Physical health

Physical health is defined as is the condition of your body. Good physical health is when your body is functioning as it was designed to function. 

What affects my physical health?
There are four categories of things that affect physical health. You can not always control the things that affect your physical body. But, you can do your best to prevent injury and help you body to function at well.

• Lifestyle. This is the element of physical health that we have the most control over. This includes our diet, our emotional health, our level of physical activity, and our behaviors. Tobacco use is a problem for many people - quitting tobacco is an important behavioral change. Your health plan may offer a cessation program. There are things that we can change about our lifestyles to help our bodies stay healthy. Get more information on healthy living.
• Human Biology. There may be things in our genetics and our chemistry that are perceived as abnormalities. They may make it harder to achieve complete physical health. There are ways that our body compensates for disabilities. Even though we can not control our genetics we can control how we treat our illnesses.
• Environment. Our environment includes the type of air we breathe, the places we live and our surroundings. We may have to change our environments if they are really bad for our physical health.
• Healthcare Services. These are the services that we get to help us prevent illness, detect illness or treat illness.

What can I do?
We need to take care of every aspect of our being in order to achieve good physical health. Positive emotions are linked to better physical health. We must try to keep a balance in our lives. Some things that we can do to take care of our physical bodies include:

• Rest. Our body needs a certain amount of hours of sleep every night in order to function properly. After hard work or especially trying times it is important that we take time to rest and allow our bodies time to recover.
• Eat healthy. Our bodies use food as fuel. We must remember to eat regularly. We have to watch what we eat. Sugars and fatty foods can make it harder for our bodies to function as they were designed to.
• Exercise. Our bodies were designed to be physically active. We have to remember that in order to keep our bodies healthy we must take time each day to exercise.
• Hygiene. It is important that we keep our bodies clean. This can help to protect against illness and infection.
• Get regular check-ups. We need to see our doctors regularly so that they can monitor our physical health and tell us about any changes we may need to make to keep our bodies healthy.
• Call us if you need help finding a doctor.

• Stay emotionally healthy. When we get overly stressed or emotional our bodies get worn out and it is easier for them to catch an illness. Staying emotionally fit keeps our bodies in good operating condition.
• Do not smoke, abuse alcohol, or abuse drugs.

Illness and Injury
No matter how good we take care of ourselves we will still experience illness and injury. During these times we must take the necessary steps to heal. We have to treat our illnesses. The biggest part of healing is natural. With our help our bodies can heal from illness and injury. 

Different Diseases of Eyes:

·         Refractive Errors.

·         Glaucoma.

·         Cataract.

·         Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

·         Amblyopia.

·         Diabetic Retinopathy.

·         Retinal Detachment or Tear.

·         Dry Eye Syndrome.

Different Diseases of Nose:

·         Deviated septum - a shifting of the wall that divides the nasal cavity into halves.

·         Nasal polyps - soft growths that develop on the lining of your nose or sinuses.

·         Nosebleeds.

·         Rhinitis - inflammation of the nose and sinuses sometimes caused by allergies. ...

·         Nasal fractures, also known as a broken nose.

Different Diseases of Ears:

·         Otitis Media—The medical term for a middle ear infection or inflammation of the middle ear. This primarily affects children due to the shape of the young eustachian tube.

·         Tinnitus—Also called “ringing in the ears” includes noises ranging from loud roaring to clicking, humming or buzzing. Most tinnitus comes from damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. Hearing nerve impairment and tinnitus can be a natural accompaniment of advancing age. Exposure to loud noise is probably the leading cause of tinnitus damage to hearing in younger people.

·         External Ear Infections—Also called Swimmer’s Ear are infections of the outer ear structures that may occur when water gets trapped in the ear canal. In this warm, moist environment, bacteria multiply causing irritation and infection of the ear canal.

·         Ear Wax (Cerumen)—Cerumen is produced by special glands in the outer part of the ear canal designed to trap dust and dirt particles keeping them from the eardrum. Usually wax accumulates, dries and then falls out of the ear on its own or is wiped away. Other times this may require removal by a physician.

·         Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED)—is an inflammatory condition of the inner ear that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks cells in the inner ear that are mistaken for a virus or bacteria.

·         Cholesteatoma—is a skin growth that occurs in the middle ear behind the ear drum. This condition usually results from poor eustachian tube function concurrent with middle ear infection (otitis media), but also can be present at birth.

Different Diseases of Skin:

·         eczema.

·         diaper rash.

·         seborrheic dermatitis.

·         chickenpox.

·         measles.

·         warts.

·         acne.

·         fifth disease.

Different Diseases of Mouth:

·         Cold Sores. Also called fever blisters, you don't get cold sores from fevers or colds but they can be triggered by them.

·         Thrush. Caused by candida yeast, thrush is most common in older adults or babies.

·         Black Hairy Tongue.

·         Canker Sores.

·         Leukoplakia.

·         Lichen Planus.

·         Geographic Tongue.

·         Oral Cancer

Care for the Eyes:

·         Eat for Good Vision. Protecting your eyes starts with the food on your plate.

·         Quit Smoking. Smoking makes you more likely to get cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration.

·         Wear Sunglasses.

·         Use Safety Eyewear.

·         Look Away From the Computer Screen.

Care for the Nose:

·         Breathe in warm steam two to four times a day to help moisten the nose and prevent dryness. This can be done by taking a hot shower or by filling the bathroom sink with hot water and placing a towel over your head while leaning close to the sink. Continue to run the hot water as needed.

·         Do not use nasal sprays more than recommended on the bottle unless instructed by a doctor. Over-the-counter sprays can help with allergies or colds, but using them too often can irritate the nose and worsen the problem.

·         Place a vaporizer or a humidifier in your room to keep the air moist when you are not breathing in steam to help prevent dryness in the nose.

·         Dip a cotton swab in warm water or a salt water mix of 1/2 tsp. of salt in 12 ounces of water to gently soak and loosen any crust that is stuck to the inside of your nose. Only use the cotton swab at the entrance of the nose, do not stick it deep inside. Repeat once at night and once in the morning.

·         Consult your doctor if you have allergy problems or problems with your sinuses. These symptoms can include sinus pressure in the face, headaches and other signs of an allergy, such as sneezing.

Care for the Ears:

·         Use earplugs around loud noises.

·         Turn the volume down.

·         Give your ears time to recover.

·         Stop using cotton swabs in your ears.

·         Take medications only as directed.

·         Keep your ears dry.

·         Get up and move.

·         Manage stress levels.

Care for the Skin:

·         Prevent sun damage.

·         Wash your face in the morning and in the evening.

·         Exfoliate.

·         Live a healthy lifestyle.

·         Drink plenty of water.

·         Eat plenty of vitamin C enriched foods.

·         Make sure you get a lot of exercise in the week.

·         Get enough sleep.

Care for the Mouth:

·         Gently brush your teeth on all sides with a soft-bristle brush and fluoride toothpaste.

·         Use small circular motions and short back-and-forth strokes.

·         Brush carefully and gently along your gum line.

·         Lightly brush your tongue to help keep your mouth clean.

·         Clean around your teeth with dental floss.