Tuesday, February 25, 2014
What is Health? (due by 22 April)
In our course we're talking about how to best treat disease, restore health, fix health problems. But all of that discussion presupposes that we know what "health" is. Please start the discussion here. Think about all aspects of health, whether the definition should include more than any single individual (i.e., consider psycho-social dimensions), and don't forget the low-tech, non-invasive solutions to many problems which might broadly be included in a discussion of health (e.g., healthy communities where access to green space, fresh air, and places to exercise are important, I'd argue, to maintaining health. That's a much more holistic way of thinking about health as opposed to merely thinking about health as the absence of disease).
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To me, health is a collection of things. First, it's absence of diseases or ailments. A person can't be said to be "in good health" of he or she has an illness. However, I also consider aspects like being in good physical shape and being in good mental health to being in good health. If a person is severely out of shape or has a chronic mental disorder, he or she can't be fully healthy. However, I don't think that medication is always the best answer. For someone with a disease that can be treated with antibiotics I think that should occur; on the other hand, doing things that make that person happy and being out in the open could also help increase mental and physical health.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex to an extent. I believe that the definition of health is a number of things. While it could be the absence of disease, a person could have a chronic disease but still manage to live a life of maximum quality possible. On the other end of the spectrum, a person with a minor disease could let that disease take over other aspects of their life, giving them a poor quality. Therefore, I don't think it's disease, or the absence of it, that determines good health.. It's how individuals embrace their life, with a disease or not. This, of course, also involves psychological health. How an individual chooses to see their life, and ultimately live it, can depend greatly on their mental health. As stated before, a disease-free person may be considered unhealthy if they have an altered psychological approach that would lead them to an unsatisfactory quality of life. Yet, a person who endures a disease with a positive mindset may seem healthy, regardless that they have a disease.
ReplyDeleteHealth to me is simply a person who is in the best condition they can be in, physically, mentally, emotionally as well as socially. Health is not just a persons physical well being but their all around well being. A person can be healthy when it comes to working out and eating right but they may have a bad psychological health and that can greatly affect the way that they live their life. They may be letting their physical health take over their life and not socialize. Someone's mental health is just as important as their physical. A persons mental health can either help or hurt their physical. If a person had horrible body image they could either use that and make themselves really healthy or go overboard with working out. A person could have a cold but be great when it comes to emotional health is they do not let sickness get them down. You most likely would not classify them as healthy but they are only unhealthy when it comes to their physical health. Health is all the aspects that the human body experiences and if one aspect is unhealthy then it can lead to other aspects being unhealthy. On the other hand one area could be unhealthy while another area is thriving.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex health is more than just not being sick. Its being physically healthy and in shape for your age and physical limitations of your body and being in good mental health.
ReplyDeleteComponents necessary for a Health Care System
ReplyDelete-Long-term care
-Universal access
-Dental and vision care
-Reasonable availability of services
-ER
-Mental health therapy/drug treatment
-Physical illness treatment
-Medication
-Rehab
-Preventative (checkups, prenatal care, immunizations, etc)
-Education