Factors affecting human health. Harmful factors affecting human health

In order to strengthen and maintain the health of healthy people, that is, to manage it, information is needed both about the conditions for the formation of health (the nature of the implementation of the gene pool, the state of environment, lifestyle, etc.), and the final result of the processes of their reflection (specific indicators of the health status of an individual or population).

World Health Organization (WHO) experts in the 80s. 20th century determined the approximate ratio of various factors to ensure the health of a modern person, highlighting four groups of such factors as the main ones. Based on this, in 1994, the Interdepartmental Commission of the Security Council of the Russian Federation on the protection of public health in the Federal concepts "Protection of public health" and "Towards a healthy Russia" defined this ratio in relation to our country as follows:

genetic factors - 15-20%;

the state of the environment - 20-25%;

medical support - 10-15%;

conditions and way of life of people - 50-55%.

The value of the contribution of individual factors of different nature to health indicators depends on age, gender and individual typological characteristics of a person. The content of each of the health promotion factors can be determined as follows (Table 11).

Let's take a closer look at each of these factors.

Table 11 - Factors affecting human health

Sphere of influence of factors

Firming

Deteriorating

genetic

Healthy inheritance. The absence of morphofunctional prerequisites for the onset of the disease.

Hereditary diseases and disorders. Hereditary predisposition to diseases.

State of the environment Good living and working conditions, favorable climatic and natural conditions, ecologically favorable living environment. Harmful Conditions life and production, unfavorable

Good living and working conditions, favorable climatic and natural conditions, ecologically favorable living environment.

Harmful conditions of life and production, unfavorable climatic and natural conditions, violation of the ecological situation.

Medical support

Medical screening, a high level of preventive measures, timely and comprehensive medical care.

Lack of constant medical control over the dynamics of health, low level of primary prevention, poor quality medical care.

Conditions and lifestyle

Rational organization of life: sedentary lifestyle, adequate physical activity, social lifestyle.

Lack of a rational mode of life, migration processes, hypo- or hyperdynamia.

Genetic factors

The ontogenetic development of daughter organisms is predetermined by the hereditary program that they inherit with parental chromosomes.

However, the chromosomes themselves and their structural elements - genes, can be exposed to harmful influences, and, most importantly, throughout the life of future parents. A girl is born into the world with a certain set of eggs, which, as they mature, are sequentially prepared for fertilization. That is, in the end, everything that happens to a girl, a girl, a woman during her life before conception, to one degree or another, affects the quality of chromosomes and genes. The life expectancy of a spermatozoon is much less than that of an egg, but their life span is also sufficient for the occurrence of disturbances in their genetic apparatus. Thus, it becomes clear the responsibility that future parents bear to their offspring throughout their entire life prior to conception.

Often, factors beyond their control, which include adverse environmental conditions, complex socio-economic processes, uncontrolled use of pharmacological preparations, etc., also affect. The result is mutations that lead to the occurrence of hereditary diseases or to the appearance of a hereditary predisposition to them.

In the inherited prerequisites for health, factors such as the type of morphofunctional constitution and the characteristics of nervous and mental processes, the degree of predisposition to certain diseases are especially important.

Life dominants and attitudes of a person are largely determined by the constitution of a person. Such genetically predetermined features include the dominant needs of a person, his abilities, interests, desires, predisposition to alcoholism and other bad habits, etc. Despite the importance of environmental and upbringing influences, the role of hereditary factors is decisive. This fully applies to various diseases.

This makes it clear the need to take into account the hereditary characteristics of a person in determining the optimal lifestyle for him, the choice of profession, partners in social contacts, treatment, the most suitable type loads, etc. Often, society makes demands on a person that conflict with the conditions necessary for the implementation of programs embedded in genes. As a result, many contradictions constantly arise and overcome in human ontogeny between heredity and the environment, between various systems of the body that determine its adaptation as an integral system, etc. In particular, this has exclusively importance in choosing a profession, which is quite relevant for our country, since, for example, only about 3% of people employed in the national economy of the Russian Federation are satisfied with their chosen profession - apparently, the discrepancy between the inherited typology and the nature of the professional activity performed is not the least important here.

Heredity and environment act as etiological factors and play a role in the pathogenesis of any human disease, however, the share of their participation in each disease is different, and the greater the share of one factor, the less the contribution of another. All forms of pathology from this point of view can be divided into four groups, between which there are no sharp boundaries.

The first group consists of actually hereditary diseases, in which the pathological gene plays an etiological role, the role of the environment is to modify only the manifestations of the disease. This group includes monogenic diseases (such as, for example, phenylketonuria, hemophilia), as well as chromosomal diseases. These diseases are transmitted from generation to generation through germ cells.

The second group is also hereditary diseases caused by a pathological mutation, but their manifestation requires a specific environmental effect. In some cases, the “manifesting” effect of the environment is very obvious, and with the disappearance of the effect of the environmental factor, clinical manifestations become less pronounced. These are the manifestations of HbS hemoglobin deficiency in its heterozygous carriers at a reduced partial pressure of oxygen. In other cases (for example, with gout), a long-term adverse effect of the environment is necessary for the manifestation of a pathological gene.

The third group is the vast majority of common diseases, especially diseases of mature and old age (hypertension, gastric ulcer, most malignant tumors, etc.). The main etiological factor in their occurrence is the adverse effect of the environment, however, the implementation of the effect of the factor depends on the individual genetically determined predisposition of the organism, and therefore these diseases are called multifactorial, or diseases with a hereditary predisposition.

It should be noted that different diseases with a hereditary predisposition are not the same in the relative role of heredity and environment. Among them, one could single out diseases with a weak, moderate and high degree of hereditary predisposition.

The fourth group of diseases is a relatively few forms of pathology, in the occurrence of which the environmental factor plays an exceptional role. Usually this is an extreme environmental factor, in relation to which the body has no means of protection (injuries, especially dangerous infections). Genetic factors in this case play a role in the course of the disease and influence its outcome.

Statistics show that in the structure of hereditary pathology, a predominant place belongs to diseases associated with the lifestyle and health of future parents and mothers during pregnancy.

Thus, there is no doubt about the significant role that hereditary factors play in ensuring human health. At the same time, in the vast majority of cases, taking these factors into account through the rationalization of a person's lifestyle can make his life healthy and long-lasting. And, conversely, underestimation of the typological characteristics of a person leads to vulnerability and defenselessness before action. adverse conditions and life circumstances.

State of the environment

The biological characteristics of the body are the basis on which human health is based. In the formation of health, the role of genetic factors is important. However, the genetic program received by a person ensures its development under certain environmental conditions.

“An organism without an external environment that supports its existence is impossible” - in this thought I.M. Sechenov laid the inseparable unity of man and his environment.

Each organism is in a variety of mutual relationships with environmental factors, both abiotic (geophysical, geochemical) and biotic (living organisms of the same and other species).

The environment is commonly understood as an integral system of interrelated natural and anthropogenic objects and phenomena in which work, life and recreation of people take place. This concept includes social, natural and artificially created physical, chemical and biological factors, that is, everything that directly or indirectly affects human life, health and activities.

Man like living system, is an integral part of the biosphere. The impact of man on the biosphere is associated not so much with his biological as with labor activity. It is known that technical systems have a chemical and physical impact on the biosphere through the following channels:

    through the atmosphere (the use and release of various gases disrupts natural gas exchange);

    through the hydrosphere (pollution of rivers, seas and oceans with chemicals and oil);

    through the lithosphere (using mineral, soil pollution by industrial waste, etc.).

Obviously, the results of technical activity affect those parameters of the biosphere that provide the possibility of life on the planet. Human life, as well as human society as a whole, is impossible without the environment, without nature. Man as a living organism is characterized by the exchange of substances with the environment, which is the main condition for the existence of any living organism.

The human body is largely associated with the rest of the components of the biosphere - plants, insects, microorganisms, etc., that is, its complex organ ism enters into the general circulation of substances and obeys its laws.

A continuous supply of atmospheric oxygen, drinking water, food is absolutely necessary for human existence and biological activity. The human body is subject to daily and seasonal rhythms, reacts to seasonal changes in ambient temperature, solar radiation intensity, etc.

At the same time, a person is a part of a special social environment - society. Man is not only a biological being, but also a social one. The obvious social basis for the existence of man as an element public structure is the leading one, mediating its biological modes of existence and administration of physiological functions.

The doctrine of the social essence of man shows that it is necessary to plan the creation of such social conditions for his development in which all his essential forces could unfold. In strategic terms, in optimizing living conditions and stabilizing human health, the most important thing is the development and introduction of a scientifically based general program for the development of biogeocenoses in an urbanized environment and the improvement of a democratic form of social structure.

Medical support

It is with this factor that most people link their hopes for health, but the share of responsibility of this factor turns out to be unexpectedly low. The Great Medical Encyclopedia gives the following definition of medicine: “Medicine is a system scientific knowledge and practical activities, the purpose of which is to strengthen, prolong the life of people, prevent and treat human diseases.

With the development of civilization and the spread of diseases, medicine has become increasingly specialized in the treatment of diseases and less and less attention paid to health. The treatment itself often reduces the stock of health due to the side effects of drugs, that is, medical medicine does not always improve health.

