Clean body and apparel are very important for keeping one's self in good health and free from infections and disease. The important aspect of this is understanding what one needs to do and why- if one understands the rationale behind the actions recommended, it is easier for a person to accept them. This method based on reason, and on cause and effect, works specially well with children.
1) Keeping the body clean : The best way to clean the body is to clean it with water. If you have facilities and plenty of water, you should have a bath or else wipe your body with a cloth dipped in water- called a sponge bath. Quite often this method is used for those who are sick. Healthy, normal skin should be washed regularly with mild soap and water to remove grease, perspiration and dirt. In the West, there are two ways of doing this- one is a bath which means that you fill a large tub with water and get into it for washing your body. While it is a very relaxing way to clean your body, the bath water does become a receptacle for the dirt washed from the body, instead of its being washed away- and in addition it is a nuisance to clean the tub. The other is what is called a shower. In this, water falls on you as a spray from a contraption either high above you, or one that you can hold in your hand. This is very much like our general style of bathing in which we pour water on the body with a mug or stand under the tap. Water falls on you and washes the dirt away from you. Depending upon your choice the water can be either warm or cold. No matter what method of bathing or temperature of water is used, all soap should be thoroughly rinsed off the skin. Unless specially prescribed by your doctor, medicated or germicidal soaps should not be used, since many cause irritation. The body should be dried with a fluffy towel. Bath towels should not be shared to avoid infection.
Having a bath in the morning is almost a ritual for us but having a bath before going to bed at night is not common. Depending upon the weather and the facilities, if one has to choose between a morning bath and one at the end of the day, the one at the end of the day makes much more sense-you wash off all the perspiration and the dirt you acquire during the day, before getting into clean night clothes and into bed where you will be for the next 8 hours or so. This is particularly significant for children. Morning bath of course is good for improving the muscle tone of the skin and to make you feel wide awake. If you can afford to have a bath or a shower both morning and evening, it is the best.
2) Cleanliness of hands, feet and nails : Disease germs can enter the body only in a limited number of ways. One of these is through the skin. The skin is a protective covering which, when broken, can admit harmful bacteria or viruses easily. Simple precautions are very effective in minimising this. Hands and feet come into contact with the agents of contamination more than any other parts of the body. Therefore they should be washed whenever they have been exposed to din before preparing or handling food or drinks, before eating, and after using the lavatory. Soap and water are essential for this washing. Since the hands tend to get dirty several times a day, it is good to use a moisturizing cream or lotion on the skin of the hands after each wash to prevent a dry skin.
We would like to specially emphasis the care of the feet. In our country, most of us wear some kind of an open footwear if not, none at all. The reason is partly the climate in a major part of the country being tropical, you feel more comfortable with open footwear most of the year round. It is also economical - they are cheaper 10 buy. Anyway, the result of wearing open shoes in a large number of cases is development of calluses on the heels- hard and thick skin with cracks in it. This not only looks dirty and ugly, but it can be a source of pain and infection. The simplest is not to allow calluses lo develop. This can he ensured by scabbing the soles of your feet, particularly the heels, with something which can have a scrubbing action, every time you have a bath. Pumice is a good stone for this. This also means you should have a low stool in your bathroom lo sit upon and scrub your heels. Once you do this regularly it becomes a habit and you are likely to feel unclean if you don't do it. There are special creams and ointment available to remove calluses.
Nails are extensions of the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin. What we see of the nails is really a dead tissue, called keratin, hut it originates in cells that are very much alive.You can feel the pain in this live part of the nail if your nail breaks close to its roots. Nails should be kept short so that nothing accumulates under them. One should make a special effort to clean under nails while washing hands. This can be done with an old tooth brush. Some of the problems associated with nails are the result of too much manicuring. To ensure healthy and clean toe nails, feet should be soaked in warm water once a day and nails cleaned with brush and soap water. Infection or injury of the tissue at the base of a fingernail may cause its surface to become rigid or to split. Inflammation of the finger joints in case of arthritis can also result in nail deformity. Brittleness of the nails can be caused by chemicals in polish removers, soaps and detergents. It is also a natural consequence of aging. A nail that is polished right down to the base prevents its live tissues from 'breathing' which is not conducive for a healthy nail. Nail polish should therefore not be used all the time.
