Health & Healing

Shruti Singhal

Health is the most basic requirement for us to carry out any function – whether it is an internal function of the human body or an external one carried out by humans. We need and strive for good health in order to lead a good life. For this, we need nutritious food, clean water and air, safe shelter, meaningful work, a sense of family or community, proper exercise and adequate rest, on a daily basis. The World Health Organization defines human health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition hints at the need for all of the above factors and more, for the health of our body, mind and spirit.

This project aims to provide a holistic understanding of health for primary, secondary and high school levels. Five sessions or days should be scheduled for discussions on the following topics. The class teacher could moderate these sessions with assistance from teachers of other subjects, if required.

Health versus wellness
Ask students what health means, hinting at the differences between good and bad health. Differentiate between illness and disease (often caused by the contamination of our air, water and food) and injury and accident. Can health include emotional and mental aspects? (Keep in mind WHO’s definition of health.)

Wellness, on the other hand, is the answer or a conscious effort towards a healthy life. As young individuals, what do they need to live a healthy life? Is playing a sport regularly enough or do they need to do more? What are the risks that modern, urban lifestyles have created for health and wellness? Can these be differentiated into physical, emotional and mental factors?

Explain the rise in popularity in some practises like yoga and meditation, recycling and reusing, growing and gardening, reducing and composting, among adults. Can these be thought of as adult hobbies? Ask students if they think hobbies are important. Why do we say ‘invest’ time with hobbies, rather than ‘spend’ time?

In pursuit of better health
This session could be made more interesting with inputs from teachers of mathematics and science. It could be divided into two sessions.

Session 1
Teachers of both subjects could take turns to explain nutrition. What are some essential nutrients a human being needs? (Proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, fats and water) The mathematics teacher could assist in demonstrating and explaining the importance of balance. What happens if we consume one nutrient more than another? Introduce the concept of calories. Does a cheeseburger have the same amount of calories and quality of nutrients as a salad? What happens if you add too much dressing to a salad?

For higher classes, further classification of the nutrients could be done. Students could be asked the difference between trans fats and healthy fats, obesity and malnutrition. The calculation of Body-Mass Index (BMI) could show how numbers play a role in understanding health.

Once students express an understanding of the elements of the food they eat, they should be asked about the sources of their food. This session could be presented as a survey.

Activity
The teachers could prepare the questions beforehand and give printed copies to the students.

What is the indicator of ‘quality’ in our food or water? Where is it grown or bred? How is it manufactured and by whom? Can animals have illnesses or diseases just like humans? What happens to us if we eat an animal that was sick before it was killed (refer to the frequent occurrences of bird flu)?

Teachers should assist students in finding the answers to these questions, while discussing the arguments against the use of pesticides and their relation to a rise in organic farming.

It would be useful to make students aware that some cultures and ideologies in India and around the world condemn foods that involve harm to any living organism. Vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise as people begin to question the sources and processes involved in the food they eat.

Students of primary and middle school classes could be asked to closely monitor their foods – fruits, vegetables, milk and water. They should ask and answer questions like – where the food comes from, what a contamination would look like, how impurities can be removed, etc. Is it possible for us to produce and consume everything organic (organic textile industry)?

High school students could have a more hands-on learning experience. They could try to grow a few plants and some simple vegetables under the supervision of an adult. Once they are confident, they could attempt composting and use the compost as manure for their gardens.

Session 2
While the previous session focused on achieving an understanding about the quality of food for individual consumption, this session will address public food and health concerns. The presence of the science and economics teachers would be valuable for this session.

Introduce students to the concepts and implications of hunger, malnutrition and starvation. What happens to the human body without food and water? How long can it function without these elements?

Differentiate between hunger as a cause and hunger as an effect. While the former is caused by lack and negligence (poverty), the latter is largely a means of protest (strike); and both are social as well as political issues. Elucidate hunger protests from examples in Indian history – the fasts of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Mahatma Gandhi, and recent history – Irom Sharmila.

Now discuss some measures that successive Indian governments have attempted towards public health. Explain that the state of a nation’s public health is the reflection of its economy, which is nothing but the nation’s financial health. Differentiate between the private and public health sectors, a hospital and a PHC (Primary Health Centre). Who are the most vulnerable sections of our nation, financially as well as physically? Tell students about some government policies like mid-day meals in schools and more recent interventions like Amma Canteens or Indira Canteens in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka respectively. Further discuss Aarogyasri and the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana in view of free health services and health insurance. Organize a field visit to the nearest PHC where students can have first-hand knowledge of the implementation of these services. Students should be encouraged to interact with the PHC staff, patients and residents of the area to understand their perceptions. The teachers should later help put things in perspective for the students.

The session should also introduce students to public health campaigns that helped create awareness about polio vaccinations, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Ask students why wearing a helmet or seatbelt has become mandatory in some cities. Have they noticed the anti-smoking messages before film screenings or “No Smoking” posters in public places? Why are these measures mandated? How does the government ensure that these are followed?

Younger students could be asked to work in groups and collate examples of public health campaigns across media (like newspaper and television advertisements, public service announcements on radio, messages on billboards, etc). They should also look for events such as marathons, talks or plays built around creating and increasing awareness about health and wellness. Why are these campaigns often presented by celebrities like actors or sportspersons? How can the presence of a celebrity sometimes hamper the objective of a campaign? Discuss what goes into the building of a successful campaign.

Older students could be asked to organize a blood donation drive. Teachers could guide the students but ensure that they do most of the groundwork themselves. Students should work together to arrive at answers for some of these questions – which hospital or blood bank they would contact; where the donation drive would be conducted; how they would inform prospective donors; what other logistics they would need to take care of, and so forth.

