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Week 4 - What is health?
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In "Achieving Wellness, Whatever That Is," Abigail Zuger poses the question, "What does it mean to be well?" How would you define health?
Health
does more information make us wackier....?
From this morning's Science Times--
You’re Sick. Now What? Knowledge Is Power:
"For some people, more information makes them wackier,
while others get more relaxed and feel more empowered.”
Actually, today's whole special issue is about Decoding Your Health.
Of particular relevance to this class is another article,
Searching for Clarity: A Primer on Medical Studies,
which says that the problem in such studies "is not so much
the differences that are known. Instead, it is the differences
that scientists are not aware of."
College Sustainability Report Card
I thought this website was interesting and it's relevant to our discussions about Dining Service-it talks about the take-out containers , local/organic food, composting, etc.
http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009/schools/bryn-mawr-college
Smoker
Risk Charts
You can find the article--and associated charts--that we looked @ in class today (thanks to Peter :) @ Risk Charts: Putting Cancer in Context. How seriously do you take such data? What does it have to do with your own decisions? What influence might it have your deciding to smoke or not?
who knew my fifth grade health teacher was kind of right?
In every health class I've had (in the fifth, sixth, eighth, and tenth grades, and now, kind of, wellness), I've learned that health has three realms: mental/emotional, physical, and social. Wellness, in turn, is the balancing of these aspects of health. An unwell person, therefore, is imbalanced in these three spheres. As painfully boring as health class was for everyone at my school (when we weren't making "health shields", we were being told how many diseases you would get if you ever had sex), I have to admit that our health teachers (gym teachers, really) were going somewhere with this theory. If your physical health is poor, it can influence your mood and feelings. If you aren't getting out enough or socializing as much as usual, it will probably affect your emotional health. In the instance of severe depression, your emotional health can even affect your physical health. So health is not just about seeing a doctor, eating right, and exercising-- it's also about staying happy and interacting with the world.
Too much information, not always
Health is being able to function well – physically, mentally and emotionally. Hence to a great extent each individual can decide whether or not they are ‘healthy’. If they go about their daily activities normally, have an active role in their immediate surroundings and are mentally ‘content’, they are probably healthy. It is when we begin to add in extra parameters such as eating a certain kind of food or doing a particular fitness regime that the issue of health becomes more complicated. Too much information leads to distorting our ideas of what ‘healthy’ really is. Yet, I believe that even if a person eats his fair share of fried food and goes out dancing once a week and is in that able to function optimally and is happy, then he is healthy. He doesn't have to worry himself sick about his living choices.
Another aspect of this definition is the ‘absence or void of disease.’ This is slightly important to me because a person with say a certain kind of cancer could be doing all of the above but without his cancer being detected he will soon reach a stage where he is terminally ill. A dying person does not necessarily epitomise the best of health. Yet, to his mind he could be healthy, not knowing that he has a disease. It is at this point that I’d rather go with ‘knowledge and information’ than not.
Malli
power of the mind
I would define health as mostly emotional and mental. I believe that "being well" is a state of mind. Even if I have a cold, if I am still happy and enjoying life, then I am well. On a more extreme level, if I have cancer, but I can still be with the people I love and do activities that I enjoy, then I am still well. There is the obvious definition of health being void of diseases or viruses, but sometime I can't help it if I become sick. Therefore, it is up to my mental health to bring me back to "being well."
A agree with Kate that being well is different for every person. Some people might be able to function with a cold, while other people might think it is the end of the world that they are conjested. That is where I believe that the mental health has a bigger role in the physical health than most people think.
I think the definition of
I think the definition of health is different for each individual. Depending on what you are called to do throughout the day along with your ability to do it determines ones own definition of health. I also think there are different variations of health. What you do and the extent to which you do it can determine how healthy you should be. For example an olympian would have to be in top physical shape to be considered healthy enough to compete, where as a college student like myself would have a different standard to meet to determine my overall health.