3) Cleaning mouth and teeth : The condition of the various parts of your mouth, i.e., the tongue, teeth and gums, reveals much about the health habits of the individual -pan and tobacco stains speak for themselves. Halitosis or offensive mouth odour is indicative of poor oral hygiene. The foul smell is primarily a result of cell decay, and the odours are characteristic of the growth of some microorganisms. Halitosis can also result from infected or diseased gums, decaying teeth, or oral tumours.
An attractive smile is often the first thing one notices about others. In addition to creating an attractive appearance, healthy teeth and gums are a basic requirement for over all good health. For good oral sanitation one should brush one's teeth every coming and before going to sleep at night. Brushing teeth in the morning is a ritual with most of us but not brushing before going to bed, which is also very important because, hopefully, your mouth remains shut while you sleep i.e., for approximately 7-8 hours. This causes decay of whatever is stuck to your teeth or to the gums, and allows bacteria to grow during sleep causing decomposition as well as a foul smell. You prevent all this by brushing your teeth just before going to bed and after you are sure you are not going to eat or drink any more. This brushing is in addition to brushing your teeth in the morning. After each meal and particularly after eating sweets, it is important to rinse your mouth well.
The digestive process begin in the mouth where saliva breaks down some food into simpler components, and the teeth and tongue start the mechanical breakdown. Disorders of the teeth therefore can interfere with proper chewing and should be brought to the attention of dentist. Poor eating habits are in turn reflected in the conditions of the teeth. Abnormalities of the teeth should be attended to by a dentist. Correction methods are available for conditions such as buck teeth or irregular teeth which mar a persons appearance as well. These measures should be implemented as early in children and young people as the dentist recommends.
4) care of Hair : Hair originates in tiny sacs Or follicles deep in the dermis layer of skin tissue. Hair follicles are closely connected to the glands, secrete oil to the scalp and give hair its natural sheen. The texture of the hair differs among individuals and also among the different races- It also differs from one pan of the body to another. In some areas it may be soft and downy; in tough and bristly. Hair texture also differs between the sexes- Properly cared hair looks clean, shiny and alive. Hair should be washed Once a week. Oily hair may need washing more often. Most shampoos contain nothing more than soap or detergent and a perfuming agent, and no shampoo can restore the natural oils to the hair at the same time that it washes it. Therefore claims of shampoo manufacturers need not be taken too seriously. No matter what kind of soap or detergent you use, a thorough rinsing of hair is essential to eliminate any deposits of soap left over. If the water you use is hard, a detergent shampoo is more easily rinsed off than one containing soap. Drying hair in sunlight or letting them dry on their own is more satisfactory than rubbing them dry with a towel. Gentle brushing during drying reactivates the natural oils that give hair its shine. Brushing in general is excellent for the appearance of the hair. Both comb and brush however should be washed and kept clean regularly.
Under normal combing, brushing and shampooing a person looses anywhere from 25 to 100 hairs a day but because new hair grow each day, the loss and replacement usually balance each other. When however, the loss rate is greater than the replacement rate, thinning and baldness result. Baldness is basically related to sex, age and heredity, but bacterial or fungal infections, allergic reactions to particular medicines, radiation, or continual friction may also cause baldness. Constant stress from hair curlers or tightly pulled hair styles can cause loss of hair. These forms of baldness, however, disappear when the cause is eliminated. Poor nutrition can result in hair that is dry, dull and brittle. Serious illness can lead to hair loss as well. Women ordinarily lose some of their hair at the end of pregnancy, after delivery and during meriopause, but it often grows back.
Dandruff is a condition in which the scalp begins to itch and flake a few days after the hair has been washed. There is no evidence that the problem is related to germ infection. There are medicines that control it but it cannot be cured totally.
The average male removes (shaves) hair from at least part of his face once a day. Feminine shaving practices are however a recent phenomena. It is a part of body cleanliness and good grooming for women as well as men to remove hair from the arm pits as often as twice a week. Since wet hair is much easier to cut, the most effective time to shave the arm pits is during or immediately after a bath. Sycosis or barber's itch is a bacterial infection of the hair follicles of the beard. It is accompanied by inflammation, itching, and the formation of pus-filled pimples. Doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat it. One should not share shaving equipment to avoid such infections.
