In response to the question of what I am most thankful for, I said I am most grateful to god for leaving me with great health. Maintaining good health and preventing illness is not an easy task and requires major responsibility. Health is with the individual when they take that first breath and with them when they take the last. In that sense, it is the individual’s responsibility to maintain good health since they are with it all the time and it plays a crucial part in their well being.
Good health is a privilege that can be altered or taken away at any instant. Good health comes with responsibility. Responsibility requires time, knowledge, maturity, and determination. Responsibility is defined as the social force that binds you to your obligations and the courses of action demanded by that force (Princeton University, 2003). Moral questions arise when health and responsibility come together: How much does a person value his or her health? Do they have a desire to live? If the answer to both of these questions is no, then that person creates a greater risk in putting their health in jeopardy. If the answer is yes, then the individual must take advantage of the tools provided to them to sustain good health. The modern world has provided literature, internet sources, gyms, health food stores, and most importantly the men of wisdom; physicians.
One concept that is beyond the capacity for any person to understand is that the human body is just an encasement, or compartment for a phenomenon known as the soul. It’s a driving force that recycles itself every time we make a conscious decision to direct an action. The body can be compared to a machine: it contains pumps, filters, electrical currents, receptors, tubes, and many other functions. It needs to be maintained just like a vehicle. And like all vehicles, they need to be taken to be checked up and given maintenance by a mechanic every few thousand miles, or as often as it breaks down. Our mechanic is our doctor. His job is to make sure that our fluid levels are correct, diagnose if necessary, and treat if science allows him to. The only thing that separates us from machines is that the engineering and mechanics of our bodies are not fully understood. This dilemma stirs up many questions on how a doctor can and should perform his work.
In the wake of one of Americas economic declines, the society bandaged up bouts of anxiety with healthism. Healthism fabricates a belief of prioritization of health and fitness over all other values, therefore becoming a feasible way for people to pretend they are creating impactful changes in society. However, healthism did not cure the original problem amongst society, it merely added more side effects. Barbara Ehrenreich, in “The Naked Truth about Fitness,” emphasizes societies declining state of virtues caused by the growing acceptance in healthism. Accepting healthism as a virtue developed into one of Americas greatest illnesses. The widespread epidemic of healthism across America corrupts fundamental values.
When one thinks of health, we think of our physical well-being, we think of the medicines we have to take to ensure our recovery in cases of illness, we think white-washed halls, doctors, nurses, candy stripers in their hospital clothes, we think vegetables and fruit juice, and the rest of that wellness-junk that the television infomercials make us buy, we think of sickness, we think of death, we think of life. We do not, or rarely, think of the underlying sociological implications of health and illness, through which we unknowingly dictate our actions, and through which our health manoeuvres through. Beyond the biological and natural conditions, through which our health is dictated, are the sociological factors affecting our wellbeing. It has been shown that the spread of diseases is heavily influenced by culture and tradition, and clearly, our socioeconomic statuses. Health therefore is much more than just an amalgamation of biological factors, but it extends to more socially-constructed sectors of our beings. And all these factors tend to procure inequalities.
As defined by World Health Organization health is a "State of complete physical, mental, and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” So much is made about whether health care should be a necessity and the costs and benefits of creating a national health care system. The debate can be centered upon ethical issues as well as economical feasibility. I believe health is the balance between your physical, mental and social well-being, in my opinion all three factors are essential for good health. I am a twenty year old Asian woman. In relation to health for myself, I consider it to mean being able to function sufficiently as a human being without significant pain, disease and psychological problems. It also means
The concept of health and illness being separated into two models provides indication into the two very different but integral paradigms of how to treat patients deemed as needing care. These two models (known as the Biomedical Model and the Psychosocial Environmental Model) classify diagnosis, treatment and care in different ways which some actually share the same purpose. It is important in today’s society to be open to both models as both are used in all practices based on their similarities and their differences as they are able to “provide complimentary explanations rather than competing ones.”(Gilbert, L, Selikow, T & Walker, L., 2009:3).
This assignment will begin by giving a brief definition of health whilst presenting a discussion on the exploration of an individual in relation to making healthy choices. The purpose of this assignment is to look at the effects of making healthy choices and the implications that may occur. In addition, current social policies that relate to health and society, and the effects of smoking in pregnancy will also be discussed.
