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What is good health?

Healthcare exists to help people maintain this optimal state of health.

By Life IdeasPublished 2 years ago 9 min read
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What is good health?
Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the healthcare cost within the United States were $3.5 trillionTrusted Source in 2017.

Yet, despite the expense it is true that people in the U.S. have a lower lifespan than those living in other advanced nations. The reason for this is a number of reasons, including access to healthcare as well as life choices.

A healthy body is essential to managing stress and living an active, longer life. This article will will explain the significance of healthy health, the kinds of health one needs to think about, and the best ways to maintain the health of your family.

How do we define health?

In 1948 in 1948, The World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source identified health using a term that the authorities of today still use.

"Health can be defined as the state of total physical, mental and social wellbeing, not only the absence of illness or disease."

in 1986 The WHOTrusted Source made further clarifications:

"A source of daily living, not the goal of living. Health is a positive idea which emphasizes personal and social sources, as well as physical abilities."

Health can be a source of support for the individual's role in social context, and not just being a goal in itself. A healthy lifestyle gives you the opportunity to live an active life that is full of significance and meaning.

The year 2009 was the time when researchers who published in the journal The LancetTrusted Source defined health as the body's ability to adjust to changes in challenges and ailments.

They take this definition as a basis on the assumption that the last few decades have seen the advancement of science make significant progress in the field of understanding illnesses by knowing how they function and identifying new methods to prevent or slow their progression while acknowledging that the absence of pathology might not be feasible.

Types

Health and wellness for the mind and body are likely to be the two most commonly discussed forms of health.

Mental, spiritual and financial well-being also influence overall well-being. Experts in medicine have linked them to less stress and better physical and mental well-being.

People who have better financial health such as, for instance, be less worried about financial matters and be able to shop for fresh food more often. People with healthy spiritual wellbeing may experience a an inner peace and purpose, which is a key ingredient to the mental health of those who are in good shape.

Physical health

Someone in excellent physical and mental health, is more likely to have their bodily processes and functions operating at their best.

This isn't just because of an absence of illness. A regular exercise routine, a balanced diet and sufficient rest all contribute to healthy health. Patients receive medical care to keep their balance, whenever necessary.

Physical health is about pursuing an active lifestyle that reduces the chance of developing diseases. A healthy physical condition is a good example. It can help to improve the endurance of an individual's breathing and heart function, as well as muscular strength as well as flexibility and the body's composition.

Maintaining physical health and well-being reduces the chance of illness or injury for example:

  • minimising the risk at work
  • use contraception during sexual contact
  • practicing effective hygiene

Avoiding the consumption of alcohol, tobacco or other illegal substances

having the recommended vaccinations for a specific disease or country while travelling

A healthy body can work together with mental health, which can improve the quality of a person's living.

For instance, mental illness like depression can increase the risk of developing a disordered use drug According to the study conducted in 2008 byTrusted Source. It can also negatively impact the physical health of a person.

Mental health

As per the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, "Trusted Source mental health refers an individual's social, emotional and psychological well-being. Mental health is just as important as physical health as a part of a healthy active and active life.

It's more difficult for a person to understand mental health than it is physical, because many mental diagnoses are based on the person's perceptions of their experiences.

Thanks to improvements in testing doctors are now capable of identifying physical indications of various kinds of mental illness through CT images and tests for genetics.

Mental health isn't solely defined as a lack of anxiety, depression or any other disorder. It also is based on the ability of a person to:

Enjoy life

  • rebound after experiencing difficulties and adjust to challenges
  • is a way to balance various aspects of life like family, and financial matters.
  • feel safe and secure
  • achieve their full potential

Mental and physical health are closely linked. As an example, if chronic illness hampers a person's ability to carry out their daily tasks, it can result in stress and depression. This could be caused by financial difficulties or mobility problems.

Mental illness like depression or anorexia, may affect the body's weight and general function.