Health to me
Health to every person is their ideal self. We compare each other to ourself all the time and want what we can't have. We want to exercise, to have no illnesses, to take all the recommended vitamins and minerals. We want to be perfect. The truth is everyone's health, in my opinion, is never like that. We always fall short in one aspect at least. Health is physical, mental, emotional, neurological, and so many more well beings. There is only so far you can try to stay the ideal Healthy. In my opinion stress would be considered unhealthy, but to me it makes me try harder and makes the less stressful days more sweet. I try to exercise every day but there is only so much I can do and only so much will power I have in me to keep up with my goal. Emotionally, I am still a teenage girl, so of course I have the ups and downs. Neurologically, I feel fine. There are so many varying factors into health it is hard to pin all the aspects that go into it, let alone keep them all to their supreme standards. Many people struggle with all kinds of health, it is just important to main the best "you" that you can.
A Personal Definition
Providing a definition for health goes to show the tremendous confusion and doubt that has popped up in our current world. Pinpointing the factors that keep us free from injury and maintain our sense of wellbeing, should seem relatively easy, shouldn’t it? This is part of our class’ constant struggle, but our present state of mind reminded me of a link to my Philosophy class. Socrates advocates reason and fulfillment through the life-long process of attaining wisdom. However, he warns against becoming a misologist, or hater of reasoning. With the constant contradictions presented to us, it is amazingly easy to lose any knowledge we once had governing health to become a “misologist.” Each person must sort through the muck to develop his or her own, personal ideology concerning health.
I think that wellness revolves around the beneficial, whole-some aspects of your life. Most of all, it refers to being free from disease, but it also determines our physical and mental condition on a day-to-day basis. Taking care of yourself is also crucial for health. I maintain my well being through eating a balanced diet, exercising, and getting enough sleep. As of the moment, I also know that I don’t have a serious condition impacting the condition of my body. This could potentially be very different for another person, such as Doctor Hadler in “Achieving wellness, whatever that is.” Overall, with the standards I’ve presented, I consider myself to be a fairly healthy human being.
Health is the state in which
what is health
I think that health is relative to each person. Someone may smoke two packs a day, but consider themselves psychologically/mentally healthy, while someone with bipolar disorder can consider themselves physically healthy.
Health can be divided up into so many categories that the question of being healthy isn't a yes or no answer. Ultimately, I think it comes down to someone determining health for themselves. If they consider themselves happy with what and how they are, they're healthy, but just in one way. A doctor, of course, could have a second opinion.
No one can be 100% healthy. I feel that humans work towards being as healthy as possible, but potentially, it is almost impossible to satisfy health in all parts of your body.
Health is individual
Your Own Definition of Health
Hypochondriacs and the Placebo Effect
Health is subjective. Hypochondriacs, though tests show nothing is wrong with them, feel awful. On the other hand, people who take placebo pills--thinking they are real pills--feel better even when no chemicals exist in the pills to make them feel better. So what causes this to happen?
Apparently health is correlated to mental state of mind. This could mean that someone who has cancer could feel perfectly healthy if they aren't healthy, and not realize it until something in their body stops working.
This leads to questions about the power of "yes"--does positive thinking make someone feel healthier? Does looking for something wrong with our diets, sleeping patterns, exercise make us unhealthy because we are looking for something wrong?
In my opinion, every person has the power to stay healthy by taking care of themselves and not worrying about one's health every second. I guess I'm in Hadler's boat.
Being well primarily means
The Mind Controls the Body
Being well means being emotionally stable and physically fit. There are various meanings of how people consider themselves "well", but I believe that human beings cannot be healthy unless they are mentally and emotionally stable. The mind controls the body and everything starts from the brain. For example, if you are severely depressed, chances are, you will not exercise, you will not socialize, and your eating habits may be completely off - either eating a lot or nothing at all. On the other hand, however, if you are a very optimistic, you may be motivated to go out for a run, you may call your friends up and make plans, and you may set yourself a healthy eating schedule. Of course it is not anyone's fault if they catch a cold and get sick, but it is up to how "healthy" the mind is at that point because a healthy mind would tell oneself to do whatever it takes to get better, while an unhealthy mind would be indifferent about the sickness. In the end, achieving wellness comes down to maintaing a strong and optimistic mind.
Health means being healthy, done!
Lydia
Whole Health
Did you mean health or health?
