Preventive Medicine

A preventive Guidelines


(Health File)
Dr.S.K.Satpathy,MD.FCCP,MB,Ex.Jt.Director ,SAIL,Rourkela.Orissa
If you ask me which are the most neglected organ in our body?
The answer will be the liver, sole of the foot and the eyes.

We will start with liver:
Liver is a huge organ weighing around 1.5 kg in a normal adult. Unless it is grossly damaged it can function with out any problems. From morning till evening what ever we eat has to pass through the liver, be it alcohol, or cold drinks, or colored items or bacteria and virus. It has tremendous capacity to take a load and regenerate. In recent years the load to liver has increased in the form of junk food, alcohol, adulterated food stuffs, contaminated food, and virus infection due to sexual activities and drug addictions. Once liver gets damaged then it is very difficult to repair by the body.
So children it’s your liver you have to protect it no one else. Be careful about Hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’ virus both are transmitted through sex and drugs taken through contaminated needles.

Sole of the foot: Imagine an athlete has to run in the finals of an Olympic event but he has a corn in little finger. All his four years efforts are gone. Many of us never look at our sole of the foot, for that reason many diabetic patients lose a finger or a foot. You must make a habit of keeping your feet clean, crake free and soft. If your socks are dirty, or you have a ill fitting shoes then you are inviting problems. Clean your socks and hanky daily (do not ask you maid or mammy to do it for you)and check the shoe before you wear it, there may be a small stone or pin inside which will injure your foot. Remember we depend on our feet to stand on the ground, drive a bike, or cycle or car. So from tomorrow on wards your face and your feet should get priorities in cleaning and care.

Eyes: When I was a student out of hundred students in school one or two used glasses in class for reading purpose. In colleges the percentage wise it was around 3 to 4%.In medical college it was around 6 to 8%. Now I feel so depressed to see four year old nursery school children wearing glasses!! Why so? Was it that the previous generation was not reading? Yes there was no TV no computers no mobiles no computer games .When I asked the ophthalmologist why this sudden deterioration of eyes in children? In spite of going in to the root cause they say it’s because of technical advancement that we are able to diagnose early eye problems.The problem lies with some thing else not with the children. Doctors do not like to talk about preventive measures but they are more interested for treatment so that their business florist. The main reason for the eye problem in children are--1,viewing TV from a short distance2.Improper light arrangements in room3.watching TV from a lying down position4.In dark rooms5.Improper height of TV6.Toomuch computer games on small screens.7.less of green vegetables.8.Hardly looking at natural things ie: trees ,flowers, grass, or any green natural objects.9.Reading books with improper lighting arrangements(students do not use reading lamps now a day, they are out dated.)10. Eyes are not getting proper care and nutrition.

Every parent want to have a child who is physically fit with good eye sight. Losing your contact lenses at crucial hour is a horrifying experience so children please take care of your self specially these three what I have enumerated in this heath care programme.