Topic > What does health mean to you: a challenging question

What does health mean to you? In the essay I reveal this particular question as it can attract different answers from different individuals based on their background, geographic location, life experience, etc. In general, people tend to define things, mainly, based on their understanding and experience. This is why giving a single definition of health is quite difficult. Evidently, the Internet is full of different views and definitions of health, which has made it more difficult to reach consensus on a general definition of health. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay However, according to Svalastog, Donev, Kristoffersen and Gajovic, providing a historical and chronological overview of health and showing the development of hypothesized health ideas over time should be the best approach to attributing a correct definition of health. Essentially, it would be difficult to capture the definition of health with this approach, due to the fact that there are so many diseases and monitoring them individually would not be feasible. Nordenfelt, on the other hand, suggested that health should be defined based on a normative formulation. This model is, therefore, limited to the capabilities and goals of the individual and is considered incomplete. Furthermore, Boorse believes that a statistical approach is the best way to define health. However, this approach has been rejected as it has no connection to people's experience of health. More recently, Sturmberg proposed that health should be defined on the basis of individuals' social, somatic, psychological, and semiotic experience. This model of defining health is more holistic and aligns with the definition of health in some published research. However, the Farlex Medical Dictionary has taken a rather narrow approach in defining health. Farlex defined health as “a relative state in which one is able to function well physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually to express the full range of one's unique potential within the environment in which one lives.” In my opinion this definition connotes positivity. The “ability to function well” as described by the author portrays energy, strength and may be accompanied by a sense of accomplishment. On the other hand, the definition restricts these potentials to the “environment in which the individual lives”; what happens when the individual is not “in” that environment? This narrow approach makes the Farlex definition irrelevant in all cases. Furthermore, the Cambridge Dictionary provided a more positive definition of health; as “the condition of the body and the degree to which it is free from disease or in a state of well-being.” Even with the positivity portrayed with the key terms; “free” and “feel good,” the definition failed to recognize the impact our emotions have on our well-being. Someone can possess a healthy body but have a very sick mind. According to the psychosocial health model explained by Taukeni, our lifestyle and behavior have a huge influence on our health and vice versa. This model threatens the validity of the Cambridge Dictionary definition of health. According to Nozick, a holistic definition of health should recognize the impact of key factors such as social, economic, psychological and environmental well-being on an individual's health. This is the approach taken by the World Health Organization, WHO, in defining health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not simply the absence of disease or infirmity”. This implies that a person must possess a body to be considered healthy:?