Infectious Diseases, Healthy Habits, and Substance Dependence

Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment

Infections can be treated with antiseptics, which kill microorganisms but can only be applied to the skin's surface. Antibiotics are substances that selectively attack bacteria and can be ingested or injected. Penicillin was the first known antibiotic. The English physician Jenner invented vaccines, which involve injecting small amounts of dead or fragmented pathogens.

Healthy Habits

• Eat in moderation at least three times a day, always including breakfast.
• Eat a balanced diet with the appropriate proportion of nutrients.
• Sleep eight hours a day.
• Exercise moderately to maintain muscle tone.
• Maintain a proper weight for your age, sex, and build.
• Practice proper hygiene.
• Avoid snuff, alcohol, and other drugs.
• Avoid risky and reckless behaviors.

Exercise

Exercise is necessary to maintain or improve overall health and maintain muscle tone.

Food and Nutrients

Nutrients are food components that become the materials of our body. They are classified into six groups:

• Water: The medium through which other substances are dissolved.
• Minerals: Involved in the formation of bones and teeth.
• Biocatalysts: Control most of the processes and chemical reactions in the body.
• Carbohydrates: Provide instant energy.
• Lipids: Energy reserves and components of some cellular structures.
• Proteins: Make up the bulk of the cellular material of all tissues.

Ergonomics, Anthropometry, and Biomechanics

Ergonomics studies the adaptation of the workplace to the worker. Anthropometry studies the measures and proportions of the human body. Anthropometric values depend on age, sex, race, and historical time. Biomechanics studies the range of motion of different body parts.

Drugs and Neurotransmitters

The brain works by analyzing information from the senses and creating models of the world. Neurotransmitters play a major role in transmitting this information. Drugs, both legal and illegal, are chemicals that enhance or inhibit the action of neurotransmitters, which may affect the mechanism of the synapse.

Drugs and Abstinence Syndrome

Regular drug consumption generates tolerance, as the body adapts and requires a higher dose each time. Eventually, dependence develops, which can be of two types:

• Physical dependence: Results from the body's adaptation to the drug. Withdrawal occurs if the blood level of psychoactive substances decreases.
• Psychic dependence: The desire to consume drugs, either to experience euphoria or increased sociability.

Alcoholism: A Legal Drug

Alcohol is the most consumed drug in our sociocultural environment. It results in progressive numbness and depression of nerve centers, especially those responsible for self-control.