Early to bed, early to rise
This session will require the assistance of the physical education teacher.

While sport, exercise and fitness are imperative for the body, so are rest and recovery. A balance between work and play, attention and ease, being awake and asleep is necessary for good health. Point out that sportspersons and athletes train at extremely high physical exertions and often injure themselves while doing so. Because of this, they consciously reserve a ‘rest day’ in their schedules for the recovery of sore muscles.

Younger students can be asked to keep a sleep diary for a month. Students must be sure to mention the time they sleep each night and wake up each morning, along with bullet points about how they felt throughout the day. Were they able to concentrate in classes as usual? Did they feel more irritable and tired on days they did not have optimum sleep? What did they learn from this exercise?

Older students can be asked to consciously reduce screen-time (laptops or computers, mobile phones, reading devices, televisions, gaming consoles, etc.), especially leading to the hours before bed-time. Insist that students do not use any devices one hour before they sleep. They may read a book or practice meditation under the supervision of an adult. Students should monitor their sleep and waking habits and behaviours over the course of one month and discuss their observations in class at the end of that period. They may keep a diary if they wish to.

Diagnostic medicine
The presence of geography and science teachers will be useful in this session. Introduce students to the concept of diagnostic medicine as the process of determining which condition or disease best explains a patient’s symptoms. The following simple activity can be used to explain this concept better.

Activity
Using the example of a headache, have students list its possible causes one-by-one. Some common causes could be – lack of food or sleep, which is treatable in the diagnosis itself. Sometimes, a headache could mean changes in their eyesight, in which case a visit to the ophthalmologist is required. However, if the headaches are frequent and severe, a consultation with the physician or neurologist should be prioritized.

For older students, this discussion could be followed by a class screening of an episode from the western television series ‘Dr.House M.D.’. Students will learn how the final diagnosis in a medical case is often about a condition that bore no complaint to the patient.

End the screening by asking students about the importance of honesty and confidentiality in doctor-patient interactions.

Continue the session by differentiating between western medicine and traditional or alternative healing. What are the risks and benefits from both? Tell them about how medicine has come to be more institutionalized and that the rising costs of healthcare (including, but not limited to, latest technology, accredited doctors, reputed hospitals) directly affects access. Introduce students to the concept of medical tourism about how patients from developed countries travel to India seeking cost-effective treatment. What are some of the most popular procedures or treatments for medical tourists?

Tell students about the difference between homeopathy and allopathy, and how it is different from naturopathy. What does the rise and popularity of nature clinics tell us? Discuss Ayurveda and Unani therapies and ask students how these treatments fare against the WHO definition of health. How does western medicine perceive these practices?

Ask students about any home remedies that their mothers or grandmothers use to cure common ailments – like ginger tea for cough and cold or turmeric for wounds. How is a bone setter or chiropractor different from a physiotherapist? Does the degree of professionalism determine the effectiveness of their practices? It would be an interesting activity for students to collect information from their elders about home cures and put them all together in a manual for their classroom.

Discuss the practices of yoga, pranayam and meditation. Health enthusiasts often refer to fitness as a lifestyle or a ‘way of life’. Talk about what that means in terms of fitness as opposed to weight loss. What is the difference? Encourage students to attend a few sessions and ask them how they feel: if they are more flexible and if there is a change in how they feel or behave.

Healing: all we need is love?
The class teacher could moderate this session along with the school counsellor.

By this session, students should have a better understanding about the topic. Ask them about mental and physical health and to elaborate on people’s perceptions towards both. Do we sympathize equally with someone who has had an accident and with someone else diagnosed with a psychological disorder? Ask students to give their reasons on why or why not.

Activity
In pairs, have students ask and tell each other about their feelings. They must avoid using the words ‘fine’ or ‘alright’. As an aside, ask students why those are the most common responses to questions about health. Is it because we think people don’t really want to know or care about how we really feel? Or do we feel people don’t have the time to indulge us, especially in our fast-paced lives? Assure and insist upon students that they must always make the time and effort to engage with loved ones – to share and listen, to give and take, to love and be loved.

Continue this session by talking about how a sense of family or community is essential to our sense of well-being. Briefly mention how happiness and contentment are a reflection of our mental health; however, it may be advisable to keep the philosophical aspects of fleeting happiness at bay as students will figure these out in due course.

Nevertheless, use this opportunity to talk about the importance of differences and conflicts in relationships. Using the age-old analogy of the half-empty/half-full glass, explain that differences of opinion are commonplace. Our relationships, interactions, disagreements and conflicts should also be in good health, where we agree to disagree. Could we be sure of personal growth if we always agreed with one another?

The school counsellor could talk about the healthy management of anger, anxiety and stress. Activities such as colouring, drawing or doodling, and practicing a musical instrument, etc., can be very helpful. How we manage our inner feelings, respond to external stimuli and deal with disagreements with others tells a great deal about the state of our mental health.

Conclusion
While health, wellness and well-being are different terms to refer to different aspects of our lives, they are all connected with a sense of what makes us human. Inform students that to be healthy means to strike a balance between hunger and contentment. The functions of a person, society or nation, where balance is the key, can be said to be truly healthy.

For more information on resources and activities, teachers can explore • https://www.howstuffworks.com/ • https://www.weareteachers.com/ • https://fit4schools.sanfordfit.org/ • http://www.themiddleschoolcounselor.com/ • https://healdove.com/.

The author is a freelance Content Creator, living in Bengaluru. She is a post graduate in communication and has previously worked in children’s academic publishing. She can be reached at shrutisinghal.ss@gmail.com.