In medical prevention of morbidity, three levels are distinguished:

    first-level prevention is focused on the entire contingent of children and adults, its task is to improve their health throughout the entire life cycle. The basis of primary prevention is the experience of forming means of prevention, the development of recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, folk traditions and ways of maintaining health, etc.;

    medical prevention of the second level is engaged in identifying indicators of the constitutional predisposition of people and risk factors for many diseases, predicting the risk of diseases based on a combination of hereditary characteristics, anamnesis of life and environmental factors. That is, this type of prevention is focused not on the treatment of specific diseases, but on their secondary prevention;

    Level 3 prophylaxis, or disease prevention, aims to prevent disease recurrence in patients on a population scale.

The experience accumulated by medicine in the study of diseases, as well as the economic analysis of the costs of diagnosing and treating diseases, have convincingly demonstrated the relatively small social and economic effectiveness of disease prevention (prevention of III level) in improving the health of both children and adults.

It is obvious that the most effective should be primary and secondary prevention, which involves working with healthy or just starting to get sick people. However, in medicine, almost all efforts are focused on tertiary prevention. Primary prevention involves close cooperation between the doctor and the population. However, the healthcare system itself does not provide him with the necessary time for this, so the doctor does not meet with the population on prevention issues, and all contact with the patient is spent almost entirely on examination, examination and treatment. As for the hygienists who are closest to realizing the ideas of primary prevention, they are mainly concerned with the provision of a healthy environment, not human health.

The ideology of an individual approach to the issues of prevention and health promotion underlies the medical concept of universal medical examination. However, the technology for its implementation in practice turned out to be untenable for the following reasons:

    a lot of funds are required to identify the largest possible number of diseases and their subsequent integration into dispensary observation groups;

    the dominant orientation is not on the prognosis (prediction of the future), but on the diagnosis (statement of the present);

    leading activity belongs not to the population, but to physicians;

    a narrowly medical approach to recovery without taking into account the diversity of the socio-psychological characteristics of the individual.

The valeological analysis of the causes of health requires a shift in the focus of attention from medical aspects to physiology, psychology, sociology, cultural studies, to the spiritual sphere, as well as specific modes and technologies of education, upbringing and physical training.

The dependence of human health on genetic and environmental factors makes it necessary to determine the place of the family, schools, state, sports organizations and health authorities in the implementation of one of the main tasks of social policy - the formation of a healthy lifestyle.

Conditions and lifestyle

Thus, it becomes clear that the diseases of modern man are caused, first of all, by his way of life and everyday behavior. Currently, a healthy lifestyle is considered as the basis for disease prevention. This is confirmed, for example, by the fact that in the United States an 80% decrease in infant mortality and a 94% decrease in the mortality of the entire population, an increase in the expected medium duration 85% of life is associated not with the success of medicine, but with the improvement of living and working conditions and the rationalization of the lifestyle of the population. At the same time, in our country, 78% of men and 52% of women lead an unhealthy lifestyle.

In defining the concept of a healthy lifestyle, it is necessary to take into account two main factors - the genetic nature of a given person and its compliance with specific living conditions.

A healthy lifestyle is a way of life that corresponds to the genetically determined typological characteristics of a given person, specific living conditions and is aimed at the formation, preservation and strengthening of health and the full performance by a person of his socio-biological functions.

In the above definition of a healthy lifestyle, the emphasis is on the individualization of the concept itself, that is, there should be as many healthy lifestyles as there are people. In determining a healthy lifestyle for each person, it is necessary to take into account both his typological features (type of higher nervous activity, morphofunctional type, the predominant mechanism of autonomic regulation, etc.), and age and gender and the social environment in which he lives (family position, profession, traditions, working conditions, material support, life, etc.). important place in the initial assumptions should be occupied by the personal motivational characteristics of a given person, his life guidelines, which in themselves can be a serious incentive to a healthy lifestyle and to the formation of its content and characteristics.

The formation of a healthy lifestyle is based on a number of key provisions:

An active carrier of a healthy lifestyle is a specific person as a subject and object of his life and social status.

In the implementation of a healthy lifestyle, a person acts in the unity of his biological and social principles.

The formation of a healthy lifestyle is based on a person's personal motivational attitude to the embodiment of their social, physical, intellectual and mental capabilities and abilities.

A healthy lifestyle is the most effective means and method of ensuring health, primary prevention of disease and meeting the vital need for health.

Quite often, unfortunately, the possibility of maintaining and strengthening health through the use of some remedy with miraculous properties (motor activity of one kind or another, nutritional supplements, psycho-training, body cleansing, etc.) is considered and proposed. Obviously, the desire to achieve health at the expense of any one means is fundamentally wrong, since any of the proposed "panacea" is not able to cover the entire variety of functional systems that form the human body, and the relationship of man himself with nature - all that ultimately determines the harmony of his life and health.

According to E. N. Weiner, the structure of a healthy lifestyle should include the following factors: optimal motor mode, rational nutrition, rational mode of life, psychophysiological regulation, psychosexual and sexual culture, immunity training and hardening, lack of bad habits and valeological education.

The new paradigm of health is clearly and constructively defined by Academician N. M. Amosov: “To become healthy, one needs one's own efforts, constant and significant. Nothing can replace them."

A healthy lifestyle as a system consists of three main interrelated and interchangeable elements, three cultures: a culture of food, a culture of movement and a culture of emotions.

Food culture. In a healthy lifestyle, nutrition is decisive, system-forming, as it has a positive effect on motor activity and emotional stability. With proper nutrition, food best matches the natural technologies for the absorption of nutrients developed during evolution.

Movement culture. Aerobic physical exercises (walking, jogging, swimming, skiing, gardening, etc.) in natural conditions have a healing effect. They include sun and air baths, cleansing and hardening water procedures.

The culture of emotions. Negative emotions (envy, anger, fear, etc.) have tremendous destructive power, positive emotions (laughter, joy, gratitude, etc.) preserve health and contribute to success.

The formation of a healthy lifestyle is an extremely long process and can last a lifetime. Feedback from the changes that occur in the body as a result of following a healthy lifestyle does not work immediately, the positive effect of switching to a rational lifestyle is sometimes delayed for years. Therefore, unfortunately, quite often people only “try” the transition itself, but, having not received a quick result, they return to their previous way of life. There is nothing surprising. Since a healthy lifestyle involves the rejection of many pleasant living conditions that have become habitual (overeating, comfort, alcohol, etc.) and, conversely, constant and regular heavy loads for a person who is not adapted to them and strict regulation of lifestyle. In the first period of the transition to a healthy lifestyle, it is especially important to support a person in his desire, provide the necessary consultations, point out positive changes in his state of health, in functional indicators, etc.

At present, there is a paradox: with an absolutely positive attitude towards the factors of a healthy lifestyle, especially in relation to nutrition and motor mode, in reality only 10% -15% of the respondents use them. This is not due to the lack of valeological literacy, but due to the low activity of the individual, behavioral passivity.

Thus, a healthy lifestyle should be purposefully and constantly formed during a person's life, and not depend on circumstances and life situations.

The effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle for a given person can be determined by a number of biosocial criteria, including:

    assessment of morphological and functional indicators of health: the level of physical development, the level of physical fitness, the level of human adaptive capabilities;

    assessment of the state of immunity: the number of colds and infectious diseases during a certain period;

    assessment of adaptation to the socio-economic conditions of life (taking into account the effectiveness of professional activity, successful activity and its "physiological value" and psycho-physiological characteristics); activity in the performance of family and household duties; breadth and manifestations of social and personal interests;

    assessment of the level of valeological literacy, including the degree of formation of an attitude towards a healthy lifestyle (psychological aspect); level of valeological knowledge (pedagogical aspect); the level of assimilation of practical knowledge and skills related to the maintenance and promotion of health (medical-physiological and psychological-pedagogical aspects); ability to build individual program health and healthy lifestyle.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has succinctly defined health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of infirmity or disease. Numerous definitions of this concept boil down to the fact that health is the natural state of the body, which allows a person to fully realize his abilities, without limitation to carry out labor activity while maintaining the maximum duration. active life. This approach takes into account the extent to which the environment around a person contributes to the preservation of health, the prevention of diseases, provides normal working and living conditions, and comprehensive harmonious development.

In this regard, human health is most often called an evaluation criterion, an indicator of the quality of life. Health and disease are not simply a reflection of the state of the human environment. Man, on the one hand, has a certain biological constitution, acquired as a result of evolutionary development, and is subject to the influence of natural factors. On the other hand, it is formed under the influence of socio-economic factors that are constantly being improved.

The transformation of the environment affects the socio-hygienic and psycho-physiological conditions of work, life and recreation of a person, which in turn determine the mechanisms of reproduction, morbidity, the level of development intellectual abilities of people. Thus, the health of the population within the biological norm is a function of both economic, social and environmental conditions.

According to modern concepts, human health is 50 determined by a healthy lifestyle, 20 - by heredity, 10 - by the state of healthcare in the country.

