health and diseases

Health and Diseases

Introduction

A balanced diet and clean surrounding are necessary for good health. When in good health, our organs function well. Our physical and mental strength increases.

Deficiency diseases

The lack of some constituents of food in our diet can cause certain diseases. Theses are known as deficiency diseases.

             

Diseases caused due to deficiency of vit A

}Night-blindness: Some people can see clearly during the day, but in dim light , they are not able to see quite clearly. This is called Night-blindness.

}Treatment: Include leafy vegetables, ripe yellow vegetables, carrots, papayas, and

   milk in diet.

Diseases caused due to deficiency of vitamin B-

}Beriberi: In this disease redness of the tongue, roughness of the skin occurs.

}Treatment: Include  pulses, leafy

 vegetables, and milk in diet.

Disease caused by deficiency of vit C-

}Scurvy: Deficiency of vitamin C causes Scurvy.

} Vitamin C is required for the growth of the body and for our joints, bones, teeth, gums, etc. 

}Scurvy is mainly a children’s disease. It causes weakness in the baby’s limbs. The baby has pain and becomes irritable.

}Treatment: include amla, lemons,

   oranges, and sprouts in the diet.

Disease caused by deficiency of vit D- 

}Rickets: deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets in young children

}Bending of the bones of the legs, bending of the back occurs in children.

}Treatment: Expose the body to the early morning sun. Include milk, shark-liver and cod-liver  oil in the diet.

Deficiency of calcium-

}A deficiency of calcium makes our bones brittle and causes our teeth to wear away.

}Treatment: milk, wheat, leafy vegetables, cabbage, carrots, oranges, almonds, salmon and sardines etc.

Deficiency of phosphorous

}Lack of phosphorous causes loss of weight, or stunted growth.

Treatment: Cereals like wheat, bajra, corn, dals like udid and moong, egg yolk milk and leafy vegetales contain phosphorous.

Deficiency of iron

}Iron is necessary for producing red blood corpuscles. Women need more iron when they are pregnant.

}A deficiency of iron causes anaemia. An anaemic person becomes tired easily.

}Treatment: Wheat, jaggery, green leafy vegetables, dates are rich source of iron.

Deficiency of iodine

}Iodine is very important for our body. Iodine is an important constituent of thyroxine.

}Lack of iodine stunts growth. Also, the growth of the thyroid gland becomes irregular. This disorder is called goitre.

}Treatment: People with goitre are advised to use iodised salt.