Personal hygiene culture
Compliance with hygiene requirements in the life of every person has always been a very important factor in preserving health and increasing working capacity. According to WHO, in the total set of factors that determine the state of human health (genetic factors, the level and availability of medical care, the ecological state of the environment and lifestyle), the specific weight of the latter is more than 50%. A healthy lifestyle is of particular importance in modern environmental conditions, in a situation where primary prevention of various diseases, the need to increase natural immunity and resistance to the influence of numerous adverse environmental factors is the leading task of all medical science.
The foundation of a healthy lifestyle, effective primary and secondary prevention of various diseases is personal hygiene - a set of measures aimed at preserving and strengthening health by observing hygiene requirements in everyday life and human activity.
Body hygiene, ensuring its cleanliness, skin and hair care are the oldest elements of personal hygiene. Systematic washing ensures cleanliness and normal functioning of the skin, which is very important in connection with its physiological role.
Thus, 10-20 ml of sweat is secreted through the skin in one hour. When performing heavy work and overheating, this amount can increase to 300-500 ml and above. Every day, up to 15-40 g of sebum, which includes various fatty acids, proteins and other substances, is secreted through the skin of an adult, up to 15 g of keratinized epidermis is exfoliated.
Adding lanolin to soap, which is included, in particular, in the recipe of "Children's" soap, softens the irritating effect of alkalis. Rinsing with a mixture containing acetic acid helps restore the acidic reaction of the skin, which determines its bactericidal effect.
During the production process, various dyes, therapeutic and prophylactic and disinfectants are introduced into toilet soaps, depending on their purpose and product group.
Hot (40-60 °C) soap solutions destroy 80-90% of microflora from the infected surface. To ensure a high disinfection effect, it is recommended to treat hands with soapy foam for 1.5-2 minutes after soaping, and then rinse them with warm water.
Bathing in baths has become widespread as a means of hygienic body care among the population of many countries of the world. Based on historical descriptions, people used the simplest bathhouse designs in ancient times, at the stage of primitive communal order. Baths were known to the Scythians, in Ancient India, Babylon, Egypt, Persia and other countries. Baths were especially famous in Ancient Rome, where their total number exceeded 800. Many large Roman baths (Baths of Caracalla, Diocletian) went down in history as examples of architecture and construction technology, including not only baths, but also gym and massage rooms, libraries and places of rest. The Baths of Caracalla, for example, had an area of 16 hectares and could simultaneously receive and accommodate about 3,000 people.
The main method of hygienic care of the oral cavity is to brush your teeth twice a day (in the morning and before bedtime). Brushing your teeth is necessary to destroy plaque, slow down the formation of tartar, which is one of the main factors in the development of caries and periodontal disease, eliminate bad breath, and reduce the number of microorganisms in the oral cavity, including opportunistic pathogens, for the development of which it has the necessary nutrients and favorable temperature and humidity conditions.
For mechanical teeth cleaning, special tooth powders and pastes are used. The main components of tooth powder are purified chalk and various additives. The properties of tooth powder to clean teeth and massage gums are quite high, but its main disadvantage compared to pastes is the abrasive effect on tooth enamel: The advantage of pastes, which contain significantly less chalk than tooth powders, is the possibility of creating various compositions in terms of composition, convenience and hygiene of use. The range of toothpastes includes hygienic and therapeutic and prophylactic pastes. In the formulation of therapeutic and prophylactic pastes, unlike hygienic ones, various biologically active substances are introduced into the composition of therapeutic and prophylactic pastes in order to create an anti-inflammatory, fluoride-replacing positive effect on teeth and gums: vitamins, plant extracts, mineral salts, trace elements, etc. Teeth are cleaned with special toothbrushes that differ from each other in the size of the working surface, material (made of pig bristles or synthetic fibers) and shape. It is more convenient to use brushes with a concave working surface up to 3-3.6 cm for adults and up to 2.5-3 cm for children.