Human health is also largely determined by its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Adaptation is understood as the process of active adaptation of a person to the environment, aimed at ensuring, maintaining and continuing normal life in a given environment. The ability to adapt during life to environmental conditions in humans is hereditary. Adaptation can be carried out due to biological and outside biological mechanisms and end with a state of complete adaptation to environmental conditions, that is, a state of health, otherwise - a disease.

Biological mechanisms include changes in morphological, physiological, and behavioral reactions of a person. In those cases where biological mechanisms for adaptation are not enough, there is a need for mechanisms that are extrabiological in nature. Then a person adapts to new environmental conditions, either by isolating himself from them with the help of clothing, technical facilities, appropriate nutrition, or by transforming the environment in such a way that its conditions become favorable for him.

And, finally, in the presence of a good social environment and rich biological properties, the state of human health may be dependent on another factor - on the natural and climatic conditions of the habitat. A healthy person can lose his physical, mental and social well-being even if the region of his permanent residence is in the zone of ecological disaster. The most serious consequence of pollution of the biosphere lies in the genetic consequences.

To strengthen and maintain the health of healthy people, that is, to manage it, information is needed both about the conditions for the formation of health (the nature of the implementation of the gene pool, the state of the environment, lifestyle, etc.), and the final result of the processes of their reflection (specific indicators of the health status of the individual or population).

Human health should be considered as a whole, as the health of a single organism, which depends on the health of all its parts. In order to live a long, full and capable life, of course, one must be born from healthy parents, receive from them, as part of the gene pool, a high resistance of inherited immunity to various harmful environmental factors and a good organization of vital morphofunctional structures. Hereditarily acquired biological properties of an organism are an important, but not the only link that determines human health and well-being.

As evidenced by experimental and epidemiological studies, environmental factors, even at a low level of exposure, can cause significant health problems for people. Environmental pollution, despite the relatively low concentrations of substances, due to the long duration of exposure (almost throughout a person's life) can lead to serious health problems, especially for such fragile groups as children, the elderly, patients with chronic diseases, pregnant women.

The result is mutations that lead to the occurrence of hereditary diseases or to the appearance of a hereditary predisposition to them.

In the inherited prerequisites for health, factors such as the type of morphofunctional constitution and the characteristics of nervous and mental processes, the degree of predisposition to certain diseases are especially important.

Life dominants and attitudes of a person are largely determined by the constitution of a person. Such genetically predetermined features include the dominant needs of a person, his abilities, interests, desires, predisposition to alcoholism and other bad habits. Despite the importance of environmental and upbringing influences, the role of hereditary factors is decisive. This fully applies to various diseases.

This makes it understandable the need to take into account the hereditary characteristics of a person in determining the optimal lifestyle for him, the choice of profession, partners in social contacts, treatment, and the most appropriate type of exercise.

Often, society makes demands on a person that conflict with the conditions necessary for the implementation of programs embedded in the genes. As a result, many contradictions between heredity and the environment, between various systems of the body, which determine its adaptation as an integral system, constantly arise and overcome in human ontogenesis.

In particular, this is extremely important in choosing a profession, which is quite important for our country, since, for example, only about 3% of people employed in the national economy of the Russian Federation are satisfied with their chosen profession - apparently, this is not the least important. discrepancy between the inherited typology and the nature of the professional activity performed.

Heredity and environment act as etiological factors and play a role in the pathogenesis of any human disease, however, the share of their participation in each disease is different, and the greater the share of one factor, the less the contribution of another. All forms of pathology from this point of view can be divided into four groups, between which there are no sharp boundaries.

The first group consists of actually hereditary diseases, in which the pathological gene plays an etiological role, the role of the environment is to modify only the manifestations of the disease. This group includes monogenic diseases (such as, for example, phenylketonuria, hemophilia), as well as chromosomal diseases. These diseases are transmitted from generation to generation through germ cells.

The second group is also hereditary diseases, caused by a pathological mutation, but their manifestation requires a specific effect of the environment. In some cases, the “manifesting” effect of the environment is very obvious, and with the disappearance of the effect of the environmental factor, clinical manifestations become less pronounced. These are the manifestations of HbS hemoglobin deficiency in its heterozygous carriers at a reduced partial pressure of oxygen. In other cases (for example, with gout), a long-term adverse effect of the environment is necessary for the manifestation of a pathological gene.

The third group is the vast majority of common diseases, especially diseases of mature and old age (hypertension, gastric ulcer, most malignant tumors and others). The main etiological factor in their occurrence is the adverse effect of the environment, however, the implementation of the effect of the factor depends on the individual genetically determined predisposition of the organism, and therefore these diseases are called multifactorial, or diseases with a hereditary predisposition.

It should be noted that different diseases with a hereditary predisposition are not the same in the relative role of heredity and environment. Among them, one could single out diseases with a weak, moderate and high degree of hereditary predisposition.

The fourth group of diseases is a relatively few forms of pathology, in the occurrence of which the environmental factor plays an exceptional role. Usually this is an extreme environmental factor, in relation to which the body has no means of protection (injuries, especially dangerous infections). Genetic factors in this case play a role in the course of the disease and influence its outcome.

Statistics show that in the structure of hereditary pathology, a predominant place belongs to diseases associated with the lifestyle and health of future parents and mothers during pregnancy.

Thus, there is no doubt about the significant role that hereditary factors play in ensuring human health. At the same time, in the vast majority of cases, taking these factors into account through the rationalization of a person's lifestyle can make his life healthy and long-lasting. And, on the contrary, the underestimation of the typological characteristics of a person leads to vulnerability and defenselessness before the action of adverse conditions and circumstances of life.

Lifestyle is the leading generalized factor that determines the main trends in changes in health, is considered as a type of active human activity.

The structure of the lifestyle with its medical and social characteristics includes:

  • labor activity and working conditions;
  • household activities (type of dwelling, living space, living conditions, time spent on household activities, etc.);
  • Recreational activities aimed at restoring physical strength and interaction with the environment;
  • socializing activities in the family (care for children, elderly relatives);
  • family planning and family relationships;
  • formation of behavioral characteristics and socio-psychological status;
  • medical and social activity (attitude towards health, medicine, attitude towards a healthy lifestyle).

Such concepts as the standard of living (the structure of income per person), quality of life (measured parameters characterizing the degree of material security of a person), lifestyle (psychological individual characteristics of behavior), way of life (national-social order of life, way of life, culture).

Medical activity is understood as the activity of people in the field of protection, improvement of individual and public health in certain socio-economic conditions.

Medical (medical and social) activity includes: the presence of hygiene skills, the implementation of medical recommendations, participation in the improvement of lifestyle and the environment, the ability to provide first aid to oneself and relatives, use folk, traditional medicine, and more.

Increasing the level of medical activity and literacy of the population is the most important task of the local general practitioner and pediatrician (especially the family doctor).

An important component of medical and social activity is the orientation towards a healthy lifestyle (HLS). A healthy lifestyle is a hygienic behavior based on scientifically based sanitary and hygienic standards aimed at strengthening and maintaining health, activating the body's defenses, ensuring a high level of working capacity, and achieving active longevity.

Thus, healthy lifestyle can be considered as the basis for disease prevention. The formation of a healthy lifestyle is the creation of a system for overcoming risk factors in the form of active life of people, aimed at maintaining and strengthening health.

A healthy lifestyle is an important health factor and includes the following components:

  • Conscious creation of working conditions conducive to maintaining health and increasing efficiency;
  • active participation in cultural events, physical education and sports, rejection of passive forms of recreation, training of mental abilities, auto-training, rejection of bad habits (alcohol, smoking), rational, balanced diet, observance of the rules of personal hygiene, the creation normal conditions in family;
  • formation of interpersonal relations in labor collectives, families, attitudes towards the sick and disabled;
  • respect for the environment, nature, a high culture of behavior at work, in public places and transport;
  • Conscious participation in preventive measures conducted by medical institutions, the implementation of medical prescriptions, the ability to provide first aid, reading popular medical literature, etc.

healthy image life also expresses a certain orientation of the activity of the individual in the direction of strengthening and developing personal and public health. Thus, a healthy lifestyle is associated with the personal-motivational embodiment by individuals of their social, psychological, physical capabilities and abilities. This explains the great importance of the formation of a healthy lifestyle in creating optimal conditions for the functioning of the individual and society.

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Introduction

A person throughout his life is under the constant influence of a number of environmental factors - from environmental to social. In addition to individual biological features all of them directly affect its vital activity, health and, ultimately, life expectancy. The data show that greatest influence lifestyle affects health. Almost half of all cases of diseases depend on it. The second place in terms of impact on health is occupied by the state of the human environment (at least one third of diseases are determined by adverse environmental influences). Heredity causes about 20% of diseases.

A healthy organism constantly ensures the optimal functioning of all its systems in response to any changes in the environment. Preservation of the optimal life activity of a person when interacting with the environment is determined by the fact that for his body there is a certain physiological limit of endurance in relation to any environmental factor, and beyond the limit this factor will inevitably have a depressing effect on human health. For example, as tests have shown, in urban conditions, factors affecting health are divided into five main groups: living environment, production factors, social, biological and individual lifestyle.