Given the magnitude of health costs, both financial and in terms of human suffering, it is essential that preventive interventions be developed and/or enhanced. Nurses, physicians, and other helping professionals are in a good position, by virtue of their training, to add to such preventive efforts. Health is defined as a condition of physical, mental, and social well being and the absence of disease or other abnormal condition. It is not a static condition; constant change and adaptation to stress result in homeostasis (Mosby's Medical and Nursing Dictionary, 1994 p. 742). The fact that we can improve our health and extend our lives by changing our behaviors (i.e., eating well, exercising, not smoking, and reducing stress) supports the incorporation of health education, and prevention programs into a broad variety of settings.
Imagine you are sitting on a park bench and two different people pass you- one is an overweight young man who is smoking a cigarette and the other is a slim woman of about the same age who is jogging. Who is healthier, the man or the woman? Now imagine you actually know the woman and know that she has cystic fibrosis. Who is healthier, the man or the woman? Now imagine you know the man as well, and know that he has severe depression. Who is healthier, the man or the woman? ‘Health’ can be seen as a very vague term. Many people have different understandings of it and what it means to be ‘healthy’. This paper will examine the different ways that health can be defined and it will justify the approach which
Public health is a concept that will always be subject to conflicting opinion. Over the year’s different ‘models’ of health have been formulated in order to categorise public health into dominant areas of cause and effect. The two models in which this essay will be focusing on are the Biomedical Model and the Lifestyle Theory Model. Although both models have equally arguable advantages and disadvantages, it is difficult to state either model as being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in defining the correct pathway to resolving the central health issues of today.
healthy is a major component in ones’ overall wellbeing, more so mentally, but being healthy
Following a healthy lifestyle has now become an emerging trend. Research and many studies have proven that merely exercise will not entitle an individual as healthy. A good nutrition
With movements made by the governments and medical professionals of developed countries in the interests of giving patients more choice, the definition of “healthy,” especially in contemporary society, has become subjective (Freemantle and Hill 2002, Armstrong 1995, Bury 2008, Van Krieken et al. 2006: 379-380). Variations in interpretation appear between groups divided along socio-political, demographical lines, or even between individuals themselves (Freemantle and Hill 2002: 864, Heath 2005: 954, Blaxter 2000:44, Van Krieken et al. 2006). This ambiguity has underscored debates and conflicts in recent years between patients, academics, politicians, and medical practitioners on issues of medical authority, the extent of involvement in the decision making process over personal health as well as the health of others related to them through social structures and institutions (Van Krieken et al. 2006, Blaxter 2000, Bury 2008, White 2002).
Health is described as physical and mental well-being and freedom from disease, pain or defect. However, such descriptions only superficially define the actual meaning of health. There may be many occasions when individuals are not necessarily ill or in pain but may be overweight, stressed or emotionally unstable. Health is a quality of life involving dynamic interaction and interdependence among the individual’s physical state, their mental and emotional reactions, and the social context in which the individual exists. There are many factors that influence your health, but three major components contribute to general well-being: Self-awareness, a balanced diet and, regular physical activity.
As Francis Bacon once said, “A healthy body is a guest chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison” (Quote World). In his quote, Bacon explains how people should relieve their stress in order to live a healthy life. By the use of this quote, it is used to represent how people should not be obsessed with their health habits. Henceforth, should people be captivated with their health habits? In Stephen Leacock’s essay, “How to Live to be 200”, Leacock’s arguments are compelling because he develops a sarcastic tone by making satirical statements, and uses rhetorical devices, allowing readers to draw personal connections.
Health is a vital component in our everyday life. If it is compromised, everything else goes down with it. Health affects an individual drastically; therefore, it is imperative that we take good care of our bodies in order to maintain normal body functions that can help us go through our normal day-to-day lives without fail. There are many factors that can affect health--one of them is Education. Health education feeds emotions that will motivate us to do a better job at being caretakers of ourselves. It can therefore, be said that health education can encourage people to act on their own personal health.
Having a healthy body can contribute to an individual’s overall well being and happiness. In the reading about virtue and health by Gary Ferngren, we learn about the meaning of ‘virtue’ in the ancient world which referred to the “quality or proficiency of men…” instead of in reference to moral behavior (Ferngren 176). The Greeks considered health to be essential to one’s virtue. Maintaining a healthy diet will help an individual perform better. Personally, I find that healthy habits are beneficial and uplifting for the soul. Those days when I eat right and am active, I am in high spirits, I feel good, and I am more motivated to achieve things. According to new US dietary guidelines, most Americans “don’t get enough health-enhancing and disease-preventing nutrients” which is a major problem that is not only physically detrimental, but also discouraging in terms of one’s mental health (Mayo Clinic Staff, “New dietary guidelines” 3). When I feel healthy on the inside, I have greater self-esteem and confidence and this is really important when it comes to how others view themselves or they potential. It also helps to maintain a positive outlook on