Key Causes of Illness and How to Stay Healthy
Health is one of the most crucial and essential aspects of every individual’s life. Not being fit or healthy enough disables one from carrying out normal day-to-day activities.
Why do we fall ill? Or Why do you fall ill? Or Why do we fall sick? There are many reasons for these questions. We may fall ill due to various reasons, and a few of them are listed below.
We can fall ill if we dwell in a surrounding that has polluted air, water or any harmful insects. For example, Dengue or Malaria.
Lack of personal hygiene also causes numerous diseases.
Any individual’s economic condition can also be instrumental in determining the person’s well-being
We could fall ill because of the compromises in our immune system, which can also give rise to different autoimmune diseases
Mental health always has an impact on physical health. For example, clinical depression may cause either weight loss or loss of appetite.
Significance of Health
We should keep hearing how important it is to be healthy and possibly what could be the consequences of avoiding taking care of ourselves, let us understand why it is so important to stay healthy.
It is essential to stay healthy because it helps one to carry out all the fundamental activities regularly.
Eating proper healthy and right food helps in keeping one fit and aids in combating diseases.
The physical environment contributes to a person’s well-being in a greater way. Thus, it becomes very crucial to always stay in a clean and healthy environment.
Public cleanliness is an important thing for every individual. Proper treatment of sewage and garbage in our surroundings play a key role in disease prevention.
Being fit and happy has a huge impact on one’s development, both personally and professionally as well.
Social equality and harmony are important to be healthy.
Immune System
The immune system is the body's protection system. It acts as a deterrent to disease-causing germs. The immune system is made up of a variety of cells and substances. Pathogens are thwarted by these cells and substances. Pathogens include parasites, fungus, bacteria, viruses, and haptens, among other things. When haptens come into touch with a protein, they can trigger an immunological response.
These cells and chemicals may be found in all of the body's tissues, as well as lymphoid organs. Its primary function is to prevent or remove microbial diseases. The most essential cells in the immune system are white blood cells, often known as leukocytes. They're mostly in charge of eliminating disease-causing germs or chemicals. Antibodies from lymphoid organs, tissues, and proteinaceous molecules are also vital in the defence system.
There are two types of immunological responses:
Humoral Immunity: B cells have a role in humoral immunity. Antibodies are soluble molecules secreted by B cells into bodily fluids. Antibodies bind to bacteria and other harmful substances in the bloodstream and destroy them through an antigen-antibody response.
Cell-mediated Immunity: T cells, also known as cytotoxic T cells, play a role in this. These cells are unique to an infected target cell and use a variety of techniques to destroy the infected cell.
Types of Immunity
Innate, adaptive, and passive immunity are the three forms of immunity that humans have:
Innate Immunity: Innate (or natural) immunity is a form of broad protection that everyone is born with. The epidermis, for example, works as a barrier to keep viruses out of the body. In addition, the immune system can tell whether some invaders are alien and potentially harmful.
Adaptive Immunity: Adaptive immunity (also known as active immunity) is a type of immunity that develops over time. When we are exposed to illnesses or are inoculated against them with vaccinations, we acquire adaptive immunity.
Passive Immunity: Passive immunity is "stolen" from another source and only lasts for a brief period of time. Antibodies in a mother's breast milk, for example, provide a newborn with temporary protection against illnesses to which the mother has been exposed.
Diseases
Any abnormal condition affecting an organism is referred to as a disease. These are the medical conditions that involve a pathological method/process associated with a few specific symptoms.
Every disease has an origin for sure. But some diseases are difficult even to diagnose due to the confusing symptoms. Diseases may be bacterial, autoimmune, cancerous, sexually transmitted, digestive, and many more. They can be cured by following numerous strategies like giving antibiotics, medications, and surgeries if needed.
Antibiotics are the drugs that block the bacteria’s biochemical pathways that cause diseases. These don’t work against viral infections due to the reason the viruses depend upon the biochemical mechanisms of the host.
Types of Diseases
We generally say we have fallen sick or have a disease the time when we feel there is something that went wrong with either one of our organs or organ system. Because of this, our normal body functioning is affected. Our body gives some signs or hints when we have a disease at a starting stage. These signs are nothing but symptoms. Some of the common symptoms include cold, headache, cough, nausea, and so on.
Diseases normally can be of two types, they are:
Acute Diseases - Acute diseases are the ones that last for either a short period of time, a day, a week, or a few weeks. For example, typhoid, Chickenpox, a common cold, and so on.
Chronic Diseases - Chronic diseases are the ones that last for a longer time or even a complete human life. For example, Cancer, HIV, and more related ones.
There can be Two Types of Immediate Causes of Diseases.
Infectious causes
If microbes happen to be the immediate cause of a disease, then they are listed under infectious causes.
Non-infectious causes
These are not caused by any infectious agents or external factors. Besides, usually, these are caused by internal factors. For example, diabetes, cancer, high/low blood pressure, and other related ones.
Prevention of Diseases
Below are a few tips for disease-free and healthy living.
Go for routine/regular checkups. This helps to diagnose the disease at its early stage, and the treatment becomes easier. Thereby, we can make sure to go for health screening tests.
Smoking affects the quality and length of a person’s life. Quitting this habit can undoubtedly improve the quality of such a person’s life and prevents their body from any further severe infections occurring.
