Health is something very individual for everyone. That's why there isn't a single definition.
- For some, health is the absence of illness = functional competence (about 11.5% of the population)
- For others, it is about being able to perform well (about 25% of the population)
- Yet others describe it as a state of balance or equilibrium (homeostasis), of well-being (about 33.5% of the population)
- And for some, it is a reservoir of physical energy and strength (about 28% of the population)
- The WHO describes it as a "state of physical, mental, and social well-being".
- While others talk about not only being physically and mentally fit but also being able to push boundaries and meet their responsibilities.
Various models attempt to make health tangible and consider the influencing factors. Such factors affecting health can include:
- The body
- The mind
- The soul
- The psyche
- The environment
- The surroundings
- Biology/genetics
- And many more factors
Health also considers factors like worldview (beliefs), environment and surroundings (setting), and predisposition (epigenetics).
This makes the consideration of health highly individual. At this point, one might ask:
What does health mean to oneself, specifically?
- Am I healthy if I'm not ill?
- Am I healthy if I'm able to perform? (Many people perform even when they are not physically and mentally fit)
- Am I healthy if I am content and happy?
What does health mean to you?
That's a question that also helps evaluate health offers for oneself.
The Health-Illness Continuum
It's not always easy to clearly distinguish between being ill and being healthy.
Aaron Antonovsky does not describe a clear separation, but rather suggests a spectrum, a kind of measuring scale. Imagine a line, with illness at one end and health at the other.
Where am I on this continuum?
And for those who want more detail, they can draw a line or scale for each aspect (physical, mental, psychological, spiritual, environment, surroundings, etc.) and indicate where they currently stand.
But one thing is important in all this:
- How healthy do I feel and
- Do I feel up to the challenges and able to improve my situation?
One's belief in understanding and managing internal and external processes can also be called coherence.
It is thus the resilience to stress and the knowledge that one can change something. This also relates to the meaning one sees in life, whether one has a meaningful task (e.g., a fulfilling job, a family, a world-improving hobby, etc.).
In summary, one could say from this perspective:
- Illness and health form the two ends of a continuum on which I am always moving.
- A person's sense of coherence makes everything appear understandable, manageable, and meaningful.
Foundations for Health – according to WHO
The WHO has named basic prerequisites for health in its "Health for All by the Year 2000" programme:
- Peace
- Social justice
- Adequate food supply
- Secure water supply
- Educational opportunities
- Acceptable living conditions
- Ability to take on a meaningful role in society
- Adequate income
Without these factors, health as a public good cannot be realised. Fascinating statements from an "earlier WHO".
Health Theories
According to the health behaviour concept of Schwarzer, people behave health-consciously when
- A health threat seems severe
- When one's susceptibility to a disease is high
- When someone believes they can take protective action themselves and
- When this action is considered an effective measure to ward off the danger
Faltermaier further developed the concept by speaking of health behaviour and naming the following aspects as components of health behaviour:
- Conscious action for one's own health
- Dealing with one's body and its complaints
- Dealing with diseases
- Dealing with risks and stresses that arise in the living environment
- Creation and activation of health resources
- Social action for health or social health self-help
- Change in health lifestyle
And Faltermaier has developed a typology of health behaviour and classified three types:
- Lifestyle without pronounced health behaviour
- No conscious health behaviour
- Risky lifestyle
- Purely complaint-based health behaviour
- Health behaviour with a specific focus
- Primarily nutrition-based health behaviour
- Primarily exercise-based health behaviour
- Primarily nature-based health behaviour
- Health behaviour integrated into lifestyle
- Socially motivated health behaviour
- Psychological and social health behaviour
- Multidimensional health behaviour
- Health behaviour dominates lifestyle
Ecological Resources for Health
One can also speak of a "healthy environment".
- Clean outdoor air, especially concerning sulphur and nitrogen oxides, photochemical oxidants (summer smog), and volatile organic compounds
- Clean indoor air considering the effects of radon, passive smoking, and chemicals
- Clean water, including drinking water, surface water, groundwater, coastal waters, and recreational waters
- Microbiological and chemical safety of food
- Hygienic waste disposal
- Management and disposal of hazardous waste
- Urban development, city planning, and urban renewal to protect health and promote well-being
- Safe and stimulating playgrounds
- Easily accessible local recreation areas
- Use of environmentally friendly technologies
- Protection from harmful effects of global environmental problems
- Protection from persistent chemicals and those with chronic effects
- Disaster protection and emergency planning, as well as appropriate measures in accidents, incidents, and disasters
A comprehensive health consultation for an interested party or customer should include their own understanding of health, their type of health behaviour, and other important and environmental factors to provide truly good advice.
In all discussions about health, always remember:
- Make no healing or efficacy claims
- Do not attribute unproven statements to products
- Changes to medical measures should only be made in consultation with a doctor, not independently
- Inform about allergies, intolerances, and medications beforehand (if you want to advise an interested party specifically and have the corresponding knowledge – otherwise, simply advise based on the wellness goals in the product catalogue)
- Always treat information confidentially!
Platinum products as a meaningful support for health
Platinum products stand out with their 20-point quality and purity promise from the range of offers on the market.
They can be a meaningful support for all those who actively take their health behaviour into their own hands and either focus on nutrition or seek a high-quality "Premium Clean Eating" brand through broad health behaviour to make no compromises when it comes to nutrient supply.
Platinumberater nearby can support in selecting suitable products and are happy to help with answers to questions. And: they usually have a €50 voucher for new customers, which can be redeemed on the first order.
