17_Health_and_healthcare

Health and healthcare

So, health is probably the most important and the most precious thing in our lives. Health can‘t be bought or exchanged for money, so the only thing that we can do is try to protect it as best as we can.

Health is officially defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. It’s a condition when we don’t have any illnesses, physical as well as mental.

Health and healthcare has developed a lot during the centuries. Especially during the last one, the health of the European population has getting better. Now, we live longer than in the past which is due to good medical care, new modern medicine, for example new ways of treatment. It’s possible to diagnose many diseases in their early phase and also rise the chances of the complete recovery. The life expectancy is longer also thanks to the facts that we have healthier diet than before, we exercise more and also relax, we follow better hygiene and also preventive measures, such as minimizing unheaůthy personal habits like smoking, drug and alkohol abuse.

Despite all of these things, there are also new dangers - such as AIDS and other mutant viruses, social diseases and unhealthy lifestyle that causes for example allergies or obesity.

Because many diseases are caused or influenced by the way of living, we should try to follow healthy lifestyle.

I think lifestyle has changed a lot in the last few years. People now try to improve their lifestyle, they do more physical activity than before, they try to eat better food and they really care about what their diet. Food is the important part of healthy lifestyle. It should be balanced and varied. Our diet should contain all basic food types – proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. On the other hand, we should avoid sweets, especially rafinated sugar, animal oil, white-flour pastry and other unhealthy food, especially fried and fat food. We should also drink about 2 litres of water every day, but it shouldn’t be coffee, alcohol, juices or lemonades.

But healthy lifestyle isn’t only about the food, it’s also about living an active life. The exercising should be periodical, at least three times a week. You should find some relaxing and enjoyable activity. And even if you don’t have time to do some sport, you can for example walk instead of taking a bus or driving a car.

It’s also important to have a plenty of good sleep - at least 7 hours a day. You should also have an active rest between activities during the day.

And avoiding stress is also helpful. You should do the important things on time, speak about your problems, do the activities that you like and have an occasional day off.

Smoking is not allowed in the healthy lifestyle.

If you follow these rules, it should be a prevention against diseases like cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cancer, obesity or tiredness.

But when we feel sick or fall ill we should go to see a doctor. Health facilities in our country are either state or private. In the state facilities you don’t pay any charges, only the regulation fee which is 30 crowns. It’s for example your general practicioner, who should be the first doctor you visit when you have some problem. In the private facilities usually work specialists, who are doctors well educated in some specific branch of medicine. The private surgeries are usually better equipped thanks to the charges you pay there and you also have to make an appointment because there are a lot of pacients waiting for a medical Cheb-up.