Health & Illness
World Health & Illness State
Health and illness are journeys we undergo, not static states that we attain.
Since 1980 we have gained more than a decade of life expectancy, with men reaching an average of 69 and women 74.8 years. The biggest contributing factor to this increase is the drop in deaths due to communicable diseases.
Although average life expectancy has risen 10.1 years, healthy life expectancy has only risen by 6.1. There has thus been a shift in burden of illness, which is measured in disability-adjusted life years, i.e., the number of years lost to premature death and disability.
Health
DEFINITION
The World Health Organization defines health as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being” and not merely the “absence of disease or infirmity”. Wikipedia defines health as a “level of functional and metabolic efficiency”, or an “ability to adapt and self-manage when facing physical, mental, psychological and social changes”.
JOURNEY
Health is not a state we simply attain and maintain forever. It is a journey towards wholeness, well-being, oneness of body and mind, and connectedness with fellow humans and the environment.
OPTIMAL
Health is the combination of optimum physical, mental, emotional and spiritual conditions. Health includes:
- Abundant energy
- Adequate appetite
- Enough sleep
- Good humor
- Reliable memory
- Clear thinking
- Ability to make choices
- Ability to take responsibility
- Love and gratitude
“From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health.” Catalan Proverb
Illness
DEFINITION
Illness is defined as a disease or period of sickness affecting the body or mind. Wikipedia defines disease as a disorder of a structure or function, that affects part or all of an organism.
Modern medicine recognizes several causes for our illnesses, including physical, psychological, hereditary and environmental.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms convey messages about body conditions, and include:
1) adjustments … body tries to stay in homeostatic balance
2) discharge … body rids itself of useless matter
3) accumulation … discharge is suppressed
4) malfunction … accumulation overwhelms the body
5) structural change … body structures change
PREVENTION
Prevention of illness lies in healthy diet, adequate exercise, effective stress management, enough sleep, and in the natural management of minor health imbalances.