It is essential to think of "health" as in its entirety, and not as a collection of individual aspects. All forms of health are interconnected, and individuals need to strive for total wellbeing and balance as factors that lead to good health.

Factors for good health

Health is influenced by many elements.

Genetic factors

The person who is born with many genes. For some there is a genetic abnormality or change may result in an unsatisfactory health level. There are people who inherit genetic traits from their parents which can make them more susceptible to specific health issues.

Environmental factors

The environmental factors play an integral part in the health. Sometimes, just the environment can be enough to affect health. Sometimes the environmental trigger could cause illness in someone who is at a higher genetic risk of developing a specific disease.

The accessibility to health has a significant role however, the WHO suggests that the following elements could be more important over health

  • where a person lives
  • is the condition of the environment around it
  • genetics
  • their income
  • Their educational level
  • employment status

There is a way to classify them according to:

The social and economic environment:

This can be the financial situation of a family or a community in addition to the culture of society and the nature of the relationships.

The physical environment:

This is a matter of which germs are present in the vicinity and also the pollution levels.

The person's traits and behavior The genetic makeup of a person and lifestyle choices can impact your overall wellbeing.

According to some research, the more a person's socioeconomic standing (SES) is, the more likely they will be in good health, receive an education of high quality, find an income-producing job, and have access to good health care in case of injury or illness.

They also say that those who are in a low socioeconomic position have a higher likelihood to be afflicted with anxiety due to the stresses of daily life including financial problems or marital discord, as well as unemployment.

Social factors could also influence the risk of a poor health for those who have lower SES like discrimination and marginalization.

A lower SES usually means lower accessibility to health care. A study published in 2018 in Frontiers in PharmacologyTrusted Source revealed that those in developed countries that have universal healthcare have higher lives than those in the developed nations that have no universal healthcare.

Health issues relating to culture can be a factor. The customs and traditions of a community and how a family responds to them could have a positive or negative influence on health.

Based on the Seven Countries Study, researchers examined people from select European countries and discovered that those who had a healthy lifestyle had lower death rate.

The study found that those who have a healthy eating plan are likely to consume large amounts of fruits, vegetables and olives than those who eat fast food regularly.

The study also revealed that those who followed the Mediterranean diet had a lower death rate from all causes. Based on The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public HealthTrusted Source, this diet is able to safeguard the heart of a person and lower the chance of developing a variety of illnesses, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes and other diseases which cause nerves and the brain to degrade.

How someone manages stress can influence their health. Based on the findings of the National Institutes for Mental Health Trusted Source, those who smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol or use illicit drugs to deal with stress have a higher risk to suffer health issues than people who manage stress by healthy eating as well as relaxation techniques and exercising.

Preserving health

The best method to maintain health is to maintain it through a healthy life style rather than waiting for the time of illness or infirmity to deal with health issues. The term wellness is used to refer to this ongoing condition of heightened well-being.

The WHOTrusted Source define wellness as the following:

"Wellness is the ideal condition of health for people and groups. There are two primary aspects: the realization of the maximum potential of a person physically, spiritually, psychologically, socially as well as financially, and the fulfillment of one's role and expectations within the community, family or worship place as well as other places."

Health awareness is a way of actively observing taking part in actions that protect health as an individual and within the community. The pursuit of optimal health and wellness is a lifetime, continuous commitment.

steps to help people achieve health are:

eating an adequate, healthy diet with the most natural sources feasible

participating within at least 150 minutesTrusted source of moderate to high-intensity training each week, as per the American Heart Association

  • testing for illnesses that could pose the danger
  • learning to manage stress effectively
  • engaging in activities that provide purpose
  • linking to and caring for other individuals
  • maintaining a positive outlook on life
  • is a way of defining an order of value and putting it into practice

The concept of peak health is highly personal and so are the steps one can take to achieve it. Everyone has their own unique health goals, and a range of methods to reach these goals.

It is not impossible to completely avoid illness. But, people should take every step they can to build resilience and prepare their brain and body to face ailments as they occur.

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