It is of great concern that at present the Russian Federation, in terms of mortality and average life expectancy, steadily ranks among last places among industrialized countries.

1. Smoking

Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of preparations, mainly of plant origin, smoldering in the flow of inhaled air, in order to saturate the body with the substances contained in them. active substances by their sublimation and subsequent absorption in the lungs and respiratory tract. As a rule, it is used for the use of smoking mixtures that have narcotic properties due to the rapid flow of blood saturated with psychoactive substances into the brain.

Studies have proven the harm of smoking. Tobacco smoke contains more than 30 toxic substances: Nicotine, Carbon dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Hydrocyanic acid, Ammonia, Resins, Organic acids and others.

Statistics say: compared to non-smokers, long-term smokers are 13 times more likely to develop angina pectoris, 12 times more likely to have myocardial infarction, and 10 times more likely to get stomach ulcers. Smokers make up 96 - 100 % of all lung cancer patients. Every seventh for a long time a smoker suffers from obliterating endarteritis - a serious disease of the blood vessels.

Nicotine is a nerve poison. In experiments on animals and observations on humans, it has been established that nicotine in small doses excites nerve cells, contributes to increased respiration and heart rate, heart rhythm disturbance, nausea and vomiting. In large doses, it inhibits and then paralyzes the activity of cells CNS, including vegetative. A disorder of the nervous system is manifested by a decrease in working capacity, trembling of the hands, and a weakening of memory.

Nicotine also affects the endocrine glands, in particular the adrenal glands, which at the same time release the hormone Adrenaline into the blood, which causes vasospasm, increased blood pressure and increased heart rate. Adversely affecting the sex glands, nicotine contributes to the development of sexual weakness in men - impotence.

Smoking is especially harmful to children and teenagers. Not yet strong nervous and circulatory system sensitive to tobacco.

In addition to nicotine negative impact other constituents of tobacco smoke. When carbon monoxide enters the body, oxygen starvation develops, due to the fact that carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin more easily than oxygen and is delivered with blood to all human tissues and organs. Cancer people who smoke occurs 20 times more often than non-smokers. How longer man smokes, the more likely he is to die from this serious disease. Statistical studies have shown that smokers often have cancerous tumors in other organs - the esophagus, stomach, larynx, kidneys. Smokers often get cancer lower lip due to the carcinogenic effect of the extract accumulating in the mouthpiece of the tube.

Very often, smoking leads to the development of chronic bronchitis, accompanied by persistent cough and bad smell from mouth. As a result of chronic inflammation, the bronchi expand, bronchiectasis is formed with severe consequences - pneumosclerosis, leading to circulatory failure. Often smokers experience pain in the heart. This is due to a spasm of the coronary vessels that feed the heart muscle with the development of angina pectoris (coronary heart failure). Myocardial infarction in smokers occurs 3 times more often than in non-smokers.

Smokers endanger not only themselves, but also those around them. In medicine, even the term "passive smoking" has appeared. In the body of non-smokers after staying in a smoky and unventilated room, a significant concentration of nicotine is determined.

For countries and territories of the world that provide relevant information to WHO, adult tobacco smoking prevalence ranges from 4% in Libya to 54% in Nauru. The top ten countries in which tobacco smoking is most widespread include, in addition to Nauru, Guinea, Namibia, and Kenya. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mongolia, Yemen, Sao Tome and Principe, Turkey, Romania. Russia in this series of 153 countries ranks 33rd (37% of smokers among the adult population). However, despite the fact that, for example, the United States in this series is in 98th place (24%), cigarette consumption here on average per capita is higher than in many countries of the world with a higher prevalence of smoking among the adult population. If in the United States an average of about 6 cigarettes per capita is consumed daily (that is, including children and all non-smokers), then in Russia it is less than 5. And the highest level of per capita consumption of cigarettes in Greece is almost 12 pieces per day per person.

2. Alcoholism

The thief of reason - this is how alcohol has been called since ancient times. People learned about the intoxicating properties of alcoholic beverages at least 8000 years before our era - with the advent of ceramic dishes, which made it possible to make alcoholic beverages from honey, fruit juices and wild grapes. Perhaps winemaking arose even before the beginning of cultivated agriculture. So, the famous traveler N.N. Miklukho-Maclay observed the Papuans of New Guinea, who still did not know how to make fire, but who already knew how to prepare intoxicating drinks. Pure alcohol began to be obtained in the 6th-7th centuries by the Arabs and they called it "al cogl", which means "intoxicating". The first bottle of vodka was made by the Arab Ragez in 860. The distillation of wine to obtain alcohol sharply aggravated drunkenness. It is possible that this was the reason for the ban on the use of alcoholic beverages by the founder of Islam (the Muslim religion) Muhammad (Mohammed, 570-632). This prohibition was subsequently included in the code of Muslim laws - the Koran (7th century). Since then, for 12 centuries, alcohol was not consumed in Muslim countries, and the apostates of this law (drunkards) were severely punished.

But even in Asian countries, where the consumption of wine was forbidden by religion (the Koran), the cult of wine still flourished and was sung in verse.

In the Middle Ages in Western Europe, they also learned how to obtain strong alcoholic beverages by sublimation of wine and other fermenting sugary liquids. According to legend, this operation was first performed by the Italian monk alchemist Valentius. After trying the newly obtained product and coming into a state of extreme intoxication. The alchemist declared that he had discovered a miraculous elixir that makes an old man young, tired, cheerful, yearning cheerful.

Since then, strong alcoholic beverages have quickly spread throughout the world, primarily due to the constantly growing industrial production of alcohol from cheap raw materials (potatoes, sugar production waste, etc.).

The spread of drunkenness in Russia is connected with the policy of the ruling classes. An opinion was even created that drunkenness is supposedly an ancient tradition of the Russian people. At the same time, they referred to the words of the chronicle: "Fun in Russia is to drink." But this is a slander against the Russian nation. Russian historian and ethnographer, expert on the customs and mores of the people, Professor N.I. Kostomarov (1817-1885) completely refuted this opinion. He proved that in ancient Russia they drank very little. Only on selected holidays they brewed mead, mash or beer, the strength of which did not exceed 5-10 degrees. The cup was passed around in circles, and everyone drank a few sips from it. On weekdays, no alcoholic drinks were allowed, and drunkenness was considered the greatest shame and sin.

The problem of alcohol consumption is very relevant today. Now the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the world is characterized by huge numbers. The whole society suffers from this, but first of all, the younger generation is at risk: children, adolescents, youth, as well as the health of expectant mothers. After all, alcohol has a particularly active effect on the unformed body, gradually destroying it.

The harm of alcohol is obvious. It has been proven that when alcohol enters the body, it spreads through the blood to all organs and adversely affects them up to destruction.

With the systematic use of alcohol develops dangerous disease- alcoholism. Alcoholism is dangerous to human health, but it is curable, like many other diseases.

But the main problem is that most of the alcoholic products produced by non-state enterprises contain a large amount of toxic substances. Poor quality products often lead to poisoning and even death.

All this causes great damage to society, its cultural values.

The reasons for the first initiation to alcohol are varied. But their characteristic changes depending on age are traced.

Until the age of 11, the first acquaintance with alcohol occurs either by accident, or it is given “for appetite”, “treated” with wine, or the child himself tastes alcohol out of curiosity (a motive mainly inherent in boys). At an older age, traditional occasions become the motives for the first use of alcohol: “holiday”, “family celebration”, “guests”, etc. From the age of 14-15, such reasons appear as “it was inconvenient to be left behind the guys”, “friends persuaded”, “for the company”, “for courage”, etc. Boys are characterized by all these groups of motives for the first acquaintance with alcohol. For girls, the second, "traditional" group of motives is mainly typical. Usually it happens, so to speak, an “innocent” glass in honor of a birthday or other celebration.

The second group of alcohol consumption motives, which form drunkenness as a type of behavior of offenders, deserves special attention. Among these motives is the desire to get rid of boredom. In psychology, boredom is a special mental state of a person associated with emotional hunger. Adolescents in this category have significantly weakened or lost interest in cognitive activity. Adolescents who drink alcohol almost do not engage in social activities. Significant shifts are observed in the sphere of leisure. Finally, some teenagers consume alcohol to relieve themselves of stress, to free themselves from unpleasant experiences. tense, anxiety state may arise in connection with their certain position in the family, the school team.

But not only teenagers drink alcohol regularly, and despite the widespread development of anti-alcohol propaganda, many adults are not even aware of the extent of the harm caused by alcohol to the body.

The fact is that in everyday life there are many myths about the benefits of alcoholic beverages. It is believed, for example, that alcohol has a therapeutic effect, not only for colds, but also for a number of other diseases, including the gastrointestinal tract, such as stomach ulcers. Doctors, on the contrary, believe that a peptic ulcer patient should absolutely not take alcohol. Where is the truth? After all not large doses alcohol de really whet the appetite.