5) Care of Eyes and Ears : The eye performs two major functions- it transforms light energy into vision, and it focuses i.e., the structure of the eye transforms the incoming rays of light into vision. The outer layers of the eye, and the fluids in them are a protection for the delicate parts inside. Tears provide the moisture for lubricating the movement of the eyeballs, and also act as disinfectants for the eyes. Tears contain a mild germicide called lysozyme that kills bacteria and other harmful microorganisms. All infections or injuries to the eye should be immediately attended to. In case of small children the eyes should be protected from insects and flies.'In case of an infection if the eyelids are stuck together because of mucous secretion, wash with boric acid lotion (one teaspoon of boric acid in two cups of boiled water). Keep the patient away from others and isolate his towels and other linen, and do not send a child with such infection to school. Eye strains with symptoms of fatigue, redness and a scratchy feeling in the eye lids should be reported to an eye specialist.
Eyes, specially of school age children, should be examined periodically to detect and treat defects if any. It is very important to have adequate lighting for reading, sewing or any other work which needs close attention. The light should come from behind and fall on the object of work with no shadows. While writing there should be no shadow of the hand or the pen. The light should be strong enough for comfort but not dazzling. While watching television make sure the picture is in sharp focus and sit at least six feet away from the screen. Make sure the room is not in total darkness. Improper lighting and too much watching of television is a common cause of eye strain particularly among young children.
Ears give us the sense of hearing and the sense of balance. This is made possible by two special types of sense receptors within the tunnels and chambers of the ear. The major parts of the ear consist of the auditory canal, middle ear, and the inner ear. Nerve impulses for the brain are stimulated by sound waves from which the brain forms meaningful noise such as speech. The structures that give us balance are deep inside the ear. The ear is also connected to the throat through a tunnel between the middle ear and the throat. Because of this any infection of the throat, if neglected, eventually affects the ears as well. One often feels itching in the inner ear at the onset of a throat infection.
Any infection of the ear and any discharge from it, should be promptly attended to. Ear ache is one of the most common complaints of childhood.
Bacterial infection of the middle ear is often its cause and should be immediately attended to by a doctor. Till you reach a doctor !he ache may be relieved by applying a heating pad to the ear and with aspirin. Babies with discomfort in the ear often tug at their earlobes.
Hearing results from the perception of sound waves whose loudness can be measured, in decibels and whose highness or lowness of pitch can be measured by their frequency in cycles per second. Normal hearing means the ability to hear the spoken voice in a relatively quiet room at a distance of about 18 feet. How well a person hears can be tested by an audiometer which measures decibels and frequency of sound. A very common cause of hearing deficiency is an excessive accumulation of wax in the auditory canal where it is normally secreted. By getting this removed hearing returns to normal. Do not put inside the ear rigid or pointed objects for cleaning out this wax. You could put a drop of warm oil or a drop of glycerine. It will soften the wax and bring it to the surface from where it can be removed by syringing or a tiny swab of cotton wrapped round a thin piece of stick like the Johnson's buds.
Deafness at birth or in a very young baby is a very difficult problem- it is not easy to detect. You need to be very observant and watchful to be able to do so. Since hearing is important for development of speech, such deafness, if not detected, impairs speech as well. Any doubts about the baby's ability to hear should be immediately brought to the doctor's attention.
Very loud sounds can not only cause pain in the ear, they can also damage the ear drum. We must protect ourselves and specially children from loud noises. Loud disco music is risky for the ears and so is the constant loud sound of machinery that some workers are subjected to.
6) Care of External Genitals : Cleanliness of the sexual organs is even more important than that of the other parts of the body partly because of their proximity to the anus and the urethra where bacterial contamination can be high. Every time one uses the toilet this part of the body must be cleaned well with water. In the case of uncircumcised male organ it is important to retract the foreskin in the bath and wash the secretions that collect underneath. If this is not done the collection of secretions will get affected by bacteria and cause irritation. In the case of females the vulva should be washed well every time a toilet is used. During menstruation it is more important to have regular and frequent baths. While washing yourself after fecal discharge care should be taken not to infect the vulva with the fecal matter. Thorough washing is essential.
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