Personally, I believe that
Personally, I believe that health has mental and physical aspects to it. I believe that physical health can be measured by one's body's ability to fight off disease and successfully perform day to day activities. To maintian good physical health one must sleep 8 hours a night, exercise an hour each day and eat a varied diet including all the food groups. Mental health is one's ablitity to manage anexity, depression etc... To maintain good mental health one must engage in acitvities that they enjoy, connect with other humans and reflect on experiences. Achieving and setting goals also keeps one happy and motivated.
It is utopian to expect that
fair trade coffee
Yes, yes, I know. We have stopped talking about eating / sustainability, but an article on fair trade coffee, sustainability, and starbucks is in our local paper today. Take a look!
Using their bean, sustainably
Re: Fair Trade Coffee
Oh, cool! Where was that article when we were writing our papers, I wonder...?
But I like that this article encompasses everything -- fair trade coffee, recyclable materials, energy-efficient light bulbs.... there's even the mention of corn-based coffee cups! It's like our class syllabus, condensed into a single newspaper article.
In class Aybala and I broke
Health
In my opinion health is
In my opinion health is achieving a balrance in all aspects of you life: social, mental, physical and emotional. To be healthy you need to know your body's limits and attending to its needs. Health is in a way self defined, becuase no one knows your body better yourself. Who are experts to tell you if the way you are living is healthy or not? Again this goes back to the original question of "Expert" or "native" knowledge when judging our health. If i feel good about the health choices i'm making, and i'm not stressing my body or mind in anyway, i am in my opinion healthy.
Everyones body is different, for a health expert to say that a certain method of living will work for everyone is absurd. Ofcourse we need to intake vitamins and other nutritions, exercise, and other things to maintain a well balanced life style, but how much exersise we get or how much we eat depends on our personal needs.
to be healthy
I think being “healthy” entails achieving a stable emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. I think that a “healthy” lifestyle constitutes, but is not limited to exercise, a well-balanced diet, positive interaction with others, adequate sleep, and a good attitude towards life. I think that it is important for one to meet all three aspects of health, to truly be healthy. For example, while it is important to exercise and maintain a balanced diet, one must not sacrifice sleep, or withdraw oneself from human interaction to function at his or her best. I believe most of these habits and behaviors go hand-in-hand with one another, and so one is more likely to exercise if one has healthy eating habits versus someone who pays no attention to their diet. I also think that individuals have different outlooks on what it means to be healthy, thus one person’s daily activities, interactions, and behaviors may be vastly different from one person as opposed to the other, but both may be deemed healthy.
health in different classrooms
healthy body healthy mind
Experts aren't always right.
I was taught in health class that "health" encompasses one's physical, mental and social wellness. That to be "healthy" one must excercise and eat well, manage stressors efficiently, and have social interactions with friends and family. For the most part, I believe these are strong components of one's overall health. Yet there is not one specific way for everyone as a whole to be healthy. The lifestyle for one person (in terms of eating or managing stress) may not be the best lifestyle for another. Certain stressors in an individual's life may affect that individual much differently than they affect their neighbor.
Thus it annoys me when Doctors, reporters and experts of all kind impart their knowledge on us in such a way as to imply that we must follow their new ways of life. A few years ago it was reported that the average individual should drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. It was thought that lack of water may trigger fatigue and that by increasing the amount one consumes, one could increase short-term memory and decrease one's risk for cancer. This may be true in some respects but it has now been discovered that the amount of water necessary for every individual can be widely variable. And the liquid intake for every person doesn't have to come from water (in fact about half of the liquid our bodies need in one day comes from the foods we eat).
Wellness
I suppose I'd agree that
I suppose I'd agree that people should figure out their own diet and exercise regimen (my own post supports that idea)... but I don't know that all of the contradictory health information helps this at all.
Most of the health information out in the media comes from "the latest study" and a lot of them say the same thing -- whatever the most recent and most popular view point is. This just has people flipping back and forth: carbs, no carbs, carbs, no carbs! I would feel better if the media collectively waited for all relevant information before spouting out the latest "facts" and confusing all of these non-health professionals trying to sort out their daily exercise regimen on their own.
A hormone injection a day keeps the doctor at bay...?