What Is Wellness?
Wellness according to the World Health Organization is…
“a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
This is important because what it tells us is that if you have a disease or illness you’re not well.
Most people would definitely agree although it gets into a little bit of a gray area with many people believing that if they have a disease but the symptoms are managed by a medication then they are well.
This is not true unfortunately.
In this situation, the disease itself means you’re not well, even if you feel ok.
More on that in a moment.
The World Health Organization statement also indicates that if you have a symptom, then you are not well.
OK. We might agree if it’s a symptom like crushing chest pain from a heart problem then we have a health problem.
What if the symptom is a loss of balance, dizziness, vertigo, headaches (including migraines), a skin condition, an allergy, arthritis… ?
What about depression, anxiety, adhd, a sensori-motor integration or a developmental delay issue…?
If we have any of these things, do we have complete health and optimal function?
Clearly the answer is no.
What if we have neck pain, back pain, stiffness, muscle spasms?
If you have any of those symptoms, you have a health problem that is effecting your health – and it’s often in ways that aren’t readily apparent.
Symptoms are very often a poor indicator of health.
People that discover they have cancer have had it growing inside them for a long time before they ever got a symptom.
People with a heart problem often never have a symptom until they have a heart attack and many of those die.
What about Alzheimer’s? Parkinson’s? Another neuro-degenerative disorder?
An autoimmune condition like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis causing hypothyroid or any other autoimmune problem?
In each of these conditions, the person had the problem years if not decades before they ever got the first symptom.
What that means is that they may have believed they were healthy or experiencing wellness while their bodies were suffering massive amounts of damage.
Wellness goes beyond being symptom free without taking medications.
Wellness indicates optimal function physically, mentally, and socially.
So it goes beyond the physical. There’s a lot to achieving better health and wellness.
100% wellness might be an unattainable goal.
However there is a spectrum. We’re all moving down a path that is leading to greater health and wellness or we’re headed down the wrong path towards more disease and health problems.
Maybe it’s time to make a change in our direction…
Everything counts and that can make it seem overwhelming.
We need to improve our diets, our fitness, sleep, stress, our social and family life.
You have to start somewhere.
Many people find the greatest improvement by starting with the area that needs the most consideration, your weakest area and work to improve it starting today.
It could be diet or sleep or something else.
For so many people, seeing a Chiropractor can make a huge difference by improving many symptoms… but more importantly by improving the way our bodies are functioning physically.
This alone can often help improve sleep, reduce stress (physical stress causes ‘mental’ stress and vice versa!).
Texarkana Chiropractor
Promoting Healthy Habits and Wellness
Whiplash, Personal Injury, Sports Injuries, Neck Pain, Headaches, Migraines, Back Pain, Sciatica, Shoulder Pain, TMJ.
Need Help in the Texarkana Area? Contact Us at our Texarkana Clinic!
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