Or another belief that exists among people: alcohol excites, invigorates, improves mood, well-being, makes the conversation more lively and interesting, which is important for the company of young people. It is not for nothing that alcohol is taken “against fatigue”, with ailments, and at almost all festivities. Moreover, there is an opinion that alcohol is a high-calorie product that quickly provides energy needs organism, which is important, for example, in a hike, etc. And in beer and dry grape wines, in addition, there is a whole set of vitamins and aromatic substances. AT medical practice they use the bacteriostatic properties of alcohol, using it for disinfection (for injections, etc.), for the preparation of medicines, but by no means for the treatment of diseases.

So, alcohol is taken to cheer up, to warm the body, to prevent and treat diseases, in particular as disinfectant, as well as a means of increasing appetite and an energetically valuable product. Is it really as useful as it is commonly believed?

One of the Pirogov congresses of Russian doctors adopted a resolution on the dangers of alcohol: “ there is not a single organ in the human body that has not been subjected to the destructive action of alcohol; alcohol does not have one such action that could not be achieved by another remedy, acting healthier, safer and more reliable. Not such a morbid condition in which it is necessary to prescribe alcohol for any length of time. So the reasoning about the benefits of alcohol is still just a common misconception.

Alcohol from the stomach enters the bloodstream two minutes after drinking. The blood carries it to all cells of the body. Cells suffer first hemispheres brain. The conditioned reflex activity of a person worsens, the formation of complex movements slows down, the ratio of the processes of excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system changes. Under the influence of alcohol, voluntary movements are disturbed, a person loses there is the ability to manage oneself.

The penetration of alcohol to the cells of the frontal lobe of the cortex liberates the emotions of a person, unjustified joy, stupid laughter, lightness in judgments appear. Following the increasing excitation in the cerebral cortex, there is a sharp weakening of the processes of inhibition. The cortex ceases to control the work of the lower parts of the brain. A person loses restraint, modesty, he says and does what he never said and would not do when sober. Each new portion of alcohol paralyzes the higher nerve centers more and more, as if connecting them and not allowing them to interfere with the activity of the lower parts of the brain: coordination of movements is disturbed, for example, eye movement (objects begin to double), an awkward staggering gait appears.

Violation of the nervous system and internal organs is observed with any use of alcohol: one-time, episodic and systematic.

It is known that disorders of the nervous system are directly related to the concentration of alcohol in human blood. When the amount of alcohol is 0.04-0.05 percent, the cerebral cortex turns off, the person loses control over himself, loses the ability to reason rationally. At a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1 percent, the deeper parts of the brain that control movement are inhibited. Human movements become uncertain and are accompanied by causeless joy, revival, fussiness. However, in 15 percent of people, alcohol can cause despondency, a desire to fall asleep. As the alcohol content in the blood increases, a person's ability to hear and see is weakened, and the speed of motor reactions is blunted. An alcohol concentration of 0.2 percent affects areas of the brain that control a person's emotional behavior. At the same time, base instincts are awakened, sudden aggressiveness appears. With a blood alcohol concentration of 0.3 percent, a person, although he is conscious, does not understand what he sees and hears. This state is called alcoholic stupefaction.

Systematic, excessive alcohol consumption can cause zheloe disease - alcoholism.

Alcoholism - regular, compulsive consumption a large number alcohol during long period time. Let's take a look at what alcohol can do to our bodies.

Blood. Alcohol inhibits the production of platelets, as well as white and red blood cells. Outcome: anemia, infections, bleeding.

Brain. Alcohol slows down the circulation of blood in the vessels of the brain, leading to a constant oxygen starvation its cells, resulting in weakening of memory and slow mental degradation. Early sclerotic changes develop in the vessels, and the risk of cerebral hemorrhage increases.

Heart. Alcohol abuse causes an increase in the level of cholesterol in the blood, persistent hypertension and myocardial dystrophy. Cardiovascular insufficiency puts the patient on the edge of the grave. Alcoholic myopathy: muscle degeneration as a result of alcoholism. The reasons for this are not using the muscles, bad diet and alcoholic damage to the nervous system. In alcoholic cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle is affected.

Intestines. Constant exposure to alcohol on the wall small intestine leads to a change in the structure of cells, and they lose the ability to fully absorb nutrients and mineral components, which ends with the depletion of the body of an alcoholic. Constant inflammation of the stomach and later the intestines causes ulcers of the digestive organs.

Liver. This organ suffers from alcohol the most: an inflammatory process (hepatitis) occurs, and then cicatricial degeneration (cirrhosis). The liver ceases to perform its function of decontaminating toxic metabolic products, producing blood proteins and other important functions, which leads to the inevitable death of the patient. Cirrhosis is an insidious disease: it slowly creeps up on a person, and then beats, and immediately to death. The cause of the disease is the toxic effects of alcohol.

Pancreas. Alcoholic patients are 10 times more likely to develop diabetes than non-drinkers: alcohol destroys the pancreas, an organ that produces insulin, and profoundly perverts metabolism.

Leather. A drunk person almost always looks older than his years: his skin very soon loses its elasticity and ages prematurely.

3. Addiction

Any drug is chemical compound which affects the functioning of the body. Drug addiction (this word was formed from the Greek. narkз numbness, sleep + mania madness, passion, attraction) - chronic diseases caused by drug or non-drug drug abuse. This is dependence on intoxicating substances, a state of mental and physical addiction from an intoxicating substance acting on the central nervous system, changing tolerance to the narcotic drug with a tendency to increase doses and develop physical dependence.

It may seem that drugs appeared not so long ago, which is associated with the development of chemistry, medicine and other sciences, as well as with rapid scientific and technological progress. However, it is not. Drugs have been known to people for thousands of years. They were consumed by people of different cultures and for different purposes: during religious rites, to restore strength, to change consciousness, to relieve pain and discomfort. Already in the pre-literate period, we have evidence that people knew and used psychoactive chemicals: alcohol and plants, the consumption of which affects consciousness. Archaeological studies have shown that already in 6400 BC. people knew beer and some other alcoholic drinks. Obviously, fermentation processes were discovered by chance (grape wine, by the way, appeared only in the 4th-3rd centuries BC). The first written evidence of the use of intoxicants is the story of Noah's drunkenness from the Book of Genesis. Various plants were also used, causing physiological and mental changes, usually in religious rites or during medical procedures.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, there were practically no restrictions on the production and consumption of drugs. Attempts have sometimes been made to reduce or even ban the use of certain substances, but these have been short-lived and generally unsuccessful. For example, tobacco, coffee and tea were initially met with hostility by Europe. The first European who smoked tobacco - Columbus' companion Rodrigo de Jerez - was imprisoned upon arrival in Spain, as the authorities decided that the devil had possessed him. There have been several attempts to outlaw coffee and tea. There are also cases when the state did not prohibit drugs, but, on the contrary, contributed to the prosperity of their trade. The best example is the armed conflicts between Great Britain and China in the middle of the 19th century. They are called the Opium Wars because English merchants brought opium into China. By the middle of the 19th century, several million Chinese were addicted to opium. At this time, China certainly came out on top in the world in the consumption of opium, most of which was grown in India and smuggled into the country by the British. The Chinese government passed many laws to control the import of opium, but none of them had the desired effect.

It doesn't take long for people to become drug addicts. Much depends on the individual characteristics of the person taking the drugs. In some cases, addiction to herbal and chemical preparations occurs, almost the first time, while in others it takes weeks, months and even years. There are a variety of judgments about the typology of the personality of drug users, each of which has the right to independent existence. Below are the conclusions of one of the theories of the identity of drug users, the founders of which are E.A. Babayan and A.N. Sergeev. The category of people under consideration includes five conditional groups, including:

1. Experimenters. The largest population of all five groups. It includes people who did not return to this harmful occupation after the first acquaintance with drugs.

2. Occasional consumers. These include mainly those who resort to drugs due to circumstances. Suppose, in a dubious company, a young man, fearing to be branded as “ white crow”, boldly rolls up his shirt sleeve to inject heroin. Outside of these or other circumstances, these people do not have a desire to take drugs.

3. Systematic consumers. They take drugs according to a certain pattern. For example, on your birthday, on the occasion of achieving a significant result in your work, once a quarter, etc. It is naively believed that this self-deception will remain without any negative consequences for the psyche and physiology.

4. Regular customers. Consistently formed from the first three groups. Often, they are psychologically addicted to drugs and because of this they are forced to take drugs not only on the occasion of a “significant event”, but because of the formation of a habit.

5. Patients with drug addiction. The last group is a natural result of taking drugs without a doctor's prescription. Individuals included in it are often dependent on drugs not only mentally, but also physically. According to some estimates, up to 0.5 million people can be classified as drug addicts in Russia.

The first four groups are so-called behavioral and require primarily educational measures, but the fifth group really needs not only qualified treatment, but also social rehabilitation.

As can be seen from the outpatient charts of underage drug users, 11.4% of children have experience of using intoxicating substances for less than 1 year, 46.7% from 1 to 2 years, and from 3 to 5 years - 36.3%, over 5 years - within 1% of adolescents. The average duration of non-medical drug use is 2.3 years. Five years ago, this indicator did not exceed 0.6-1.5 years, and ten years ago it was measured in days, or even hours. The weighted average time interval between the start of drug use and registration at a drug treatment clinic is 1.2 years (previously - 0.3-0.5 years).

