by Lisa Copen If you were to approach someone on the street and ask them to tell you the difference between illness and health, you would likely receive a quick explanation about how health was the process of one's body working in the way in which it was designed to work, and illness is the absence of some intricate and essential factor in the body so that it can work most effectively.
When a person begins to experience daily pain or symptoms that signify the presence of what may be a chronic illness, however, there is a new need to have a better understanding about what the real difference is between a body that is considered healthy and a body that is now defined as ill. Many people who are diagnosed with illnesses such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, are surprised to find out that the scientists in the medical community continue to have a lack of full understanding about the diseases and their long-term impact on one's life.
Despite a lack of scientific answers, however, one still feels the need for validation of the pain he or she is feeling. A person who becomes chronically ill may recognize that not all answers about the disease are known, but an illness definition, which was formerly just a concept, is now a personal issue and there is an emotional need for medical professionals to value the patient's description of the pain experience. She wishes for someone to listen and diagnose the illness symptoms!
To define chronic illness may seem like a simple task, despite the fact that there are many types of chronic illness. It could be said it is the absence of health or the existence of pain or other unhealthy symptoms. But consider this: there are people who suffer many symptoms of illness who are still considered rather healthy individuals; they even look fine on the outside, unaware of the complexity of medical issues brewing in their bodies that have yet to reveal themselves.
So if one's appearance or "feel good" measurement doesn't work accurately to decipher the difference between health and illness what do we use to determine it?
A question that may surprise healthy people but chronically ill people tend to start asking themselves is "Can one who lives with a chronic illness actually be healthy?" Can you be a chronically ill but healthy person?
According to Derek Yach, who presented on the topic of "Health and Illness: The Definition of the World Health Organization," both societies and individuals have a variety of definitions of what is regarded as health. These definitions have all undergone scrutiny and criticisms.
How can a country determine health for their own country? Do we compare out life expectancy or infant mortality rates with other countries to determine if we are a healthier culture? What does it say about the USA that, as children in some countries are barely surviving on limited food, groups are pressuring McDonald's to remove toys from Happy Meals? While a McDonalds calorie list is a good idea, not every mother is searching for the latest McDonalds Happy Meal toy schedule online.
Is it unrealistic to believe that everyone can obtain some level of health? The definition of health and illness will always be vague and determined not scientifically, but rather sociologically by those determined to use the definition to their advantage.
And so, yet again, this brings us to the question of "What is a chronic illness?"
Medically, chronic illness can be defined as a condition that is lasting longer than three months, according to the definition determined by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. This could include any physical state that takes away one's measure of health-or as the void of illness such as the autoimmune illness chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, symptoms of end stage COPD, or even cancer.
Despite the fact that America may be well known for their well-being, nearly 1 in 2 American live with a kind of chronic pain, condition, or illness. This can include anything from chronic migraines to disabling back pain. This is according to the report "Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge" completed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Our society has firmly held the opinion that the commonly advertised medications will cure our illness or at least make all symptoms soon disappear. And we are told this is true: that we just need to follow the advice of the pharmaceutical companies and soon we will be as good as we used to be!
It is often assumed that the concept of pain management means, not "managing the pain," but rather ending it completely for an indefinite amount of time. If the pain is not entirely removed from our lives, most people assume that the treatments or medications have failed to do the job they were supposed to do. The pharmaceutical companies that design the medications give us the impression that they will cure us from the illness, or at least remove all the symptoms.
The World Health Organization (WHO) was established in the year 1948 and at that time the word health was given the definition as "being a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, it defines the word illness as "a state of poor health." In fact, this source states that "Illness is sometimes considered a synonym for disease."
Some would argue that true health is more a state of mind--an attitude about life--than what your lab tests results may reveal.
This can be a sensitive issue. There are healthy people who live with extreme chronic illnesses, but they stay as fit as possible in spite of their conditions. Other people may have wonderful genetics and be very healthy according to lab tests, and yet they put their body under great physical stress. And then if they get an illness, was it caused by the stress or was it an illness they likely would have gotten eventually anyway?
This is related to the definition of social health. Which comes first, the illness or the stress? There are many social factors that determine health and its definition.
In conclusion, many of the definitions on any topic in our society are determined by who you ask. For each person you ask, you will likely receive a different answer. Chronic illness does carry a great deal of burdens and frustrations, but it is true that joy is also a choice that can be made. I feel that I am able to say this because I have lived with degenerative rheumatoid arthritis for nearly twenty years. And I have learned that although my body may spin out of control sometimes with a flare have moments of being disabled, I still have a choice each day to try to find joy despite my circumstances.
Chronic illness doesn't have to be depressing! Don't miss daily emailed encouragement from the largest Christian outreach for people with illness. Don't miss our terrific books and gifts we've selected for people coping with illness.
