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Achieving Wellness and Health

health

Achieving Wellness and Health

Health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is, “a condition of full physical, emotional and social well being and not the absence of illness and infirmity”. There have been various definitions used for the same purpose over the years. These include the following: health is the normal condition of life that enhance the body’s functioning; an unhealthy condition of health implies a deficiency in the desirable qualities of health; health is the interrelationship between the health and the environment; the environment and health are interdependent. The definition of health varies among philosophies, but all agree on the important role that it plays in determining the quality of life. It is the state of being healthy that determines the quality of life.

The state of complete mental, emotional and physical wellbeing is what most people would consider to be health. When you speak of a state of health, it means that you are balanced, have the capacity for self-care, can take care of yourself without outside help, and your body functions normally. When it comes to what is meant by the definition of health, different philosophies have offered different answers. One school of thought believes that health is a state of complete mental, emotional and physical wellbeing and nothing less. On the other hand, another school of thought says that health is a state of the absence of disease or disability, which allows a person to function in his day-to-day activities and to be independent.

The relationship between physical and mental health is the first major focus of wellness initiatives. This focuses on reducing the risk factors associated with illness and ill-health and their risk factors and impacts on the overall wellness of a population. Prevention is better than cure; therefore, it is necessary to reduce the risk factors associated with illness and ill-health and work towards eliminating them through a comprehensive action plan involving all the stakeholders. This will ensure that a population is not at a higher risk of being affected by illnesses and the subsequent ill-health and that, the overall well-being improves as a result.