The change in the way drugs are taken is that intravenous drug use is becoming more widespread among children. This trend has particularly affected neglected youth.

For the sake of clarity, let's consider two groups of drug users - school students who are not under the supervision of a narcologist, but who have experience in non-medical administration of drugs, and already established patients of a narcological dispensary.

From the table below, one can trace the qualitative difference between both groups of drug users.

It lies in the commitment of schoolchildren to smoking cannabis derivatives, while neglected teenagers who have become the objects of attention of narcologists use a syringe, inhale toxic substances and cocaine much more often (by 15.5 and 5.2 times, respectively).

Table 1. Modes of drug use among adolescents

The above information shows that the regularity of the gradual and inevitable transition of minors from the use of so-called "soft" drugs to "hard" or "hard" drugs acquires characteristics accelerated in time.

When we talk about drug addiction and the study of the pathogenesis of these diseases, we must clearly understand that this disease is very complex.

The influence of drugs can be divided into three groups:

The first group - influence on certain structures of the brain, causing the development of addiction syndrome;

The second is that drugs have a lot of toxic effects on almost all organs and systems: the heart, liver, stomach, brain, etc.

And, finally, the third group, which we consider very important, is the effect on offspring. It has now been proven that children born to parents with drug addiction have an increased biological risk of developing drug addiction and most of them show all kinds of behavioral changes: aggressiveness, hyperexcitability, psychopathy, depression. In addition, drug use leads to the birth of a child with an addiction syndrome.

More and more evidence is accumulating that parental drug abuse has some effect on offspring, even for more than one generation. This is a very important question. For example, “fetal drug syndrome” is a disease that occurs when a mother during pregnancy uses drugs that act directly on the fetus. This organic pathology brain can be expressed to varying degrees: certain characteristic changes in the skull, dementia, etc. In addition, these children have widespread functional changes in the nervous system (hyperexcitability, emotional instability to depressive reactions, etc.). In Lvov, a survey was conducted of children born to drug-addicted fathers and mothers. These children were divided into two age groups: one included children under 25 years old, the other - over 25 years old.

Children of the 1st group, born to fathers of drug addicts, found neurotic reactions (33%), attention deficit (19%), bedwetting (9%), mental retardation (10%), somatic pathology (38%). Only 25% were healthy. There were 75% of children with some or other deviations (Table 2).

Table 2. Frequency of mental and somatic disorders in children born to parents who are drug addicts, %

Note: one child could have a combination of several signs, so their totality exceeds 100%.

The results of the examination of the children of the second group are shown in Table 2.

Table 3. Frequency of psychopathology in adult children born to parents with drug addiction, %

adult children

Psychopathology

alcoholism

substance abuse

depression

psychopathy

suicide attempts

addiction

Note: One and the same person could have several diseases, so their sum exceeds 100%.

4. Radiation

The fact that radiation has a detrimental effect on human health is no longer a secret to anyone. When radioactive radiation passes through the human body, or when contaminated substances enter the body, the energy of waves and particles is transferred to our tissues, and from them to cells. As a result, the atoms and molecules that make up the body become excited, which leads to disruption of their activity and even death. It all depends on the dose of radiation received, the state of human health and the duration of exposure.

For ionizing radiation there are no barriers in the body, so any molecule can be exposed to radioactive effects, the consequences of which can be very diverse. The excitation of individual atoms can lead to the degeneration of some substances into others, cause biochemical changes, genetic disorders etc. Proteins or fats that are vital for normal cellular activity may be affected. Thus, radiation affects the body at the micro level, causing damage that is not immediately noticeable, but manifests itself through long years. Defeat individual groups proteins found in the cell can cause cancer, as well as genetic mutations that are passed down through several generations. The impact of low doses of radiation is very difficult to detect, because the effect of this manifests itself after decades.

Table 4

The value of the absorbed dose, rad

Degree of impact on a person

10000 rad (100 Gr.)

Lethal dose, death occurs after a few hours or days from damage to the central nervous system.

1000 - 5000 rad (10-50 Gr.)

Lethal dose, death occurs within one to two weeks from internal bleeding(thinner cell membranes), mainly in the gastrointestinal tract.

300-500 rad (3-5 Gr.)

A lethal dose, half of those irradiated die within one to two months from damage to bone marrow cells.

150-200 rad (1.5-2 Gr.)

Primary radiation sickness (sclerotic process, changes in the reproductive system, cataracts, immune diseases, cancer). The severity and symptoms depend on the dose of radiation and its type.

100 rad (1 Gy)

Brief sterilization: loss of the ability to have offspring.

Irradiation with x-ray of the stomach (local).

25 rad (0.25 Gr.)

A dose of justifiable risk in an emergency.

10 rad (0.1 Gr.)

The probability of mutation increases by 2 times.

Irradiation with x-rays of teeth.

2 rad (0.02 Gy) per year

Radiation dose received by personnel working with a source of ionizing radiation.

0.2 rad (0.002 Gy or 200 millirad) per year

The dose of radiation received by employees of industrial enterprises, objects of radiation and nuclear technologies.

0.1 rad (0.001 Gy) per year

Radiation dose received by the average Russian.

0.1-0.2 rad per year

Natural radiation background of the Earth.

84 microrad/hour

Airplane flight at an altitude of 8 km.

1 microrad

Watching one hockey game on TV.

The harm of radioactive elements and the effect of radiation on the human body is actively studied by scientists around the world. It has been proven that daily emissions from nuclear power plants contain the radionuclide "Caesium-137", which, when ingested, causes sarcoma (a type of cancer), "Strontium-90" replaces calcium in the bones and breast milk leading to leukemia (blood cancer), bone and breast cancer. And even small doses of exposure to Krypton-85 significantly increase the likelihood of developing skin cancer.

Scientists note that people living in large cities are most exposed to radiation, because in addition to the natural background radiation, building materials, food, air, and contaminated objects also affect them. Constant excess over the natural radiation background leads to early aging, weakening of vision and the immune system, excessive psychological excitability, hypertension and the development of anomalies in children.

Even the smallest doses of radiation cause irreversible genetic changes that are passed down from generation to generation, leading to the development of Down syndrome, epilepsy, and the appearance of other defects in mental and physical development. It is especially scary that both food and household items are exposed to radiation contamination. AT recent times cases of seizure of counterfeit and low-quality products, which are a powerful source of ionizing radiation, have become more frequent. Even children's toys are made radioactive! What kind of health of the nation can we talk about?!

A large amount of information was obtained from the analysis of the results of the application radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer. Many years of experience have allowed physicians to obtain extensive information about the response of human tissues to radiation. This reaction for various organs and tissues was not the same, and the differences are very large. Most organs manage to heal radiation damage to some extent and therefore tolerate a series of small doses better than the same total dose of radiation received at one time.

The red bone marrow and other elements of the hematopoietic system are most vulnerable to radiation. Fortunately, they also have a remarkable ability to regenerate, and if the radiation dose is not so high as to cause damage to all cells, the hematopoietic system can fully restore its functions. If, however, not the whole body, but some part of it, was exposed to radiation, then the surviving brain cells are enough to completely replace the damaged cells.

The reproductive organs and eyes are also highly sensitive to radiation. A single irradiation of the testes at a minimum dose leads to temporary sterility of men, and a slightly higher dose is enough to lead to permanent sterility: only after many years can the testes produce full-fledged sperm again. Apparently, the testicles are the only exception to general rule: the total dose of radiation received in several doses is more, not less dangerous for them than the same dose received at one time. The ovaries are much less sensitive to the effects of radiation, at least in adult women.

For the eye, the most vulnerable part is the lens. Dead cells become opaque, and the growth of cloudy areas leads first to cataracts, and then to complete blindness. The higher the dose, the greater the loss of vision.

Children are also extremely sensitive to the effects of radiation. Relatively small doses of irradiation of cartilage tissue can slow down or completely stop their bone growth, which leads to anomalies in the development of the skeleton. The younger the child, the more bone growth is inhibited. It also turned out that irradiating a child's brain with radiation therapy can cause changes in his character, lead to memory loss, and in very young children even to dementia and idiocy. The bones and brain of an adult are capable of withstanding much higher doses.

The fetal brain is also extremely sensitive to the effects of radiation, especially if the mother is exposed to radiation between the eighth and fifteenth weeks of pregnancy. During this period, the cerebral cortex is formed in the fetus, and there is big risk the fact that as a result of irradiation of the mother (for example, by X-rays), a mentally retarded child will be born. About 30 children exposed in utero during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered in this way. Although the individual risk is great and the consequences particularly distressing, the number of women in this stage of pregnancy at any given time is only a small fraction of the total population. This is, however, the most serious effect of all known effects of irradiation of the human fetus, although after irradiation of animal embryos during their intrauterine development, many other serious consequences have been found, including malformations, underdevelopment and death.

Most adult tissues are relatively insensitive to the action of radiation. Kidneys, liver, bladder, mature cartilaginous tissue are the organs most resistant to radiation. The lungs, an extremely complex organ, are much more vulnerable, and in the blood vessels, subtle but possibly significant changes can occur even at relatively low doses.

