Author Question: Compare and discuss factors you can control and factors you cannot control to prevent the onset of ... (Read 170 times)

jhjkgdfhk

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 569
Compare and discuss factors you can control and factors you cannot control to prevent the onset of disease.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

If pathogenic microorganisms are all around us, including in the air, on surfaces, and even on our own skin, explain why we don't all develop new infectious diseases every day.
 
  What will be an ideal response?



sailorcrescent

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 334
Answer to Question 1

Answer: Heredity cannot be controlled; once you are conceived, your genetic composition and family history have been determined. Likewise, you cannot control your age.
The majority of our environmental conditions are beyond our control, such as global warming and natural disasters (although we can control our response to these factors by being aware and prepared).
The development of resistant organisms is beyond our control. We can reduce our personal risk by taking antibiotics only when necessary (not for viral infections) and by completing all antibiotic therapies as directed.

The factors we can control have the greatest impact on our overall healththe behavioral factors:
 Control stress. We cannot eliminate stressors, but we can control our responses to stressors, thus decreasing the effects of chronic stress such as obesity, heart disease, and decreased immunity.
 Eat a healthy diet, be physically fit, and be well-rested.
 Limit/avoid high-risk behaviors such as using and abusing legal or illegal drug substances, including tobacco and alcohol, mixing drinking and driving, and having unprotected sex.
 Practice good personal hygiene, including good hand-washing practices.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: Three conditions must be present at the same time to develop disease from exposure to a microorganism.
1) The agent must be able to transmit the pathogen. In other words, there must be contactthrough broken skin, inhalation, and so forthbetween the pathogen and the interior of the human body. Skin, for example, is the body's first defense: pathogens can gain entry to the body via cut or burned skin, but are not able to gain entry in a person with intact skin.
2) The host must be susceptible; that is, vulnerable in some way to the infection. Most obviously, the host's body temperature, chemistry, and cellular make-up must be hospitable to the pathogen involved. This explains why, for example, a certain type of influenza that is pathogenic in dogs may not be pathogenic in humans. Moreover, within any given community, some people have a strong immune system, whereas othersincluding the very young, the very old, pregnant women, and people who are illhave a compromised immune system unable to destroy the pathogen before it replicates to cause disease.
3) The environment must allow for the pathogen's survival. Factors such as temperature, light, and moisture must be hospitable to the pathogen. Pathogenic microorganisms in contaminated foods cannot reproduce in your freezer, for example, but can replicate quickly in the same food left out on your kitchen counter.



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question


 

Did you know?

The immune system needs 9.5 hours of sleep in total darkness to recharge completely.

Did you know?

Dogs have been used in studies to detect various cancers in human subjects. They have been trained to sniff breath samples from humans that were collected by having them breathe into special tubes. These people included 55 lung cancer patients, 31 breast cancer patients, and 83 cancer-free patients. The dogs detected 54 of the 55 lung cancer patients as having cancer, detected 28 of the 31 breast cancer patients, and gave only three false-positive results (detecting cancer in people who didn't have it).

Did you know?

It is believed that humans initially contracted crabs from gorillas about 3 million years ago from either sleeping in gorilla nests or eating the apes.

Did you know?

As of mid-2016, 18.2 million people were receiving advanced retroviral therapy (ART) worldwide. This represents between 43–50% of the 34–39.8 million people living with HIV.

Did you know?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released reports detailing the deaths of infants (younger than 1 year of age) who died after being given cold and cough medications. This underscores the importance of educating parents that children younger than 2 years of age should never be given over-the-counter cold and cough medications without consulting their physicians.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library