Preksha Dhyana: Human Body Part II (Health Care): [9] Health-hazards

An endless variety of health-hazards—such as exhaust from cars and trucks, smoke, soot and industrial dirt from the factories, vapours from oil and other noxious chemicals - relentlessly threaten our health almost every day. On the one hand, supersonic speeds for travelling has enormously accelerated our rate of living, resulting in constant sympathetic dominance, hypertension and heart-diseases. On the other hand, ironically a sizable percentage of our people lead a sedentary life, nurture a "take-it-easy" attitude and suffer the miserable consequences of the physical inactivity. Mechanical gadgets have, indeed, taken away the drudgery from the domestic chores of our womenfolk. It has also deprived them of the benefits of the physical exercises which kept their bodies supple, graceful and healthy. Diabetes mellitus is as rampant as obesity, destroying their traditional tendency of self-help and making them subservient to the hired help. Our social habit of offering sweets, biscuits, tea, coffee, alcoholic drinks and cigarettes to visiting friends, compound the health problem enormously. Wearing high-heels corsets, jeans and other tight clothes, though fashionable, result in injurious postures. The restful "hard bed" has been replaced by the foam-rubber mattress which deprives the spine of a much needed rest during night. Result: backache, slip-disc etc.

In this short chapter, some of the health-hazards are briefly discussed. Regular practice of postures (asanas) can assist in warding off some of the hazards. Detailed discussion of postures will be found in another book in this series. Relaxation (discussed in the next chapter) is another excellent tool for fighting the hazard of tension and improve mental health.

Pollution

In these days, in large cities, SMOG (smoke and fog) is a usual and inescapable phenomenon. Industry and automobiles spew a devil's brew of pollutants into the air. They include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxides of sulphur, nitrogen and lead, and fluorine compounds. When weather conditions combine to concentrate these pollutants close to the ground level, the result is smog. The lungs of the modern city-dwellers are insidiously subjected to the corrosive and debilitating effects of pollutants every moment of every day and night. They create respiratory diseases and problems of all kinds especially emphysema, and may cause death of the very young and the very old. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a product of incomplete combustion and is present in the air through automobile exhausts, leaking furnaces and industrial fumes. Colourless, odourless and imperceptible, it is a particularly insidious and dangerous poison. And the worst danger presented by carbon monoxide in air is that compared to oxygen, it has several times greater affinity for reaction with haemoglobin, and it competes successfully with oxygen for being carried by the haemoglobin; and this reaction is not readily reversible. Thus haemoglobin-molecules that have combined with CO to form the compound carboxyhaemoglobin are just as effectively removed from their oxygen-carrying function as though the blood containing them had been lost from the body by haemorrhage. A victim of carbon monoxide poisoning may gradually succumb to the effects of lack of oxygen, without realizing anything is wrong. It is believed that the impairment of judgement caused in drivers by the effects of carbon monoxide in the air of congested streets and highways may be a major cause of automobile accidents.

Another type of pollution is that of water. A variety of dangerous chemicals such as caustics, solvents and other organic compounds from the industrial waste contribute largely to the pollution of water. We ourselves also contribute to it with organic wastes, detergents and other chemicals that are washed and flushed down our drains everyday. These wastes do not conveniently disappear but may find their way in the human diet.

Yet another growing area of pollution is noise pollution. Deleterious psychological and physiological effects have been found to result from prolonged exposure to high noise levels. Little do those who attend the discotheques and listen to rock and roll music realise the dangers to which they are exposing themselves. Exposure to high noise levels triggers a general stress reaction involving the adrenal hormones and their effects on blood-pressure, heart-rate as well as on other organs and systems of our body. It is known in some cases, to develop permanent constriction of the blood-vessels.

Drinking and Smoking

The body is the machine which enables us to progress through life. It is good sense not to abuse it but to maintain it in good health. This is simple logic; but we are not particularly logical as far as our life is concerned. We fear death, and yet hasten it in almost every conceivable way by the very life that we have created, by ignorance, by inaction, by tension and by a thousand abuses, through dangerous bad habits cultivated by us as part of our way of life. Drinking and smoking have become a part of our culture. There are constant social pressures to drink and/or smoke and one often hesitates to take a personal stand for fear of ridicule. But basically, most drinkers like to drink and enjoy the effects produced by alcohol without realizing that they are heading towards psychological dependence and physical addition. By a phenomenon of 'tolerance', one must take progressively larger doses to achieve the same effect. It is estimated that drinking is a problem for at least ten percent of drinkers. After heart disease and cancer, alcoholism is considered the third ranking health problem. It can cause irreparable damage to the tissue of the brain and liver. Remember that the liver plays a major role in detoxifying poisons that have entered the body. A large proportion of automobile accidents are caused because drivers' co-ordination, reflexes and judgement were impaired by a few drinks taken before driving.

Smoking

Every cigarette packet and advertisement must carry the statutory warning: "Cigarette smoking is injurious to your health." Smoking causes a variety of diseases, promoting the development of emphysema and heart-disease and producing a chronic cough. The result of smoking, however, that had most captured the public imagination, some years ago, is the development of lung cancer. This is a growth, often malignant and often fatal, which is more than 20 times as prevalent in smokers than in non-smokers. As the malignant cells multiply, they crowed out normal healthy cells and destroy tissue. Emphysema is a pathological enlargement of the alveoli. Many bronchioles are obstructed, the walls of the alveoli are atrophied and thinned out, and the total surface of the respiratory membrane is drastically reduced. These conditions are irreversible. Eventually, hypoia^[1] and hypercapnia (an elevated carbon dioxided tension in the blood) cause death.