The study genetic consequences radiation exposure is even more difficult than in the case of cancer. First, little is known about what damage occurs in the human genetic apparatus during irradiation; secondly, the full identification of all hereditary defects occurs only over many generations; and thirdly, as in the case of cancer, these defects cannot be distinguished from those which have arisen from other causes.

Approximately 10% of all living newborns have some form of genetic defect, ranging from minor physical defects such as color blindness to severe conditions such as Down's syndrome, Huntington's chorea, and various malformations. Many of the embryos and fetuses with severe hereditary disorders do not survive to birth; according to available data, about half of all cases of spontaneous abortion are associated with abnormalities in the genetic material. But even if children with hereditary defects are born alive, they are five times less likely to survive to their first birthday than normal children.

Genetic disorders can be classified into two main types: chromosomal aberrations, which involve changes in the number or structure of chromosomes, and mutations in the genes themselves. Gene mutations further subdivided into dominant (which appear immediately in the first generation) and recessive (which can only appear if the same gene is mutated in both parents; such mutations may not appear for many generations or not be detected at all). Both types of anomalies may lead to hereditary diseases in subsequent generations, or may not appear at all.

Among more than 27,000 children whose parents received relatively high doses during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, only two probable mutations were found, and among about the same number of children whose parents received lower doses, not a single such case was noted. Among children whose parents were irradiated in the explosion atomic bomb, there was also no statistically significant increase in the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities. While some surveys suggest that exposed parents are more likely to have a child with Down syndrome, other studies do not support this.

5. The influence of chemical elements on human health

Global air pollution is accompanied by a deterioration in the health of the population. At the same time, the problem of quantifying the impact of these pollutions has not yet been finally resolved. For the most part, the negative impact is mediated through the trophic chains, since the bulk of pollution falls on the surface of the earth (solids) or is washed out of the atmosphere with the help of precipitation. Except in emergencies, changes in health status can be difficult to link to a specific xenobiotic that has entered the atmospheric air. In addition to the etiological factor, the extent of damage to people is significantly influenced by meteorological conditions that contribute to or hinder the dispersion of harmful substances.

Chronic poisonings are quite common, but they are rarely recorded. A statistically significant dependence on atmospheric air pollution has been established for bronchitis, which gradually turns into such a complex disease as bronchial asthma, pneumonia, pulmonary emphysema, as well as for acute respiratory diseases. Air pollution affects the body's resistance, which is manifested in the growth of infectious diseases. Available reliable information about the impact of pollution on the duration of diseases. Thus, a respiratory disease in children living in contaminated areas lasts 2-2.5 times longer than in children living in relatively clean areas. Numerous studies carried out in last years, indicate that children living in areas with a high level of air pollution have a low level of physical development, which is often assessed as disharmonious. The observed lag of the level of biological development from the passport age indicates a very unfavorable effect of air pollution on the health of the younger generation. To the greatest extent, atmospheric air pollution affects health indicators in urban centers, in particular in cities with developed metallurgical, processing and coal industries. The territory of such cities is affected by both non-specific pollutants (dust, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, soot, nitrogen dioxide) and specific ones (fluorine, phenol, metals, etc.). Moreover, non-specific pollutants account for over 95% of the total volume of atmospheric air pollution.

The danger of the influence of polluted atmospheric air on the health of the population is caused by the objective action of the following factors:

1) A variety of pollution. It is believed that a person living in an industrial area could potentially be exposed to several hundred thousand chemicals. Typically, a limited number of chemicals are actually present in a given area at relatively high concentrations. However, the combined action of atmospheric pollutants can lead to an increase in their toxic effects.

2) The possibility of a massive impact, since breathing is continuous and a person inhales up to 20 thousand liters of air per day. Even insignificant concentrations of chemicals with such a volume of breathing can lead to a toxically significant intake of harmful substances into the body.

3) Direct access of pollutants to the internal environment of the body. The lungs have a surface of the order of 100 m2, the air during breathing comes into almost direct contact with the blood, in which almost everything that is present in the air dissolves. From the lungs, blood enters big circle circulation, bypassing such a detoxification barrier as the liver. It has been established that the poison received by inhalation often acts 80-100 times stronger than when it enters through the gastrointestinal tract.

4) Difficulty of protection against xenobiotics. A person who refuses to eat contaminated food or poor-quality water cannot but breathe polluted air. At the same time, the pollutant acts on all groups of the population around the clock.

In all areas with high levels of atmospheric air pollution, the incidence as one of the health indicators is higher than in relatively clean areas. So, in the Dorogobuzh district of the Smolensk region, in the body of children and women who do not have professional loads, an accumulation of elements contained in the emissions of the Dorogobuzh industrial hub (chromium, nickel, titanium, copper, aluminum) was noted. As a result, the incidence of respiratory diseases in children was 1.8 times and neurological diseases 1.9 times higher than in a relatively clean area.

In Tolyatti, children living in the area affected by emissions from the Northern Industrial Hub were 2.4-8.8 times more likely to suffer from upper respiratory tract diseases and bronchial asthma than children living in a relatively clean area.

In Saransk, the population living in the area adjacent to the antibiotic production plant has a specific allergization of the body to antibiotics and candidal antigen.

In the cities of the Chelyabinsk region, where more than 80% of emissions are caused by ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, there is an increased incidence of diseases of the endocrine system, blood, respiratory organs in children and adults, as well as congenital anomalies in children and adults, complications of pregnancy and childbirth, skin diseases and malignant neoplasms.

In rural areas of the Rostov region in areas with high pesticide loads (up to 20 kg/ha), the prevalence of circulatory diseases in children increased by 113%, bronchial asthma- by 95% and congenital anomalies - by 55%.

The most important sources of chemical pollution of the environment in Russia are industrial enterprises, automobile transport, thermal and nuclear power plants. In cities, poorly disposed waste also makes a significant contribution to environmental pollution. public utilities, and in rural areas - pesticides and mineral fertilizers, polluted effluents from livestock complexes.

Atmospheric pollution primarily affects the body's resistance, the decrease of which results in increased morbidity, as well as other physiological changes in the body. Compared to other sources of chemical pollution (food, drinking water), atmospheric air is a particular danger, since there is no chemical barrier on its way, similar to the liver when pollutants penetrate through the gastrointestinal tract.

The main sources of soil pollution are leakage of chemicals, deposition of air pollutants on the soil, excessive use of chemicals in agriculture, as well as improper warehousing, storage and disposal of liquid and solid waste.

In Russia as a whole, soil pollution with pesticides is about 7.25%. The regions with the highest pollution include the soils of the North Caucasus, Primorsky Krai and the Central Black Earth regions, the regions with medium pollution - the soils of the Kurgan and Omsk regions, the Middle Volga region, the territories with low pollution - the soils of the Upper Volga region, Western Siberia, Irkutsk and Moscow regions.

Currently, almost all water bodies in Russia are subject to anthropogenic pollution. In the water of most rivers and lakes, the MAC is exceeded for at least one pollutant. According to the State Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision of Russia, drinking water in more than 30% of water bodies does not comply with GOST.

Pollution of water and soil, as well as the air environment, is serious problem in Russia, Their increasing contamination with toxic chemicals, such as heavy metals and dioxins, as well as nitrates and pesticides, has a direct impact on the quality of food, drinking water and as a direct consequence of health.

optimal cigarette nicotine

Bibliography

"Fundamentals of Radiation Safety", V.P. Mashkovich, A.M. Panchenko.

“When a person is his own enemy” G.M. Entin.

Life safety textbook, grades 10-11, V.Ya. Syunkov Publishing house "Astrel", 2002.

"Drugs and drug addiction" N.B. Serdyukov st n / a: Phoenix, 2000. - "Panacea Series" - Ro-256s.

Journal “Fundamentals of Life Safety”. No. 10, 2002, pp. 20-26.

8. Ivanets N.N. Lectures on narcology. "Knowledge", Moscow, 2000.

9. Belogurov S.B. Popular about drugs and addictions. - 2nd ed., corrected. and additional - St. Petersburg: "Nevsky Dialect", 2000.

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The six main factors that have a huge impact on human health:

  1. Food.
  2. Air.
  3. Psychology.
  4. Water environment.
  5. Physical activity.
  6. Excess weight.

Particular attention should be paid to food and water. These factors are the easiest to influence. And with this "two" it is easier to start your health journey.

The entire human body is made up of many cells. But they (cells) differ in impermanence, because today they are one, and tomorrow they are completely different. Therefore, you need to eat well so that the cells develop without pathologies.

Why is water so important? Because we are all almost eighty-five percent of it. Agree that this "percentage" is rather big? It is necessary to monitor both the quality and quantity of water. The physiological water norm is thirty milliliters of water per kilogram of weight. If a person is sick, then he drinks about one and a half liters more.

