Lately …I have been thinking about a question which is actually very simple.
What does it really mean to be healthy? For decades, many have judged health by numbers.
Normal blood pressure.
Normal blood glucose levels.
Normal cholesterol.
A “normal” medical report.
If the reports look good, we just assumed the person was healthy.
But is that really enough?
The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
This definition was written decades ago however it feels more relevant today than ever.
We are actually living in a time where people with even normal health check-ups are still developing heart attacks, strokes, chronic stress, burnout and other life-changing conditions.
We’ve all heard stories.
Someone who exercised regularly collapsed all of sudden.
Someone whose annual health check-up was “perfect” …But months later was diagnosed with a serious illness.
These cases remind us of an uncomfortable truth. Medicine can measure many things.
But it cannot measure everything.
A laboratory report can tell us about our cholesterol.
It cannot actually measure chronic stress, loneliness, emotional exhaustion.
Being healthy is no about just surviving.It is about functioning well.
It is about having the energy to live..the resilience to cope with challenges. It is about having meaningful relationships, and a body and mind that work together not against each other.
Perhaps the real question is no longer about “Are your reports normal?”
I really want to know has your definition of health changed over the years?
MBH/PS