A fairly effective way to keep toothbrushes clean and prevent their strong bacterial contamination is to rinse them well with running water after use and cover the working surface with soapy foam, which is easily washed off before the next use.
The increase in the population's employment in labor activities that do not require physical exertion and motor activity, the mechanization of everyday life, the development of transport and communication contribute to a decrease in energy expenditure and, in turn, an increase in neuropsychic stress, the appearance of adverse consequences of malnutrition. Under such conditions, constant physical education and sports become a very important element of personal hygiene and a healthy lifestyle for every person. The significance of these activities is diverse: they allow you to balance energy expenditure, stimulate the activity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, have a beneficial effect on the functional state of the CNS and other organs and systems, reduce the hypoxic state associated with blood stagnation in the pelvic organs, activate metabolic processes, increase the level of performance and the degree of resistance to the adverse effects of environmental factors.
The main components of physical culture are walking, running, morning hygienic gymnastics, swimming, various types of sports games and classes. The simplest types of physical culture should be engaged in by all practically healthy adults and children. Adapted physical exercises should be a mandatory element of the daily regimen for most people suffering from any chronic diseases.
Physical activity, as a rule, should be individual and based on the real state of health, age and fitness of a person.
Hardening is an increase in the body's resistance to the effects of fluctuations in air and water temperature, air humidity, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation and other physical factors of the environment. In physiological terms, hardening is considered as an adaptation achieved by prolonged training, the influence of a particular hardening factor or a complex of factors. Hardening increases the body's adaptive capabilities not only to climatic and weather factors, but also to physicochemical, biological and psychological factors, reduces sensitivity to respiratory and infectious diseases, increases performance, contributes to the formation of a positive psycho-emotional state, provides positive morphological and functional changes: thermoregulation processes become more dynamic, the barrier function of the skin increases, the epidermis thickens, and the water capacity of tissues increases.
A prerequisite for a healthy lifestyle is the rejection of
bad habits, in particular smoking, alcohol, drug use, sexual perversions, etc.
Smoking increases the content of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood, causes tissue hypoxia, negatively affects the functions of the stomach and endocrine glands, blood vessels, teeth, oral cavity, impairs memory and attention, reduces mental performance. The average life expectancy of smokers is 5-7 years shorter than that of non-smokers.
Having appeared in the early stages of the emergence of human society, clothing has undergone significant evolution.
Currently, the following layers are considered the main components of a clothing package: underwear (1st layer), suits and dresses (2nd layer) and outerwear (3rd layer).
By purpose and nature of use, clothing is distinguished: everyday household (including children's), professional (facewear), sports, military, hospital, ceremonial, etc.
Everyday household clothing includes the following hygienic requirements:
• Provide an optimal microclimate under clothing and contribute to the establishment of thermal comfort for a person.
• Do not hinder breathing, blood circulation and human movement, do not displace or compress internal organs and parts of the musculoskeletal system.
• Be strong enough, easy to clean from external and internal contaminants.
• Do not contain toxic impurities that are released into the environment, do not have physical and chemical properties that adversely affect the skin and the human body as a whole.
Footwear must meet the following general hygienic requirements:
• Have low thermal conductivity, provide an optimal microclimate of the shoe space and its good ventilation.
• Be comfortable to use, do not disrupt blood supply, growth and formation of musculoskeletal elements of the foot, do not hinder movements during walking, physical education and during work operations.
• Provide protection of the foot from adverse physical, chemical and biological influences.
• Do not release into the interior space of the shoe chemicals in concentrations that can have an adverse effect (skin irritant, allergic, etc.) on the skin of the foot and the body as a whole in real operating conditions.
• Correspond to age, gender and other physiological characteristics of the body.
• Be easy to clean and dry, retain the original shape and hygienic properties for a long time.
The hygienic properties of shoes depend on the material from which they are made, the correspondence of the dimensions to the foot configuration, design features, and performance qualities.