Keeping the Body Healthy & Clean

      For a healthy and happy life we need a healthy body. To maintain a healthy body we should keep in mind the following points.

Cleanliness, Personal Hygiene and Cleanliness of Surrounding

          The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) has stressed upon the need of cleanliness saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. So we should pay special attention to cleanliness of our body. We perform Wazoo (ablution) five times a day before prayers. During this act we wash various parts of our body. This keeps our health good.

          We must keep our hands and feet clean and trim the nails regularly because dirty hands and long nails carry germs, which cause diseases. We should take a bath regularly to keep the skin clean. Mild rubbing of the body with towel after bath increases blood circulation in the skin.

          In addition to personal hygiene cleanliness of environment is also very important. Your room, home and surroundings should all be very clean. Do not throw away leftover food and other eatables, because germs are produced on them. These germs are carried by flies, cockroaches and mice to other places.  They cause deadly diseases. So cleanliness of body and environment is very important for a healthy life.

Cleaning the Teeth

          Cleaning of teeth before going to bed and in the morning is also very 

important. Sweets, toffees, chocolates and food particles stick to the teeth. If we do not brush the teeth, germs act upon sweet material and acid is formed. This acid destroys protective enamel of the teeth. Cavities are formed in them. Germs may also cause infection of gums. All this results in toothache.

Dental Care

          For dental care we must.

i.                   Rinse our teeth after every meal.

ii.                 Avoid frequent use of sweet food.

iii.              In addition to taking balanced diet, we must drink lot of milk. It contains calcium which strengthens bones and teeth.

Citrus fruit contains vitamin “C” which is good for healthy gums. We should get our teeth checked by the dentist regularly so that they are taken care of properly.

Eating Habits, Balanced Diet

          We cannot live long without eating food. But he body remains healthy if food is taken at proper time and only when needed. The food that we eat should be balanced. Balanced diet is that in which all the essential nutrients e.g. carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water are present in right proportion. If we do not use balanced diet, problems regarding to health may arise.

Malnutrition

          If any essential nutrient is missing from diet or is being used in excess for a long time the condition is called malnutrition. It can cause many diseases, for example deficiency of proteins in food causes a disease in children called Marasmus. Deficiency of vitamin “A” causes night blindness.

Under Nutrition

          Every individual needs a specific quantity of food. If she/he does not get the required quantity of food. She/he is said to be under-nourished. Under nutrition causes diseases, especially in children. Body is required to skeleton and the person becomes extremely weak.

Over Nutrition

          Eating more than the required diet or eat more times that normal is called over nutrition. It increases weight and causes many diseases. We should take food in time; it should be balanced and according to our requirement so that we can live healthy lives.

Rest, sleep and Exercise

          It is also important for good health that we should sleep and wake up in time. After hard work we need rest. Proper exercise should be a routine because it keeps the brain and body healthy.

Medicines and Vaccines

          There are some diseases which spread from person to person. Some 

are inherited while others are caused due to unbalanced diet. Some of these disease are fatal. The chemical substances which are called medicines. For example, aspirin is used to cure fevers and quinine is used for curing malaria. Sometimes instead of giving medicines, the ability to defend the body against diseases (immunity) is produced in the body. This is called vaccination.

          Vaccine is prepared from killed or half killed germs of the same disease. It protects us against the disease. You might know that within nine months after birth, babies are give vaccine of tetanus, whooping cough, polio, tuberculosis (T.B), measles and hepatitis.