If you were to approach someone on the street and ask them to tell you the difference between illness and health, you would likely receive a quick explanation about how health was the process of one's body working in the way in which it was designed to work, and illness is the absence of some intricate and essential factor in the body so that it can work most effectively.
When a person begins to experience daily pain or symptoms that signify the presence of what may be a chronic illness, however, there is a new need to have a better understanding about what the real difference is between a body that is considered healthy and a body that is now defined as ill. Many people who are diagnosed with illnesses such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, are surprised to find out that the scientists in the medical community continue to have a lack of full understanding about the diseases and their long-term impact on one's life.
Despite a lack of scientific answers, however, one still feels the need for validation of the pain he or she is feeling. A person who becomes chronically ill may recognize that not all answers about the disease are known, but an illness definition, which was formerly just a concept, is now a personal issue and there is an emotional need for medical professionals to value the patient's description of the pain experience. She wishes for someone to listen and diagnose the illness symptoms!
To define chronic illness may seem like a simple task, despite the fact that there are many types of chronic illness. It could be said it is the absence of health or the existence of pain or other unhealthy symptoms. But consider this: there are people who suffer many symptoms of illness who are still considered rather healthy individuals; they even look fine on the outside, unaware of the complexity of medical issues brewing in their bodies that have yet to reveal themselves.
So if one's appearance or "feel good" measurement doesn't work accurately to decipher the difference between health and illness what do we use to determine it?
A question that may surprise healthy people but chronically ill people tend to start asking themselves is "Can one who lives with a chronic illness actually be healthy?" Can you be a chronically ill but healthy person?
According to Derek Yach, who presented on the topic of "Health and Illness: The Definition of the World Health Organization," both societies and individuals have a variety of definitions of what is regarded as health. These definitions have all undergone scrutiny and criticisms.
How can a country determine health for their own country? Do we compare out life expectancy or infant mortality rates with other countries to determine if we are a healthier culture? What does it say about the USA that, as children in some countries are barely surviving on limited food, groups are pressuring McDonald's to remove toys from Happy Meals? While a McDonalds calorie list is a good idea, not every mother is searching for the latest McDonalds Happy Meal toy schedule online.
Is it unrealistic to believe that everyone can obtain some level of health? The definition of health and illness will always be vague and determined not scientifically, but rather sociologically by those determined to use the definition to their advantage.
And so, yet again, this brings us to the question of "What is a chronic illness?"
Medically, chronic illness can be defined as a condition that is lasting longer than three months, according to the definition determined by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. This could include any physical state that takes away one's measure of health-or as the void of illness such as the autoimmune illness chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, symptoms of end stage COPD, or even cancer.
Despite the fact that America may be well known for their well-being, nearly 1 in 2 American live with a kind of chronic pain, condition, or illness. This can include anything from chronic migraines to disabling back pain. This is according to the report "Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge" completed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Our society has firmly held the opinion that the commonly advertised medications will cure our illness or at least make all symptoms soon disappear. And we are told this is true: that we just need to follow the advice of the pharmaceutical companies and soon we will be as good as we used to be!
It is often assumed that the concept of pain management means, not "managing the pain," but rather ending it completely for an indefinite amount of time. If the pain is not entirely removed from our lives, most people assume that the treatments or medications have failed to do the job they were supposed to do. The pharmaceutical companies that design the medications give us the impression that they will cure us from the illness, or at least remove all the symptoms.
The World Health Organization (WHO) was established in the year 1948 and at that time the word health was given the definition as "being a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, it defines the word illness as "a state of poor health." In fact, this source states that "Illness is sometimes considered a synonym for disease."
Some would argue that true health is more a state of mind--an attitude about life--than what your lab tests results may reveal.
This can be a sensitive issue. There are healthy people who live with extreme chronic illnesses, but they stay as fit as possible in spite of their conditions. Other people may have wonderful genetics and be very healthy according to lab tests, and yet they put their body under great physical stress. And then if they get an illness, was it caused by the stress or was it an illness they likely would have gotten eventually anyway?
This is related to the definition of social health. Which comes first, the illness or the stress? There are many social factors that determine health and its definition.
In conclusion, many of the definitions on any topic in our society are determined by who you ask. For each person you ask, you will likely receive a different answer. Chronic illness does carry a great deal of burdens and frustrations, but it is true that joy is also a choice that can be made. I feel that I am able to say this because I have lived with degenerative rheumatoid arthritis for nearly twenty years. And I have learned that although my body may spin out of control sometimes with a flare have moments of being disabled, I still have a choice each day to try to find joy despite my circumstances.
Chronic illness doesn't have to be depressing! Don't miss daily emailed encouragement from the largest Christian outreach for people with illness. Don't miss our terrific books and gifts we've selected for people coping with illness.