Health is an abstract state of mind where sickness and infirmity are both absent. However, it must be kept in mind that the above description is not entirely true as the word ‘health’ is not derived from any science of medicine at all. ‘Health’ refers to your quality of life. It implies more than just good health but refers to the overall quality of life attained and the absence of any disease or impairment that may result from health related problems.
According to Webster, Good health is “the total well being of an individual; a healthy body and mind”. It is therefore, the absence of diseases, physical and mental disorders that can cause harm or impairment to the individual. In common usage the definition of this word is broader and includes mental well being, the absence of mental disorder and health. It is necessary for one to take into consideration all these definitions before he defines his own definition of good health. The current definition of this word is “excellent health or the proper functioning of the physical body, mind and spirit”.
The definition of health care is a term that involves a mixture of prevention as well as treatment of health issues. Prevention can refer to anything that helps keep you healthy in the long run like exercising, eating right and drinking plenty of water. Treatment is anything that prevents you from getting ill in the first place like taking regular checkups with your physician and screening for various health issues. Mental health issues include how you think and handle stressful situations and emotional health issues refer to your outlook on life and attitude towards health and wellness. As mentioned earlier, prevention is the best medicine, while treatment is often considered last or only applicable in severe cases.
A good health status can be achieved by staying fit and having a balanced diet, leading a healthy lifestyle and reducing the risk factors of contracting diseases and maintaining appropriate weight. Maintaining a good health status also involves reducing the risks of getting heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other diseases that deteriorating health. You need to look after yourself physically as well as mentally.
There are two definitions that are relevant in this context. The first one is that disease results from an underlying cause like infection, inflammation, malfunction, injury, disease process or radiation exposure. The second definition is that the disease takes place when you have an abnormal response to a normal physical environment. This definition excludes genetic or metabolic disorders that cause disease on their own. The third definition refers to the absence or non-existence of a disease.
The first two determinants determine a person’s state of health. The availability of resources, personal attitudes and behavior are determinants of the overall health of a person. On the other hand, the presence of multiple chronic diseases is a sign of poor health status. There is no single and universal approach to achieving a healthy life but you need to adopt certain strategies like promoting healthy lifestyle, maintaining a healthy mental health, maintaining a physically fit body etc. to attain a good human health status.