The Impact of Lifestyle on Health and Disease: A Detailed Report

This report provides an overview of health, disease, and wellbeing. It begins by defining health as a state of mental and physical wellbeing, contrasting it with disease, which can be physical or mental. The main context delves into the shift in understanding health, from the absence of disease to overall wellbeing, and categorizes diseases into communicable and non-communicable types, providing examples like influenza, chlamydia, malaria, and cardiovascular disease. The report emphasizes the impact of lifestyle factors such as diet, stress, and substance use on both mental and physical health, advocating for a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity, a balanced diet, and avoidance of harmful substances. Furthermore, it discusses primary and secondary prevention strategies, health promotion, and the role of science and holistic approaches in healthcare, including natural medicines and osteopathy. The conclusion reiterates the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle to prevent diseases and maintain wellbeing.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Main Context..............................................................................................................................2
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................3
References..................................................................................................................................4
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Introduction
Health is the state of mental and physical wellbeing. Good health is seen to be free from
diseases and enables an individual to feel physically and mentally good. A person needs
appropriate shelter, exercise, rest, sleep and nutrition in order to enjoy good health. Access to
social and medical care and good hygiene are also considered to be very much important for
an individual. The disease is a malfunction or disorder of the body or mind which affects
good health. Diseases consisted of characteristic symptoms that can be mental, physical or
both.
Main Context
Health in the past was examined by determining absence or presence of disease in a body but
in present, it is examined on the basis of the mental and physical wellbeing of an individual.
Diseases impose a significant impact on the organs, cells and tissues. Diseases are being
categorized into two types that are communicable and non-communicable. Communicable
diseases are considered to be the illnesses that result from the infections created by
microorganisms such as pathogens and contagious. Viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa
cause diseases that can be spread between the organisms (BBC, 2019). Influenza is a disease
that occurs due to the inhalation of infected droplets which contains the virus. Chlamydia is a
bacterial infection which is transmitted sexually. Malaria is the protozoan infection which is
spread by the infected mosquitoes. Non-communicable diseases are considered to be the
illnesses that are not being transferred between individuals or organisms. It often occurs due
to a predisposition to the disorders caused by the inherited factors or unhealthy lifestyles.
Some lifestyle factors which impose significantly on mental and physical health are diet,
stress and alcohol and other drugs (Duckworth, 2009). Cardiovascular disease is a non-
communicable disease which occurs due to the lifestyle factors. A sedentary lifestyle, a diet
consisting of high saturated fat and smoking can contribute to the development of the disease.
A healthy lifestyle should be adopted by each and every individual in order to avoid the
occurrence of diseases and be physically and mentally strong. People should integrate
physical movement and activity into their life, consume a diet rich in vegetables, grains and
fruits and avoid junk foods. It is also important to avoid the consumption of alcohol or other
drugs because it makes the body weaker and allows the diseases to spread appropriately.
Primary and secondary prevention can assist to decrease the burden of diseases (Tello, 2018).
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Primary prevention is referred to as the actions aimed at avoiding the symptoms of the
diseases. It can include actions such as improving health through changing the effect of
economic and social determinants of health, providing information on medical and
behavioural health risks, measures for decreasing diseases at community and personal level,
food and nutritional supplementation, dental and oral hygiene education, preventive services
such as vaccination and immunization of adults and children. Secondary prevention focuses
on the early detection of diseases in order to improve the chance of positive health results
(WHO, 2019). It consisted of approaches like evidence-based screening programs to prevent
congenital malformations or early detection of diseases and drug therapies that are effective
to administer the disease at the early stage.
Health promotion is referred to as a process to empower people for increasing their control
over their health through multisectoral actions and health literacy efforts in order to enhance
healthy behaviours. The process consists of activities for the population or communities that
are prone to the risk of negative health results (Thorogood & Coombes, 2010). Health
promotion generally addresses the behavioural risk factors like obesity, tobacco use, physical
inactivity and diet. It also focuses on the areas such as mental health, drug abuse control,
injury prevention, health behaviour associated with HIV, sexual health and alcohol control.
Science can be seen as the solution or provided instruments and techniques for treating most
of the diseases. The research and development in the medical field have improved the
procedure of carrying out healthcare delivery services. The introduction of innovative
technologies and effective medicines depicts that science has supported the life of individuals
(Gifford, 2011). The holism is considered to be an integrated approach to well-being and
health. It focuses on the therapies that can assist to improve the quality of life. The
neurological occupational therapy services are being provided to people suffering from spinal
and brain cord injuries which is the most common neurological disorders. Adaptive yoga is
the approach that is based on the principle of yoga which enables an individual to live a
healthy life.
Osteopathy has also played a significant role in improving health outcomes. It is the way to
detect, prevent and treat health issues by stretching, messaging and moving joints and
muscles of a person. It is based on the principles that an individual’s wellbeing depends on its
ligaments, muscles, connective tissues and bones. It assists to increase the mobility of the
joints, relieve muscle tension, enhance the supply of blood to tissues and assist the body to
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heal (Better health, 2019). It can be used by people who are suffering from lower back pain,
neck pain, shoulder pain, sports injuries, arthritis and joint and muscle pain. The osteopathic
philosophy encourages the concept of the unity of function and structure through four
principles. The principles states that an individual represents the combination of mind, spirit
and body, the body is capable of health maintenance, self-healing and self-regulation,
function and structure are interrelated reciprocally and ration treatment relies on the
understanding of the principles. Natural medicines are considered to be effective in
improving the health of people. It consists of herbalism, homoeopathy, acupuncture, lifestyle
and diet counselling (Stough & Scholey, 2013).
Conclusion
The change in the lifestyle of people has imposed a significant impact on their mental and
physical well-being. Thus, it has become very much important to adopt a healthy lifestyle in
order to avoid the occurrence of any kind of diseases. A healthy lifestyle is important to live a
happy life.
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References
BBC. (2019). Health and disease - Eduqas - Revision 1 - GCSE Biology (Single Science) -
BBC Bitesize. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/z9bn97h/revision/1
Better health. (2019). Osteopathy. Retrieved from
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/osteopathy
Duckworth, K. (2009). Health (4th ed.). London: Evans.
Gifford, C. (2011). Science (5th ed.). London: DK.
Stough, C., & Scholey, A. (2013). Advances in natural medicines, nutraceuticals and
neurocognition (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC.
Tello, M. (2018). Healthy lifestyle: 5 keys to a longer life - Harvard Health Blog. Retrieved
from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/healthy-lifestyle-5-keys-to-a-longer-life-
2018070514186
Thorogood, M., & Coombes, Y. (2010). Evaluating health promotion (3rd ed.). Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
WHO. (2019). WHO EMRO | Health promotion and disease prevention through population-
based interventions, including action to address social determinants and health inequity
| Public health functions | About WHO. Retrieved from http://www.emro.who.int/about-
who/public-health-functions/health-promotion-disease-prevention.html
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