Introduction to Personal Health Personal health CHS 311

Introduction to Personal Health Personal health CHS 311 1 st lecture

Outline: What is health? What is wellness? The differences between health and wellness. Elements of wellness. Diseases and illness. Personal health assessment. Factors affecting personal health.

Questions to ask yourself? I feel healthy when. . . . . I am healthy because. . . . . To stay healthy I need. . . I become unhealthy when. . . . My health improves when. . . (A person) affected my health by. . . . (An event) affected my health by. . . (A situation) affected my health by. . . . ………. is responsible for my health

What is health? Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. (WHO definition)

What is wellness? It is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. Wellness is more than being free from illness. Wellness is a dynamic process of change and growth.

So, what is the difference between health and wellness?

Health Continuum

The difference between health and wellness: Health and Wellness are two terms that are often interchanged. There are certainly some differences between them when it comes to their inner meanings. Health means absence of disease and good state of the mind. Hence it is more than just being physically well. You will have to be mentally good too to be called a healthy person. Wellness on the other hand is the state of living a healthy lifestyle. There are different components of wellness. They are physical health, mental or emotional health, intellectual health, social health, environmental health and spiritual health.

The difference between health and wellness (Cont. ): Wellness is a lifestyle and is not an end to be achieved. Wellness means that one strives for balance throughout his whole life. On the other hand, health would be that a person wants to lose weight and lower blood pressure. Once he does this, he is considered healthy. Health is a goal one can achieve while wellness is a dynamic concept that continues for a lifetime.

Elements of wellness

Social Wellness: Refers to one's ability to interact with people around them. It involves using good communications skills, having meaningful relationships, respecting yourself and others, and creating a support system that includes family members and friends. Emotional wellness: It involves being attentive to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, whether positive or negative.

Spiritual Wellness: • Is a personal matter involving values and beliefs that provide a purpose in our lives. • It includes our relationship with the environment, our relationships with others and with ourselves. • Does not just reflect religious belief although for people of a religious faith it is obviously a central feature. Each person’s spirituality is greatly impacted by the community they are a part of and their relationships.

Environmental well-being: • trying to live in harmony with the Earth by understanding the impact of your interaction with nature and your personal environment. • Taking action to protect the world around you. Protecting yourself from environmental hazards and minimizing the negative impact of your behavior on the environment are also central elements.

Occupational Wellness: • Is the ability to achieve a balance between work and leisure time, addressing workplace stress and building relationships with co-workers. • It's important for our overall well-being to do what we love and love what we do. Intellectual wellness: reflects our degree of openness to new ideas, our tendency to challenge ourselves to think critically, our inclination to nourish our creativity and curiosity, and our motivation to master new skills.

Physical wellness: • Is usually the first thing we think of when we think about health. • Involves aspects of life that are necessary to keep yourself in top condition. • Optimal physical wellness is developed through the combination of beneficial physical activity/exercise and healthy eating habits.

• Components of physical wellness include building muscular strength, cardiovascular strength and flexibility. • Is concerned with developing personal responsibility for your own health care, such as caring for minor illnesses and knowing when professional medical attention is needed. • The physical benefits of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem, self-control ….

Illness and disease These terms are used interchangeably. there is a difference between illness and disease. Illness: refers to the human response to disease. In 1972, Dr Anthony Suchman defined what we know today as the four stages illness: 1 -Experiencing signs and symptoms 2 -Assuming the sick role, or validating the sickness 3 -Seeking medical care 4 -Assuming dependent role while recovering

Disease: • is an alteration of the mental and/or physical structure of the human body or mind. • Diseases can have numerous causes: biological (like viruses), chemical (like drugs or heavy metals), genetics, physical agents (like temperature extremes), and alterations in immunity or metabolism (like allergies or hormonal disturbances. ) • With disease comes specific signs and symptoms that manifest themselves, allowing physicians/medical experts to diagnose their patients.

Personal health assessment: There is several tools used to asses individual health.

Take few minutes to asses your personal health, Then based on it, try to think of personal factors affecting your health.

Factors affecting health and disease 1. Heredity: Transmitted or capable of being transmitted genetically from parent to offspring. Examples: Diabetes and some forms of cancers. 2. Dietary habits: quantity and quality of nutritional intake. 3. Substance use abuse: alcohol, drugs and tobacco intake.

Factors affecting health and disease (Cont. ) 4. Sleep habits: sleeping rituals, sleep problems. 5. Stress: level stress experienced daily, amount of stressors. 6. Relationship: social and emotional support sources. 7. Occupational factors: job security, job satisfaction and supportive environment.

Factors affecting health and disease (Cont. ): 8. Self-esteem: which is a person's overall emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. 9. Physical activity: quality and quantity of daily exercise. 10. Other factors related to people’s lifestyle.

Conclusion Several lifestyle and personal factors have an effect on people’s health. Some of which are impossible to alter (genetics). While some are easily changed. In order to reach optimum wellness, people should continually work to balance their spiritual, mental, occupational, intellectual, physical and social wellbeing.