General Health

If we go by the definition of health by the World Health Organisation; It states that “health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
Let me elaborate on this, by physical health; we mean standard body functioning vitals devoid of diseases. Mental health is emotional and psychological well being where an individual can balance work-life nonetheless productive at the same time. Social health is our ability to interconnect with people forming meaningful relationships. We all need supportive family and friends in our life to function. Do you agree with me?

Physical Health

With innovations in modern medicine followed by longer lives, the definition of physical health has been changing too. Enough sleep, nourishment and exercise are essential for physical health in addition to cutting down unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking and junk food. In some cases, factors like stress, being inactive and depression contribute to the deterioration of an already healthy body. Drinking plenty of water is equally important as it cleanses the body organs and increases body hydration.

Mental Health

According to W.H.O. mental health is referred to as “A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. The brain is an organ which works tirelessly throughout the day. If our muscles need exercise then, so does our brain. To put it forward; Mental health deals with emotional, psychological, and social well-being. How you feel affects how you think, how you perform your job and how you act. It also affects how you handle emotional wounds, stress and relate to others.

Social health

Social health is our ability to interact and form meaningful relationships with others. A socially healthy person finds it simple to adapt to a social situation. These relationships have an impact on our mental health. People are less familiar with the concept of social health in comparison to physical and mental health. A society is healthy when all the citizens have equal opportunities in terms of healthcare, law and social capital. The depiction of social well-being is upon character, social aptitudes alongside the capacity to follow social norms.

Factors affecting health

The state of well being can be a result of many factors or a combination of some. They are listed below:

Genetics: The set of genes we inherit from our parents not only carries just genetic information but diseases as well. You can improve your health by exercising and medication, but genes are something which cannot be changed. Genetic disorders like thalassemia and haemophilia cannot be taken care of through medication.

Environment: One can contract diseases due to polluted air, water and soil. The environment is of two types: internal and external where the internal environment deals with the functionality of hormones along with organs; whereas external environment deals with physical and psychological factors.

Socio-economic conditions:

  • Education: an educated person would make better health choices as they are aware of the outcomes.
  • Income: It is crystal clear that the wealthier population has access to better healthcare services as compared to the rest of the citizens.
  • Nutrition: Better nutrition leads to better infant and maternal health which leads to standard physical and mental growth along with resistance to ailments.
  • Occupation: Occupational hazards can lead to injuries that may result in death. Workers of chemical factories, sewage and nuclear reactors etc. can contract diseases of varying seriousness.