Your Physical Wellbeing-The Window to Good Health

3min read; “Some of the most obvious and serious signs that we are unhealthy appear physically. Addressing this dimension is crucial for anyone attempting to sustain overall health and wellness”- (John Koshuta). 

In order to optimize our overall health, it is important to address our physical health because we now know that our emotional and social environment is interwoven with our physical health. For Example:

Poorer Mental/Emotional Health Can Increase Your Risk Of Developing Health Problems Through The Following:

• Suppression of immune function 
•  Poor health behaviours (e.g., smoking, drinking alcohol excessively, sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary choices) 
• Not following medical recommendations. For instance, depressed patients are three times more likely not to follow medical treatment recommendations compared with non-depressed patients 
•  If your water is clean and safe, the air you breathe is pure, your workplace is healthy, your house is comfortable and safe, you are more likely to enjoy good health compared to somebody whose water supply is not clean and safe, the air he/she breathes is contaminated, the workplace is unhealthy, etc. 
• Researchers found that just an hour of sniffing car exhaust fumes induces a stress response in the brain's activity (Zuyd University). 
•  Chronic lead poisoning, caused in part by the ingestion of contaminated dirt, affects hundreds of thousands more children in the United States than the acute lead poisoning associated with imported toys or jewelry (Purdue University).

The Meaning of Physical Health

Physical health relates to anything concerning our bodies as physical entities, everything ranging from the absence of disease to fitness level. It can be defined as an essential part of overall health of an individual, which includes everything from physical fitness to overall wellbeing.

Physical well-being is another term for physical health. Physical well-being is defined as something a person can achieve by developing all health-related components of his/her lifestyle.

 

The Two Aspects Physical health

Structural health - refers to sound bones, muscles, organs etc. That the structures in the body are performing the functions they were made for properly. Structural health is associated with a person's height/weight ratio, their BMI (body mass index), their resting pulse rate (heart rate), and recovery time after doing exercise.

Chemical Health -good chemical health means that the chemicals in the person's body are correct, that tissues contain the right balance of nutrients, etc., and there are no toxic chemicals.

When we inhale or swallow natural and synthetic chemicals; they can also get into our body through skin. In most cases, the body can break these chemicals down or excrete them, so that there is no risk of toxic overload. Some chemicals can harm or destroy cells and tissues, while others may affect genetic material directly, which can increase the risk of developing cancer.

Research has establish that your physical health can be affected by the things you do, by the way you process information, career choice, family dynamics, life troubles and the environment in which we live.

Physical Health and Genetics

• People born from alcoholic parents tend to have more addictive personalities than those whose parents were not alcoholic. 
• Some emotional and mental ailments directly relate to the abuse endured in childhood, others tend to be more genetic in nature. 
•  Research has discovered that people whose parents suffer from certain diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension, or even addictions, are predisposed to getting these conditions. This is a genetic predisposition. Biology certainly does play a central role in the health and well-being of everyone. 
• If mothers were to be diagnosed with breast cancer when they were in their late-thirties or early-forties then most medical professionals would encourage daughters to obtain a screening regularly once they have reached a certain age. It would not matter whether they stayed indoors away from the damaging rays of the sun or that they did not smoke. They are a cancer risk because of the genetic predisposition for the disease that runs in the family history. 
• However, there is no guarantee that daughters of mothers that had breast cancer will suffer the same. It simply means that the DNA (the genetic material that people share with their family) may include a marker that leaves people more susceptible to the disease more than someone else who does not have this marker.

Nevertheless,psychological, social and environmental factors all play key prominent roles in managing .our health.

Let us examine this multidimensional approach to our physical health and the steps to improve and living a long healthier life in the next update.