By: Prapanna Lahiri
Health and wellness are related words and are often used alongside and sometimes interchangeably with each other. Although a person cannot have one and not the other, they are two different concepts having significantly different meanings. The simple difference between health and wellness, precisely stated, is that health is a state of being, whereas wellness is the practice of living a healthy lifestyle. While health refers to physical, mental, and social well-being; wellness aims at enhancing well-being. World Health Organization (WHO) defines Health as the “state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease, or infirmity (illness).” They define Wellness as “an active process through which people become aware of and make choices towards a healthy and fulfilling existence.” The point of difference between the two lies in wellness being always a matter of choice. If health is the goal, wellness is the active process of achieving it.
WHO’s definition of health has often been criticized for being excessively inclusive and unattainable, especially, as it makes use of the word “complete,” but factually the paraphrase goes on to broaden the medical definition of health beyond the simple absence of disease. The emphasis being on physical, mental and social wellbeing, good health does depend on improvements in economic, social and physical environment that includes the system of healthcare. Further, improvements in environment can only be ensured by conscious efforts at making intelligent lifestyle choices, which again by definition is wellness.
Risk factors affecting health:
Since health is a state of wellbeing, free from disease, illness and injury, it is dependent on sundry risk factors which are actions or conditions that increase a person’s risk of illness or injury. Some of the risk factors that can impede good health are as follows: ―
Smoking: It is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer.
Drinking alcohol: It can lead to liver damage, stroke, heart ailments and also cancer.
Sedentary lifestyle: It enhances all causes of mortality, doubles the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, lipid disorders, colon cancer and mental ailments like depression and anxiety.
Unprotected sex: It risks spread of certain STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) that include the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causing AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency Syndrome), an incurable condition that interferes with the body’s ability to fight infections.
Tough physical activities/ sports: These activities may result in broken bones and other types of bodily injuries.
Remedies:
Having recourse to reactive and proactive actions to remedy the health risk factors lie in measures of wellbeing. The reactive response is seen in the patient with poor health engaging the medical fraternity to treat illnesses. The proactive response lies in measures of prevention of illnesses to maximise vitality. Adopting lifestyles that promote improved health, prevent disease and enhance quality of life is a choice that lends a sense of wellbeing which is multidimensional having physical, intellectual, emotional, environmental, social and spiritual facets of life. This choice is driven by self-responsibility for a healthy living.
Reference:
Concept Research Foundation 