Jackier

Good or bad?

Good is being able to walk, breathe, see, hear, smile, laugh, run, play, enjoy, feel, touch, appreciate.

Bad is being restricted, lack of freedom, physical or mental.

Funny how the smallest things we take for granted until they are gone.

newjersey

Mine? not dead. Cancer screws you up. Up until I was diagnosed though, I thought of being healthy as doing things you like doing, as in having energy to get up and go where you please, eat things without regrets, have a drink or three, stay up until 5am on occasion - AND your body agreeing with you, not letting you down. I.e. not looking as a train wreck in the morning after you missed your bedtime by 15 minutes, like. Most importantly, being able to function at home, at work and have plenty of reserve for an unplanned jet set and go.

FWIW.

Kelli28

I read somewhere that there are 7 areas of health not sure I agree with them all though.
The main four are Mental, physical, emotional and spiritual which is a controversial area. A uni book that was a requirement stated that you were not fully healthy unless you had spiritual health! The definition it gave of spiritual health was believing in a higher being than yourself and required that you attended church or other religious place!

carolinephillips

Having the energy and mental capacity to do the things you enjoy.

NOT having an immune system that either reacts and destroys your body, or doesn't bother to fight off the myriad of germs that surround you, or a body that lets you do less and less each day despite trying to keep fit.

Not to be in pain or suffering from physical or mental illnesses.

To be comfortable with the body you have.

Dorothy

Thank you all for replying. I have to write my definition of health and then the definition from a social group. My social group is immigrants, so along with the reading I've done on refugees I thought I would throw in some opinions from westerners.

It's really interesting to see how different perspectives are from people who have had major health problems are to those who have always been relatively healthy. It's also really interesting (to me, but I'm a saddo) to see what different medical professions count as health.

Karma for you all.

Kooky.

Am I too late? I was too busy wallowing in self-pity last night to read BE.

Health is not just about not being/feeling ill, it is about being/feeling well.

A wonderful doctor I miss terribly told me that when my body had just about given up a few years back and my own definition of health had adapted to how crap I had felt for so long that I thought that was normal.

Pollyana

Being able to do the things you want to do without worrying if your body will let you down.

Spent several months a few years ago with eczema so bad I wouldn't go anywhere, couldn't stay over at anyone's place, only went out in long sleeves and high necks to cover myself up......horrible, Sitting here now in a t-shirt I'm still eternally grateful that most days now I'm a lot better these days. Had really bad arthritis at the same time and could hardly walk; not fun when living on your own. So health really is something to treasure.

And mental health and physical health are so often linked - the sicker I got, the more depressed I got, constant downward spiral.

IvanM

Getting it up.

unfair dinkum

I can't believe no one has mentioned being able to do a bloody big satisfying shit everyday like clockwork

itigo

Very true......... like this.

Oh, and Unfair Dinkum, I am a lady and do not comment on such things....

IvanM

Whilst browsing BE on the iPhone.

Dorothy

I think that if it's bloody that would be a sign you should have your colon looked at. But yeah, that morning dump is pretty satisfying.

Japonica

Health is a cultural construct as well. Lynn Payer's Medicine & Culture is a pretty good read. It only depicts French, German, British, and American perspectives, but still worth a look.

Japonica

That's actually in Payer's book, British section. Preoccupation with bowel movements. Hmm...interesting...

IvanM

I have seen Thai references to clearing one through with food and TCM has a few things to say on the subject.