The Different Descriptive Features of Health

Health is a condition of mental, physical and emotional well-being where infirmity and illness are absent. A number of definitions have been applied to health since early days. One of them is that physical health refers to the absence of sickness or disease while mental health refers to one’s ability to live an active and satisfying life. In other words, health is the sum total of the three. Mental health therefore, entails the ability to live an active and fulfilling life as against the backdrop of having an impaired or sick mind.

This is what makes health so essential. It is truly necessary in order for us to function properly and live comfortably. Without the absence of such a background, we would not be able to deal with the onslaught of diseases and live our lives healthily. The fact is that the absence of a healthy mind and body means absence of life. This is why prevention is always better than cure.

In this modern world where most of us are very much dependent on drugs, it becomes obvious that there should be some measure of preventative measures as well as cure available for diseases. The first step is to identify, as far as possible, the causes of the disease. Then we need to go on to determine the severity of the disease. If it is a mild disease, we may consider taking preventive measures and use of drug therapies to control it. If it is a severe disease, we certainly should seek cure, preferably in its early stages.

In defining health, you have to take into consideration the three definitions mentioned above. The first is to define the absence of disease as well as the lack of illness. A disease is any physical problem that is the result of infection or disorder of the body. The second definition is to define healthy living as the absence of ill-health or physical debilitation. Finally, the third definition is to define good health or well-being as the absence of disease, physical debilitation, and poor health.

The other two definitions are very useful in our everyday lives and in defining and measuring human health. However, they do not provide a complete picture of what is important for our well-being. The first definition talks about the absence of disease. The second definition talks about the absence of illness. But these definitions fail to account for the role of the physical environment, which has an enormous effect on our health.

The fourth definition of health is important because it speaks about the interdependence of the three dimensions of health – physical, mental, and social-cultural aspects. These dimensions of health are actually interdependent. The physical dimensions, in turn, depend on the level of fitness and activity, the mental dimensions on the quality of social relationships, and the social-cultural dimensions on the existence and attitudes of the population in general.