To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. --- Buddha
A friend of mine was struggling a year ago to finish up her chemo treatments and now she is a year disease free. Another friend's downhill run to the end commenced a year ago after a 5 year battle with cancer. Another family member over the years has been able to survive cancer a couple of times by just literally cutting it out. Then there are those of us who have chronic conditions, such as RA, Hashimoto's disease, or weird skin conditions that require a lifetime of medicine to keep at bay. Or we have shoulder arthritis, or detritis in the knee (that is a formal dx by the way) that require surgery to fix. Perhaps our minds have slipped a bit and we need extra help through meditation or an antidepressant to help stabilize. Whatever the struggle, there is a struggle to being healthy.
I'm not actually sure what "healthy" means. Is that the baseline or the point of homeostasis? Is that where the mind is well and reminds us that life is precious regardless of whether our body is attacking us or not? Is healthy only what we put in our mouths, or our outlook on life, or our body's ability to fight infection, or the measurement (or lack thereof) of inflammation in the body. Do we fluctuate between healthy and unhealthy day by day or even minute by minute? If you are overweight are you by default "unhealthy" even if you're happy, don't get sick and eat really well? Is "healthy" a state of mental well-being or the results of a blood test?
The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
Complete?? That is a kind of intimidating. When are we ever in a place of complete physical, mental and social well-being? I have to take medicine to keep myself complete. Does that mean I'm healthy? If I have a bad day at work and reach for chocolate for comfort does that mean I'm not healthy?
Aaaah, and the debate continues. I bring this up because I used to believe that the body could heal itself, without medication, by treating it right, reading the right self-help books, and feeding it the right foods. What I found over time though, is that the struggle only got harder and harder. So here I am, in remission from rheumatoid arthritis, feeling healthier than ever before. I didn't get here on my own though. The doctors tell me I am healthy and looking better than I ever have. Though if you strip me bare, take away my health insurance, medication, crossfit and my job - all of which combined help to make me "complete" the picture would be very different. Would I still be able to find health in the absence of all those things?
There is a point to this, maybe. Every individual has their own formula for health. What works for one person won't necessarily work for another. We are all walking experiments seeking out balance, happiness - physical, mental, and social well-being both in the presence of and absence of disease or infirmity. Keep fighting the good fight.
I'm running the 10K Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run in an effort to give back so that others might have the chance to experience health. Please support me if you can:
My Arthritis Foundation page.
The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
Complete?? That is a kind of intimidating. When are we ever in a place of complete physical, mental and social well-being? I have to take medicine to keep myself complete. Does that mean I'm healthy? If I have a bad day at work and reach for chocolate for comfort does that mean I'm not healthy?
Aaaah, and the debate continues. I bring this up because I used to believe that the body could heal itself, without medication, by treating it right, reading the right self-help books, and feeding it the right foods. What I found over time though, is that the struggle only got harder and harder. So here I am, in remission from rheumatoid arthritis, feeling healthier than ever before. I didn't get here on my own though. The doctors tell me I am healthy and looking better than I ever have. Though if you strip me bare, take away my health insurance, medication, crossfit and my job - all of which combined help to make me "complete" the picture would be very different. Would I still be able to find health in the absence of all those things?
There is a point to this, maybe. Every individual has their own formula for health. What works for one person won't necessarily work for another. We are all walking experiments seeking out balance, happiness - physical, mental, and social well-being both in the presence of and absence of disease or infirmity. Keep fighting the good fight.
I'm running the 10K Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run in an effort to give back so that others might have the chance to experience health. Please support me if you can:
My Arthritis Foundation page.
