Design as a Tool for Environmental Therapy in the Fight against Lifestyle Diseases

Abstract:

The environment in which we live and quality of internal spaces affects the quality of life, which impacts our vitality, life strategy, and thus the overall health of the society. Consequently, there is a need for an environmental design as a tool for prevention and treatment of lifestyle diseases. The genesis of these diseases is caused by several risk factors, including some problematic space negatives. By their identification and suggestion to optimize the internal environment, interior design can significantly contribute to the development of healthy interior and body conscious design. From this point of view, the interior design becomes veritable resource for environmental therapy in the fight against lifestyle diseases.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volume 899)
• Pages: 294-297
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.899.294
• Online since: February 2014
• Authors: Adriana Hofbauerová*
• Keywords: Detoxification of Space, Environmental Therapy, Healthy Lifestyle, Humanization of Microenvironment, Lifestyle Diseases, Problematic Space Negatives

References

[3] According to the World Health Organization (WHO) today from 15-30% of the population are suffering from civilization diseases. Especially in the most developed countries, the problem is more extensive, the appearance of diseases is even higher - 30 to 40%. Losses caused due to lifestyle diseases are counted in the billions. But man is not completely helpless against lifestyle diseases. The cause of almost all modern diseases and poor health are toxins and infectious elements. Toxic theory of disease was already discovered by Hippocrates, who declared the cause of clogging of the body, respectively. clog of body fluid by toxic substances. The most effective body cleanses and purification from toxins and heavy metals is body detoxification. It is an important process of body cleansing, which often eliminates even the cause itself - the nature of the disease. Exactly the detoxification itself may be a conjunctive denominator in solving of prevention and treatment of lifestyle diseases through interior design. By combining the basic interior design principles and the inclusion of harmonizing elements of ancient treatment methods combined with technical equipment of modern space systems facilities designed to detoxify the body, the design becomes veritable resource for environmental therapy. The aim of such oriented interior design is to create a healthy interior in regard to a human being, respecting the natural environment, the climate and culture to meet current needs of society in accordance with the requirement for sustainability. Good structure for designing in harmony with nature is ecology and environmental design, which aim is to reduce the impact of products on the environment and contribute to the humanization of micro-environment.

[4] An important fact also is that quality of interiors affects the quality of life, which impacts our vitality, life strategy, and thus the overall health of the society. Main aspects that reflect the quality of the interior are: natural and material, functional and operational, physiological, psychological and socio-economic.

[5] All these fundamental principles and regularities of the internal spaces creation should be obvious for every designer or architect. To enhance the quality of life, it is desirable to determine more offending space negatives in interior affecting condition of our health. Tool for their identification may be an individual comprehensive diagnostics of persons as users of the space.

[7] It is not a new knowledge. As long as two thousand years ago Hippocrates wrote about it in his famous medical work On Airs, Waters and Places,. In his work it is the first public mention of the fact that human life, whether in sickness or health, is connected with the forces of nature and that nature affects human health. Instead of being in opposition to nature and trying to subdue it, man must behave more like a friend, whose road will be understood and voice will be heard. Design therapy takes a different perspective to creating interiors and underlines the importance of architect and designer reflection in the spatial environment and its impact on human health which forms our society. Bibliography.

[1] Murgová, R. Predchádzajme civilizačným ochoreniam (Prevention of Lifestyle Diseases), 7th edition Prešov: Publishing by Michal Vaško, 2006, ISBN 80-7165-561-9.

[2] Nair, M., The Young Are Ageing, Outlook Magazines, date of issue: 13. 09. (2010).

[3] Klimáková, T., Bedeker zdravia (Health Bedeker), date of issue: 15. 01. (2011).

[4] Haipl, W.: Faults, or sustainability?, Zborník medzinárodnej konferencie Zdravé domy, Zdravý interiér (Proceedings of the International Conference Healthy Homes, Healthy Interior), FA STU Bratislava 2011, ISBN 978-80 227 3497 4.

[5] Composite authors: Interiér (Interior), FA STU Bratislava (2011).

[6] Kotrádyová, V.: Dizajn s prihliadnutím na ľudské telo a myseľ /Dizajn ako terapia (Body Conscious Design, Design Therapy), inaugural dissertation, FA STU Bratislava (2010).

[7] Tolja, J., Speciani, F.: Pensare con corpo (Bodythinking), Zelig, Milano, 2000, 2003, Italian edition ISBN 888-729 19 77.