Knowledge and creativity in providing social health

S.D. Kasymova (Director of the Republican Clinics of Endocrinology)

Email: sanavbark@mail.ru

 

ABSTRACT:

Environmental diseases were realized and specifics of their treatment were offered by the famous physicians of the eve of the millennium of Central Asia, known in the modern world by the names of Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Fahriddin Rasy and many others. Mastering of that knowledge in modern times, however, delayed by dominating contradicting policy of East and West, strongly delayed complex creative approach to the treatment of diseases, which was the result of ignoring diversity of environmental shortcomings. We will talk here about the lack of some important elements in the natural recourses, which has to be improved by intellect and creativity in order to save individual and public health. One of those cases in Tajikistan is natural iodine insufficiency, when the ground, water and agricultural products are poor of iodine and sufficient methods of prophylactic of IDD are extremely important. According to World Health Organization, UNICEF and International Board against IDD the general Iodination of salt is the most widespread and effective means of struggle with IDD.

Within the national research in 2003 Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tajikistan, together with Kazakh academy of food, Italian institute of food with the financial support of Asian Development Bank, UNICEF and WHO an epidemiological research on prevalence of iodine insufficiency among women of genital age and children under 5 years has been conducted.

Definition of iodine concentration in urine is the method, which centuries ago have been realized by Ibn Sina/Avicenna. Creation of the system of treatment, in which prophylactic methods, like education, food, environmental policy etc. had key meanings, were widely available via private schools, traditions and moral statements. Although building of the national system of health at soviet period was one of the most important achievements of the system, it was focused more on the diseases, then on the complex methods of prophylactic of these environmental diseases. In order to create more sufficient system of control of public health, the wide net of estimation of the state of iodine deficiency in population is providing. That knowledge with the wide net of educational measures will provide appropriate, creative methods of treatment.

According to the lead national research more than half of women of the republic in age of 15–49 years (57%) had low parameters of iodine in urine <100 mkg/½. Expressiveness of women iodine deficiency in various regions essentially differed, i.e. in Khatlon – 64%, DRS – 60%, in Sugd – 48% and in GBAO – 40%. The heavy degree of iodine insufficiency was observed at women in Khatlon (26 %), DRS (26 %), Sugd area (17 %) and GBAO (12 %). At children under 5 years the frequency of IDD was higher, than at women of genital age. Two thirds of investigated children (64%) had various degrees of iodine insufficiency, accordingly in Khatlon area (68%), DRS (65%), Sugd area (60%) and GBAO (54%).

Results of research have shown that prophylactic of IDD by salt iodination are not met as a real social problem. It has been realized that only 52% of investigated houses used iodized salt and iodized, qualitative salt is available only for 28% of the population.

That state of the public health negatively influences especially schoolchildren health. That is defined in the height and weight parameters of 10–15 years old schoolchildren, when 36% of children are less in their height and weight parameters from norm.

At studying progress of schoolchildren it is established that presence or absence of IDD is one of factors influencing progress and cognitive activity. Thus, international cooperation in solving that problem in Tajikistan is clear enough. But that cooperation has to be multidimensional. The new methods of treatment have to be worked out, taking into consideration specifics of the habitat, the knowledge of environmental diseases, generally, and IDD, particularly. It is extremely important to realize the general monitoring of distribution and prophylactic of IDD, people awareness in their own, organic culture of food and stimulation of the creative approach to their own health.