This is the third in a series of articles that is exploring the latest heart research particularly in the fields of neurology, psychoneuroimmunology and bodymind healthcare.
Expanding our definition of Health
Often times when patients come in for their regular visits, when I ask them how they’re doing, they often will answer in one of two way:
They will either tell me that they’re feeling some sort of symptom such as a sore shoulder, low back pain or stiffness or they will tell me that they’re good. In other words, how they feel they are doing is based on whether or not they have symptoms.
Symptoms = bad or not so good
No symptoms = good
And I want to know anything and everything that they can tell me about how they are feeling. Here’s the thing: There’s more to health than good vs bad.
Culturally though, that’s where the standard is; either you’re doing good (no symptoms) or you’re not doing so good (symptoms). If you were to say to someone “I’m doing awesome, super terrific!”, they’d either think that you’re being sarcastic or that you’re starting to lose it.
There is another standard by which to judge how you’re doing. And it’s not based on the presence or absence of symptoms.
The World Health Organization defines health as “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
It would be nice to firm up and make some of this definition a bit more relatable. After all, a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being sounds nice but what does it really mean?
What if we were to define health as:
“Not the absence of disease ‘or symptoms’, but rather as the process by which individuals maintain ‘and improve’ their sense of coherence (i.e. sense that life is comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful) and ability to function in the face of changes in themselves and their relationships with their environment.” ~ Science of the Heart
At the Happy Spine, we hold ourselves to a higher standard of delivering health care, not just symptom or disease care. Survival doesn’t have to be the status quo even during stressful times. Hopefully you take advantage of the many complimentary workshops that we hold throughout the year.
Whether you’re seeking help to “tread water” to make it through a rough patch or if you’re looking to go BEYOND the cultural norm of neutrality that keeps us always hovering around survival, we can help you to deepen your experience of this new expanded definition of health.
Your circumstances don’t have to define and control your experience of life.