Today smoking is considered a major cause not only of lung cancer but of cancer of the larynx, oral cavity (mouth) and esophagus and a contributing factor in development of malignancy in the bladder, pancreas and kidney. ^[2]

Cigarette-smoke paralyses the celia in the lining of the trachea and bronchi, and stops their clearing actions, so that they cannot whisk up the dust-laden mucus upward to the pharynx, to be ultimately expectorated. If the habitual smoker stops smoking, this clearing function is reactivated in several months.

Drugs: Use and Abuse

A growing number of people is using a variety of drugs to produce a feeling of relaxation, or stimulation or a euphoric high. Unfortunately a drug that is free of any harmful effect is yet to be discovered. Most drugs are addictive, i.e. after their use for a while, body-metabolism changes and the user comes to depend on a continuous supply of the drugs. If the use is suddenly stopped, painful conditions and even death may result. There is also a psychological dependence (even if there is no physical addiction) producing a chemical 'crutch' out of the drug. Many drugs damage vital body-organs such as liver or brain.

Narcotics such as opium, morphine are the depressants of central nervous system. They can bring relief from pain or anxiety and can produce euphoria and hallucinations. But, they are highly addictive and for centuries have created serious health problems besides driving the addicts to crime to support habit.

Caffeine (in tea, coffee, beverages and chocolates) and nicotine (in cigarettes and other tobacco products) are the more commonly used stimulants. Both have a powerful stimulating effect on the central nervous system. On the other hand they are contributing factors in heart-disease. Excessive use of caffeine may produce irritability and insomnia, while smoking has been implicated in lung disease and cancer. Though physical addiction here may be disputable, psychological dependence is beyond doubt.

Amphetamines such as marijuana, L.S.D., sometimes, called psychedelic drugs, work by increasing the release of a natural stimulant, norepinephrine. Over-excitation may occur to the point where the user cannot sleep and euphoria alternates with periods of deep despair. Long use of these drugs may lead to hallucinations, delusions and violent behaviour. The LSD molecule is chemically very similar to the neuro-transmitter scrotonine and it is believed to interfere with the normal working of the brain cells. It produces hallucinations that may be extremely pleasant fantasies or frightening nightmares. During the 'experience' the user's judgement is usually distorted causing harm to themselves and/or others. A 188-page report on the effects of marijuana, issued by the Institute of Medicines of the National Academy of Science (U.S.A.), concludes:

"Among other things, the principal active element in marijuana, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), like al-chohol, impairs motor coordination, the ability to follow a moving object and to detect a flash of light. Since these functions are necessary for safe driving, their impairment "may suggest a substantial risk." It also hampers short-term memory, slows learning and produces distortions of judgement, including reactions of panic and confusion. Heavy use may lead to cancer of the respiratory tract and seriously impair the lungs."

Postures

Well-meaning reminders to stand up straight or not to slump may be annoying but are useful.

Development and maintenance of good posture is an important key to the feeling of well-being and keeping the body ready to respond effectively to all the demands of your daily activities. Our body is engaged in a constant struggle against gravity. Now, we know that every object (including our body) behaves as though all its weight were concentrated at a single point—centre of gravity. When this point is well supported, the force acting upward effectively counteracts the downward pull of gravity. But if the centre of gravity is shifted, the object has to topple over. Wearing high heels shifts the centre of gravity forward and there is a tendency to lean backward with the upper part of the trunk producing a deepening of the spinal curvature as the postural muscles compensate.

In 'correct' standing position, the head is held high and balanced easily on the neck, the abdomen is held in and the chest is allowed to expand freely. The shoulders should not sag forward and the arms hang freely. Remember that good posture is not a stiff military 'standing to attention' but a relaxed position. Correct sitting position is similar, with the spinal cord and neck in a straight line, not stiff but relaxed. Deviations may result in backaches and even deformities.

Lying down horizontally is the posture usually assumed for resting and sleeping, but too much bed-rest has its drawbacks.

"The modern man and woman leads a soft life," says Dr. R.H. Dastur^[3]; "cars are well cushioned for comfort. In the office we sit or slump on soft cushioned chairs. Higher the status, softer is the cushioning. At home we lounge on overstuffed sofas or soft rubber cushions. And the worst culprits are the ultra soft mattresses temptingly inviting us to sink into slumber all night and suffer backache all day. Faulty postures further strain the overtired muscles and produce backache.

"Spondylogenis backaches are the most frequent and are caused by pain arising from the spinal column, discs ligaments, back muscles and joints. In most of the cases there is nothing wrong with their spine or discs. The backaches are due to sprains or strain of muscles, tendons or ligaments resulting from faulty posture, slouching for hours at the desk or standing for hours at parties. Low backache is a protest from these tensed muscles against ill-treatment."

Dr. Dastur recommends:

• Sleep on a thin firm mattress with a wooden board underneath. Don't sleep on foam rubber mattress.
• Sit or stand in the correct posture—head high, back straight, abdomen pulled in.
• Do not sit for prolonged periods—get up and stretch your legs from time to time.
• Prolonged standing in one place puts great pressure on the spine. Shift your weight from one foot to the other to relieve the strain.
• Learn to relax when under stress.
• Do not lift a heavy load (suitcase; full bucket) with straight knees from the floor. Bend your knees and lift it up.