HEALTH, DISEASE AND CURE

Before going in for details of health, disease and cure, few points are to be understood in proper perspective as we are dealing with living system.

• Every living system is comprised of one or more units - called cell.
• Every cell contains living substance.
• The essence of the living substance is that it differs chemically from the surrounding medium and yet maintains a DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM (HOMEOSTASIS) with its environment.
• Homeostasis occurs in all living cells and in the fluids and organ systems of the multicellular organisms.
• Referring to mammals, the 19th century French physiologist Claude Bernard coined the expression "constancy of the internal environment is the condition of life.
• The American physiologist W B Cannon, who first used the word "HOMEOSTASIS" referred to " the system of checks and balances which maintain internal constancy as the wisdom of the body."

Living systems may regulate it's internal constancy despite an altered environment. And such regulation is achieved by hierarchies of controls, checks & balances, alternate mechanisms, negative and positive feedbacks etc as environmental stress is applied.

HEALTH IS

EASE MAINTAINED

In other words, when homeostasis is maintained at its optimal best i.e. integral harmonious performance of the vital functions tend to the preservation and normal development of the organism and there are no abnormal sensations and functions, it is termed health.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION DEFINES HEALTH as "HEALTH is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Living system may alter a given property with reference to the environment ; the property conforms to the medium and homeostasis consists in cellular adjustments, such that metabolism continues in the altered state. So disease is an altered state of homeostasis and is attended by abnormal sensations and functions in the form of signs and symptoms.

DISEASE IS EASE DISTURBED

i.e. DIS - EASE

On one extreme, even a single named disease may vary in degree of intensity, frequency and pathology according to relative abnormality of homeostasis; while on other extreme a single individual can suffer from many diseases also.
"So health and disease are interconvertible and are two faces of the same coin."

Cure is reversal of the altered state of the homeostasis to its normal pattern. It is not mere mitigating the signs and symptoms but to reach the optimal best state of homoeostasis i.e. health. As march from health to disease is relative, the restoration of disease to health also occurs in percentages or degrees.

CURE IS

EASE RESTORED

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Factors Affecting Health