Good Health – absence of disease
Health is a condition of mental, physical and social well Being where infirmity and illness are absent. A number of definitions are used for such conditions over the years. However one thing is consistent among them all; they all define health as a state of optimum health. What is optimum health?
According to many practitioners definition of good health is having a healthy body, mind and spirit that are free of disease, sickness and emotional disturbance. It is also believed that it refers to the absence of impairment in the ability to perform the most basic activities of life. The definition states that this can be achieved by keeping the physical environment that we live in as natural as possible with less chemicals and pollutants in it. This definition excludes the use of pharmacological agents and other artificial substances such as food and drugs. It is also believed that to achieve good health it refers to being content in the best physical condition without any limitations such as deformity or disability.
Another way of looking at the issue is the prevention of sickness and disease. In the prevention of sickness it is believed that if we can avoid injury and illness we avoid the spreading of diseases. It is important that we take care of our body from the inside by eating a healthy balanced diet and a regular exercise program. From the outside we should take good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of illness through touch, mouth or sexual transmission.
On the other hand the definition of healthy as it relates to the physical aspect of life is quite different. We are advised to be content with a normal level of health and physical conditions. We are not told to look for excellence or avoid limitations, but we are advised to set goals and achieve them. To do this we must understand what the reference values are for health.
For a long time the reference values for the quality of life have been based on the physical examination of the body and the setting and maintenance of standards of living. These reference values have developed over the last century to include the quality of education, employment and general well being. In the field of health promotion these reference values refer to the setting and maintenance of reasonable standards of personal cleanliness and hygiene. The personal sanitation measures are based on the fact that we all come into contact with disease carrying agents either directly or by inhalation or by touch. The aim of healthy practice is to keep us in a position to limit the contact with disease carrying agents and also to limit the extent of direct exposure to such agents.
This means that if you want to remain in good health you need to set and maintain reasonable standards of cleanliness and hygiene. If you do not know where to begin you need to look at the aspects of behavior and environment that might be responsible for encouraging disease rather than simply preventing disease. The absence of disease does not mean that you do not have to set and maintain reasonable standards of cleanliness and hygiene or avoid contact with disease carrying agents but it does mean that you have to take some action to reduce the risks.