Emotions also affect human health

Now let's see how exactly:

  1. Jealousy. This emotion slows down the production of sex hormones by the human body. In very jealous women, intimate attraction disappears, and men turn into impotent ones.
  2. A pity. It can lead to liver disease. When a person feels pity, the level of sugar in the blood begins to decrease.
  3. Envy can lead to a stroke or a heart attack. The condition of the heart, accordingly, will worsen and it will be more difficult to improve it.
  4. Constant guilt is an increase in the risk of cancer. Self-flagellation is something negative.

The body needs to be supplied with vitamins. To very important vitamins include vitamins such as selenium, iodine and calcium.

Foods rich in selenium:

  1. Pistachios.
  2. Lentils.
  3. Wheat.
  4. Peas.
  5. Beans.
  6. Almond nuts.
  7. Cabbage.
  8. Corn.
  9. Octopus.

Foods rich in iodine:

  1. Bread (ordinary).
  2. Hard cheese).
  3. Peas.
  4. Shrimps (fried).
  5. Butter.
  6. Spinach.
  7. Sausages.
  8. Champignons.
  9. Bagel.
  10. Haddock.

Foods high in calcium:

  1. Garlic.
  2. Oatmeal.
  3. Cottage cheese.
  4. Sour cream.
  5. Cream.
  6. Mustard.
  7. Hazelnut.
  8. Parsley.
  9. Dill.
  10. Berries.

Weather conditions also affect human health. People are divided into "weather dependent" and "weather independent". Those who belong to the second type feel great in the cold, and in the heat, and in the slush. And the first type includes people whose health and well-being deteriorate as soon as the weather changes.

Factors that positively affect human health:

  1. Favorable atmosphere (environment). Put things in order in the apartment to create comfort. Go to visit only those people in whose company you enjoy being.
  2. Fresh air. Walk! Don't be afraid of the cold! Walking is a great way to escape from all the bad and unwanted.
  3. Healthy sleep. How much sleep do you need? Well, at least seven hours a day. Six is ​​the minimum! Accustom yourself to the fact that this is the number of hours you must spend on the "journey to dreams."
  4. Regular sexual relations. Truth! Find a loved one if you don't have one!
  5. Good food. Eat well and don't skimp on food! Less chemicals. More natural products!
  6. Relaxation. Not everything can be done, unfortunately. And you can’t earn all the finances either. Pity yourself, don't overdo it.
  7. Relaxing music. Listen to her (at least from time to time). See how your body "transforms"!
  8. Meditation. You need to be able to meditate. There is not the slightest sense in "empty" meditation.
  9. Visualization. Imagine everything that you dream about, what you desire. The more you dream, the sooner everything will “grow” into reality.
  10. Communication. It lifts the mood. Try to meet more often those people whom you are always glad to see.

Bad "nutritional" habits that have a bad effect on health:

  1. Eating too early. Wash your face with cold water, do exercises, get dressed. And then think about eating! Breakfast is not to be rushed. He won't get away from you.
  2. Eating too late. Do not eat after nine o'clock! After six, eating is also harmful, but this "harmfulness" is mainly distributed to those who are fond of diets.
  3. "Snacks" in the pauses between lunch, breakfast and dinner. Do not allow "add-ons" to food. If you do not get bored - increase the portion of the main meal. Snacking is banned!
  4. Enjoying food to improve your emotional state. Food will not save you from problems and will not solve them, dear and respected women! Everything can be decided solely by you (albeit not always without outside help).
  5. "New" food after a heavy meal. Food is redundant. You will feel it for yourself. But make it so that the stomach will suffer. You don't want this, do you? Less "superfluous" - more health!
  6. Fruit consumption, combined with the main meal. Everything is simple! Eat fruits (bananas, oranges, lemons, tangerines and other tasty “things”) separately, and not with some other food.
  7. Eating without feeling hungry. If there is no hunger, thio and a meal are a must! Prepare a meal, for example, for your loved ones. They will be very pleased that you care about them.
  8. The use of incompatible and harmful products. Be careful! Protect your body from mistakes! To restore and maintain health is more difficult than to acquire it! Now look at what products are considered "malicious":

A small list of harmful foods and drinks:

  1. Salo.
  2. Wafers.
  3. Fried potatoes.
  4. Hamburger.
  5. Cheeseburger.
  6. Yogurt (very fatty)
  7. Crisps.
  8. Crackers.
  9. Coffee (in large quantities).
  10. "Fanta".
  11. "Coca Cola".
  12. "Sprite".

For everything to be good - live positively and with faith in the best! Do not be nervous! Depression, stress and nervousness are also factors that can negatively affect your precious health.

Move more and worry less! Imagine that life has given you such a task. Do not be afraid of difficulties! By fulfilling the “life task” you will help yourself develop your willpower well!

The health of an individual and society as a whole is determined by a number of factors that affect the human body, both positively and negatively. According to the conclusions of experts from the World Health Organization, four main groups of factors determining human health have been identified, each of which has a positive and negative impact, depending on the points of application:

The influence of each factor on human health is also determined by age, gender, individual characteristics organism.

Genetic factors that determine human health

A person's capabilities are largely determined by his genotype - a set of hereditary traits embedded in the individual DNA code long before birth. However, genotypic manifestations do not appear without certain favorable or negative conditions.

Critical terms of fetal development are due to violations of its gene apparatus during the laying of organs and body systems:

  • 7 weeks pregnant: the cardiovascular system- manifested by the formation of heart defects;
  • 12-14 weeks: nervous system- incorrect formation of the neural tube leads to congenital pathology, most often as a result of neuroinfection - cerebral palsy, demyelinating diseases (multiple sclerosis, BASF);
  • 14-17 weeks: musculoskeletal system- hip dysplasia, myotrophic processes.

In addition to genetic changes great importance have epigenetic mechanisms as factors determining human health after birth. In these cases, the fetus does not inherit the disease, but, being exposed to harmful effects, perceives them as the norm, which subsequently affects his health. The most common example similar pathology is maternal hypertension. Increased blood pressure in the "mother-placenta-fetus" system contributes to the development vascular changes, preparing a person for living conditions with high blood pressure, that is, the development of hypertension.

Hereditary diseases are divided into three groups:

  • Gene and chromosomal abnormalities;
  • Diseases associated with a violation of the synthesis of certain enzymes in conditions that require their increased production;
  • hereditary predisposition.

Genetic and chromosomal abnormalities, such as phenylketonuria, hemophilia, Down syndrome, appear immediately after birth.

Fermentopathies, as factors that determine human health, begin to affect only in those cases when the body cannot cope with the increased load. This is how diseases associated with metabolic disorders begin to appear: diabetes, gout, neuroses.

Hereditary predisposition appears under the influence of environmental factors. Unfavorable environmental and social conditions contribute to the development hypertension, gastric and duodenal ulcers, bronchial asthma and other psychogenic disorders.

Social factors of human health

Social conditions largely determine the health of people. An important place is occupied by the level of economic development in the country of residence. Sufficient quantity money plays a dual role. On the one hand, all types of medical care are available to a rich person, on the other hand, health care is replaced by other things. Low-income people, oddly enough, are more likely to strengthen the immune system. Thus, the factors of human health do not depend on his financial situation.

The most important component of a healthy lifestyle is the correct psychological attitude aimed at a long life expectancy. People who want to be healthy exclude factors that destroy human health, considering them incompatible with the norms. Regardless of place of residence, ethnicity, income level, everyone has the right to choose. Being isolated from the benefits of civilization, or using them, people are equally able to observe the elementary rules of personal hygiene. In hazardous industries, the necessary personal safety measures are provided, the observance of which leads to positive results.

To social factors human health refers to the widely known concept of acceleration. The child of the 21st century in terms of development is much superior to his peers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The acceleration of development is directly related to the achievements of technological progress. The abundance of information encourages the early development of intelligence, skeleton and muscle mass. In this regard, in adolescents, there is a lag in the growth of blood vessels, which leads to early diseases.

Natural factors of human health

In addition to hereditary and constitutional features, environmental factors influence human health.

Natural effects on the body are divided into climatic and urban. The sun, air and water are far from the most important components of the environment. Energy impacts are of great importance: from the electromagnetic field of the earth to radiation.

People living in areas with a harsh climate have a greater margin of safety. However, the expenditure of vital energy in the struggle for survival among northerners is not comparable with those people who live in conditions where favorable natural factors of human health are combined, such as the action of a sea breeze, for example.

Environmental pollution due to the development of industry is capable of affecting at the gene level. And this action is almost never beneficial. Multiple factors that destroy human health contribute to the shortening of life, despite the fact that people try to lead a correct lifestyle. The impact of harmful environmental substances today is the main problem for the health of residents of megacities.

Constitutional factors of human health

Under the constitution of a person is meant a feature of the physique, which determines the tendency to certain diseases. In medicine, these types of human constitution are divided:

The most favorable body type is normosthenic.

People of the asthenic type of constitution are more prone to infections, weakly resistant to stress, therefore they more often develop diseases associated with impaired innervation: peptic ulcer, bronchial asthma.

Persons of the hypersthenic type are more prone to develop cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders.

According to the WHO, the main (50-55%) factor influencing a person's health is his lifestyle and living conditions. Therefore, the prevention of morbidity in the population is the task of not only medical workers, but also government agencies providing the level and duration of life of citizens.