth is essential.
⦁ Get enough sleep: Poor sleep and sleep disturbances are signs of an unhealthy lifestyle, but those who get enough sleep are certainly healthier than those who suffer from these problems.
⦁ Enjoying good social relationships: It is certain that those with good social relationships and connections enjoy better health and live longer than those who are isolated. This is because social relationships can reduce stress, which positively affects the immune system.
⦁ Tongue color: Doctors detect many body diseases through the tongue. Its natural color is light red covered with a light white layer.
This link includes a simple introduction to the good health:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sAXJlOF0so
References:
[1] https://www.uomus.edu.iq/NewDep.aspx?depid=7&newid=68730
[2]https://www.aljazeera.net/health/2018/6/6/5-%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AD-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%B9-%D8%A8%D8%B5%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9
[3] Anatolia Agency
[4] German News Agency
[5] https://almanar.com.lb/5888500
[6]https://fastercapital.com/mawdoo3/%D9%86%D9%85%D8%B7-%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%8A.html
