Health and Hygiene



Home is where the heart is, and it is important to focus on home hygiene in order to try and protect you and your family from diseases caused by bacteria and viruses. It is impossible to eliminate all germs in the home, but by understanding more about the importance of disinfection and learning about bacteria hotspots in the home, you can help to minimise the risk of picking up or potentially spreading illness causing germs.

Health And Hygiene

What is good health? Different people may consider good health differently but to define it formally, Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.

We take health as being free from diseases but it is much more than just the absence of a disease. Good health may enable us to do well at work and in Life. Good health involves proper functioning of all body organs. It also involves Feeling well both in body and in mind. People enjoying good health are cheerful, free from stress, and enjoy life to the fullest. Only if you are in good health you can be of help to others and the community do you consider yourself to be in good health by the above-mentioned definition?

To keep ourselves free from diseases and to have good health, we should be careful about hygiene. The various practices that help in maintaining good health are called hygiene. The word hygiene comes from a Greek word Hygiene that means ‘Goddess for health’ and deals with personal and community health. Thus, health and hygiene go hand in hand or they are interrelated Proper nutrition, physical exercise, rest and sleep, cleanliness, and medical care are essential parts of maintaining good health. Health includes both personal and community health.

Personal Health

Taking care of oneself to remain healthy and free from diseases is personal health. Some important aspects of good personal health are as follows:

1. Balanced diet: You have already studied about the need and importance of balanced diet in lesson 25. Obtaining a balanced diet depends on one’s choice and what one can usually afford. It also includes the correct proportion of Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and roughage in your diet.

2. Personal hygiene: There are some activities you perform everyday in order to keep yourself clean. Can you list them out? These activities are:

  • Regular toilet habits: Regular bowel movements keep us free of body Wastes generated inside the body.
  • Washing hands before eating: Having food with dirty hands may make us sick because the dirt in our hand might carry certain disease causing germs. We should wash our hands after going to the toilet. Washing hands with soap make them germ free.
  • Bathing regularly and wearing clean clothes: Dirt is a place for germs to grow. Bathing regularly keeps your body free of dirt, body lice and Germs.
  • Cleaning the teeth: After eating food, some food particles may remain sticking to your teeth. These food particles form a medium for the germs to grow, harm your gums and teeth, and cause bad breath. Brushing of teeth every day do not let the germs grow. Brushing of teeth before going to bed is a very good habit.
  • Washing hair, cleaning eyes, ears and nails: Regular washing and combing Of hair helps in preventing dirt accumulation to keep the germs away. Nails should be clipped regularly; nail biting is unhygienic and must be avoided.

3. Domestic hygiene: House should be kept clean and free from dirt, flies and germs. Cooking utensils, plates, cups and other utensils should be kept clean.

4. Clean food and water: Fruits and vegetables should be washed in clean water to make them Free from germs and pesticides (chemicals sprayed on plants to keep The insect free) before consumption and cooking. - Water used for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing utensils should be from a clean source.

5. Cooking with care: Food should be prepared in a clean kitchen and in a clean manner. -While cooking food, it is important to heat it to high temperature to kill any germs present in it. - Cooked food should be eaten fresh or stored in cool, fly-proof place. - Milk stored in the refrigerator or outside should be boiled again to make it germ free.

6. Abstaining from habit-forming substances: To keep healthy, one should Avoid smoking, chewing of betel nut, gutka and tobacco, and drinking alcohol. Intake of such habit-forming substances may lead to health problems such as liver damage, kidney failure and heart failure.

7. Exercise: Regular walking and physical exercises have a good effect on health. Outdoor games and sport maintain the heart and circulatory system in good condition. Walking keeps the joints of bones healthy.

8. Regular sleep and relaxation: These also play an important part in maintaining sound mental health. They also help in the repair of body tissues.