Author: Yuliya Shneyderman

We require air to survive, but a lot of human activity has contributed to air pollution. This can be indoors air pollution and outdoor air pollution – these usually come from slightly different sources.

Outdoor air pollutants include exhaust from automobiles, heat and power generation, emissions from manufacturing plants, and so on. Read about major pollutants here – https://www.who.int/airpollution/ambient/pollutants/en/. Be sure to click through all of the pollutant types on the bottom of the page.

These pollutants have a harmful effect on human health, including lung health, headaches, cardiovascular disease, and even outcomes of pregnancy. Read more here https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution/index.cfm.

You can check the air quality index here https://airnow.gov/ and be aware that heat makes poor air quality effects worse. If you have asthma or other lung problems or if you like to exercise outdoors, check the air quality index, especially on very hot days.

The environment describes all external factors that affect us – thus environmental health is the idea that these factors can influence our health, for better or worse. There is the social environment, or the people around us, and the physical environment, or all external physical factors that affects us. This can be the air we breathe, the water we drink, the neighborhoods we live in, and even the laws and policies that structure our lives.

How can a neighborhood impact our health? Try this interactive activity to find out – https://unnaturalcauses.org/interactivities_03.php. Do you live in a healthy neighborhood? New York City has been surveying and writing about its neighborhoods for several years – looks up yours here.

The kinds of toxins and pathogens we are exposed to may be a product of our environment. That is, if we live in cities with higher air pollution, or geographic locations where certain animals that carry diseases proliferate, we may be more likely exposed to these diseases. For example, you can look at maps of where cases of West Nile virus happen here – https://wwwn.cdc.gov/arbonet/Maps/ADB_Diseases_Map/index.html

Other environmental factors are built environment – roads, buildings, parks, and so on. Things like availability of bike lanes may help people reach their recommended levels of physical activity. Other things like the presence of lead paint in a home with small children can be detrimental to people’s health – the NYC report on lead levels is here https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/lead/lead-quarterly-report.pdf

One view of medical care is that if something is wrong, you can go to the doctor to get better. The medical definition of health is often just the absence of a particular disease.

However, there is another view of health and wellness – this is the view that sees wellness as a combination of several dimensions, and sees the interaction of the person and their environment. In this view, we not only want to cure an illness, we want to prevent it from happening if possible.

We can think of prevention as a behavior that eliminates or lowers the chances that a disease will happen in the first place (primary), or behaviors that lead to a disease being discovered early and thus treated early (secondary).

Examples of primary prevention are vaccination, wearing condoms, putting on sunscreen and hand washing. Examples of secondary prevention are Pap smears, mammograms, and other screening tests.

Here are a few more ideas for preventing disease – https://www.nih.gov/health-information/disease-prevention-toolkit.

We already know the definition of conventional healthcare. Anything that falls outside the realm of conventional care is considered to be complementary or alternative care. You may also see the term integrative health. Read about the differences here – https://nccih.nih.gov/health/integrative-health.

There are several types of complementary or CAM approaches.

Natural products includes various products like herbs, dietary supplements, probiotics and so on. These tend to be the most common CAM practices that people try.

Mind and body practices include things like yoga, meditation, massage, chiropractic practices and so on.

Some CAM practices can be considered their own medical system. Examples include Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, homeopathy and others. These systems have their own philosophies about what causes health and disease, often incorporating a belief in some kind of vital force like qi, and will likely contain a large number of different types of treatments. These systems are often considered holistic, because they think of the person as inextricable linked to a vital force that connects them to the environment, and because the body, mind and spirit are closely connected.

Traditional Chinese Medicine includes practices like acupuncture, massage, herbal remedies, and several other components.

Ayurvedic medicine is one of the oldest systems of medicine still practiced in the world. It came from India and contains several practices like yoga, meditation, herbal and natural products, diet and so on.

Homeopathy is a holistic system which was developed in Germany about 200 years ago. Treatments mainly consist of highly diluted remedies.

Before you decide to use any of these practices, consider whether they are safe for you to use and whether they are effective – https://nccih.nih.gov/health/safety and https://nccih.nih.gov/health/decisions/consideringcam.htm.

You’ve decided to go see a doctor or other healthcare provider. Maybe it’s just time for a check-up. Maybe you are not feeling well. Whatever the reason, here are some ideas to make the most out of your visit.

Think about your reason for the visit, prepare ahead of time, try to focus on what brought you in – https://www.npr.org/2019/07/03/738497630/how-to-get-the-best-from-your-doctor.

Learn how to ask questions! Sometimes the visits are short, and you forget to ask something you wanted to know about. Try to write down your questions before the visit so that doesn’t happen. Some sample questions are here – https://www.ahrq.gov/patients-consumers/patient-involvement/ask-your-doctor/index.html.

If you are nervous about something, it may be helpful to bring someone with you to the visit. Having two sets of ears can help you to remember some of the important things your doctor may tell you. You can also take notes during your visit, especially if you are getting a prescription, the doctor is sending you for a test or procedure, or they tell you something unfamiliar.

As a patient, you have certain rights. In general, you have the right to get medical care if you need it, and to refuse specific kinds of care. You have the right to an informed decision – that is, your healthcare providers should tell you your diagnosis, the risks and benefits of possible treatments, and the success rate of a treatment if there is a known one. You have the right to privacy of your medical information and the right to view your medical records.