Doing physical exercises daily keeps us active. It also energises our bodies and keeps us healthy.
A balanced diet is an essential aspect of the prevention of diseases. Consuming healthy and nutritional food keeps us fit and prevents any diseases.
Obesity is one of the greater causes of heart problems and increased cholesterol. Weight reduction can help us get rid of the risks of being ill.
Key Points on Why do We fall Ill
A few cases on why do we fall ill, reasons are listed below:
We might fall ill due to the reason we live in polluted surroundings or lack of personal hygiene.
It is so necessary to adopt certain strategies to stay healthy and prevent diseases on our own.
One should remain active by taking daily exercises.
Eating healthy food helps in the prevention of diseases.
Smoking and alcohol consumption are the two primary reasons for the deteriorating health of any individual.
Physical and mental health are just like two sides of the same coin. Any imbalance in one can immediately affect the other.
Conclusion
Being fit and happy has a huge impact on one's development, both personally and professionally. Eating proper, healthy and right food helps in keeping one fit and aids in combating diseases. Mental health always has an impact on physical health; depression may cause weight loss or loss of appetite.
FAQs on Why Do We Fall Ill? A Complete Guide for Students
1. What is the key difference between being 'healthy' and being 'disease-free' as explained in the chapter 'Why Do We Fall Ill'?
Being disease-free means you are not suffering from a specific ailment. However, being healthy is a broader state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of disease. For instance, a person might be disease-free but feel stressed and unable to function well, meaning they are not truly healthy.
2. What are acute and chronic diseases? Please provide one example for each.
Diseases are classified based on their duration.
- Acute diseases are short-lived and generally do not cause long-term damage. An example is the common cold.
- Chronic diseases are long-lasting, sometimes for a lifetime, and have significant long-term effects on health. An example is diabetes or tuberculosis.
3. What are the two primary types of causes for diseases?
The causes of diseases are broadly categorised into two main types:
- Infectious causes: These are caused by external pathogens like viruses, bacteria, fungi, or protozoa. Examples include COVID-19 and malaria.
- Non-infectious causes: These arise from internal factors and are not communicable. Examples include high blood pressure, some cancers, and genetic disorders like haemophilia.
4. What are the main ways infectious diseases spread from one person to another?
Infectious diseases spread through several primary modes of transmission:
- Through Air: Pathogens in droplets from coughs or sneezes cause airborne diseases like pneumonia.
- Through Water: Consuming contaminated water can lead to diseases like cholera.
- Through Vectors: Animals or insects like mosquitoes carry pathogens, spreading diseases such as malaria and dengue.
- Through Physical Contact: Direct contact or sharing items can spread infections like chickenpox or skin diseases.
5. What is the basic principle behind immunisation and how does it prevent illness?
The principle of immunisation relies on the 'memory' of the immune system. Vaccines introduce a weakened or inactive form of a pathogen into the body. This is not strong enough to cause disease but is sufficient to make the immune system produce antibodies. The immune system 'remembers' this specific pathogen. If a real infection occurs later, the immune system can quickly recognise and destroy it before it causes a full-blown illness.
6. How does the treatment for an infectious disease like typhoid differ from a non-infectious one like diabetes?
The treatment approach is fundamentally different. For an infectious disease like typhoid, the goal is to kill the invading pathogen, often using specific drugs like antibiotics. For a non-infectious disease like diabetes, treatment focuses on managing the symptoms and the body's internal dysfunction, often through long-term medication (like insulin), diet, and lifestyle changes, as there is no pathogen to eliminate.
7. Why can a person with a supposedly strong immune system still get sick?
Even a strong immune system can be overwhelmed. This happens for several reasons: the immune response is reactive and takes time to activate, allowing pathogens to multiply initially. Secondly, a very high exposure dose of a pathogen can overcome the body's initial defences. Finally, factors like extreme stress, poor nutrition, and lack of sleep can temporarily weaken the immune response, making a person more susceptible to illness.
8. Why are antibiotics ineffective against viral infections like the common cold?
Antibiotics are designed to disrupt specific biochemical pathways in bacteria, such as the processes they use to build a cell wall. Viruses do not have these pathways; they replicate by taking over our own host cells. Since viruses lack the targets that antibiotics attack, the drugs have no effect on them. Using antibiotics for viral infections is ineffective and contributes to antibiotic resistance.
9. Why is it said that public hygiene is as important as personal hygiene for staying healthy?
Personal hygiene protects an individual, but many diseases spread through community resources. Pathogens thrive in contaminated water, poorly disposed waste, and unclean surroundings. If public hygiene is neglected, diseases like cholera or typhoid can spread rapidly through shared water or food sources, and vector-borne diseases like malaria can increase. Therefore, a clean environment for everyone is essential to prevent large-scale outbreaks that personal cleanliness alone cannot stop.
10. Can a disease have multiple causes? Explain with an example.
Yes, a disease often has both an immediate cause and contributory causes. For example, a baby might suffer from loose motions (diarrhoea). The immediate cause is a viral or bacterial infection. However, the contributory causes could be drinking unclean water or being poorly nourished. The lack of good nourishment makes the baby's body weak and more susceptible to the infection, illustrating how different levels of causes work together to cause a disease.
