Definition of Health

According to the Mosby’s Medical, Nursing, & Allied Health Dictionary health is defined as a condition of physical, mental, and social well being and the absence of disease or other abnormal conditions. It is not a static condition; constant change and adaptation to stress result in homeostasis. Rene Dubos has been quoted in nursing education as saying “The states of health or disease are the expressions of the success or failure experienced by the organism in its efforts to respond adaptively to environmental challenges” (1994). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are three components of health that need to be addressed including a person’s physical, mental, and social well-being (Kozier, B., Erb, G., Blais, K., 1997). I define health as the best possible physical and mental state that an individual is able to obtain. If someone has an illness or disease process their best possible state of health is going to in turn be lower than that of a “normally” healthy person who has had no previous disease process or illness to deal with. My wife’s perspective on health is “to eat right and exercise, and also have a keen sense of your surroundings (B.L. Sollowen, personal communication, December 30, 2005). The issue of health is looked at differently by many different people mainly dependent on their own personal beliefs. There I feel that the way we are able to promote our own health is largely dependent on our motivation to succeed in attaining our health goals. Some ways that we are able to do this are through the promotion of healthy living with health maintenance activities. These are practices that a person incorporates into his/her lifestyle to promote healthy living (Estes, M.E.Z., 1998). Included in the list of health maintenance activities are:
· Sleep
· Diet
· Exercise
· Stress management
· Use of safety devices
· Health check-ups
I have recently been trying to make some changes in my lifestyle in an attempt to become a healthier

References: Anderson, K.N. (Ed.). (1994). Mosby’s medical, nursing, and allied health dictionary (4th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby. Estes, M.E.Z., (1998). Health assessment & physical examination. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers. Kozier, B., Erb, G., Blais, K. (1998). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives. (3rd ed.). Menlo Park, CA: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.