10 Different Types Of Health

When we talk about health, it is common for many people to think about physical health, in itself a person suffers or does not suffer from an illness. However, the concept of health is much broader and covers other areas of our life.

Some experts consider that health can only be talked about when the body is in optimal conditions anatomical and physiological. While others state that it is a factor or a range to determine if the body functions in its normal or at least acceptable conditions, in such a way that, from this perspective, health is seen as a margin of determination.

There are different definitions of this concept, but one of the most successful is that of the WHO, which was made public in the Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization, which was approved at the International Sanitary Conference, held in New York in the year 1946. This definition, which has not changed since then, affirms that health is “a state of complete well-being, physical, mental and social.”

The 6 Primary Types of Health

There are mainly six different types of Health includes Physical health, Mental health, Emotional health, Social health, Environmental health, and Spiritual health.

1. Physical Health

Physical health refers to the state of your physical body and how well it is operating. It is influenced by levels of physical activity, adequate nutrition, rest, environments, etc.

Physical health promotes proper care of our bodies for optimal health and functioning. Obtaining an optimal level of physical wellness allows you to nurture personal responsibility for your own health. As you become conscious of your physical health, you are able to identify elements you are successful in as well as elements you would like to improve.

Physical health consists of many components, but a brief list of the key areas are given below:

  • Physical activity – includes strength, flexibility, and endurance.
  • Nutrition and diet – includes nutrient intake, fluid intake, and healthy digestion.
  • Alcohol and drugs – includes the abstinence from or reduced consumption of these substances.
  • Medical self-care – includes addressing minor ailments or injuries and seeking emergency care as necessary.
  • Rest and sleep – includes periodic rest and relaxation, along with high-quality sleep.

2. Mental Health

Mental health is a level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental illness. It is the “psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment”.

Good mental health doesn’t just mean if you don’t have a mental illness. It’s about having a sense of purpose, getting involved with things, coping with stress and setbacks, forming close relationships, and being in touch with your own thoughts and emotions. To maintain mental health we have to be confident and accept ourselves. In this case, yoga and breathing exercises help us to focus and keep negative thoughts out of our minds.

3. Emotional Health

Emotional health refers to a person’s feelings which encompasses everything about you. It actually governs all of your decisions, your mood, and who you are. Every single aspect of you is determinant of how you feel about something, what is actually going on in your heart, not in your head.

Basically, from your relationships to your mindset to your personality, to how you want to show up in the world; all of these are run by your emotional health. And if you’re feeling thoughts of overwhelm, anxiety, stress, worthlessness, these are all common negative emotions that can have a hugely detrimental effect on your emotional health. But if you can rightly understand yourself, and find out from where these negative emotions are coming, then you actually be setting yourself up for a lifetime of consistent success.

4. Social Health

Social health is how you get along with other people, which involves your ability to form satisfying interpersonal relationships with others. It also relates to your ability to adapt comfortably to different social situations and act appropriately in a variety of settings.

If you want to really optimize your health, you need to go beyond physical and mental strength and actually look at the strength of your close social relationships. Research now shows that a lack of strong social ties puts you at a greater health risk than obesity.

If we really want to understand human thriving, the social component is essential. There is 80 years long Harvard study done on individuals that showed the quality of close social relationships was actually the best victor of health and happiness. So not only it’s important to consider the health of our bodies but we need to consider the health of our communities.

5. Environmental Health

Environmental Health is the field of science that studies how the environment influences human health and disease. “Environment,” in this context, means things in the natural environment like air, water, and soil, and also all the physical, chemical, biological, and social features of our surroundings.

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, The social environment encompasses lifestyle factors like diet and exercise, socioeconomic status, and other societal influences that may affect health.

We need to be aware of the impact of changing the environment of our health, how it can be influenced, and what can cause the complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome within malaria, TV, AIDS, etc. and how our environment influenced to contract these diseases.

6. Spiritual Health

Spiritual health refers to possessing, meaning, and purpose in life; having a clear set of beliefs and living in accordance with your morals, values, and ethics. Essentially it means understanding and having a clear definition of what is right and wrong and living according to this understanding.

The National Wellness Institute says spiritual wellness follows the following tenets:

  • It is better to ponder the meaning of life for ourselves and to be tolerant of the beliefs of others than to close our minds and become intolerant.
  • It is better to live each day in a way that is consistent with our values and beliefs than to do otherwise and feel untrue to ourselves.

Many factors play a part in defining spirituality – religious faith, beliefs, values, ethics, principles, and morals. Some gain spirituality by growing in their personal relationships with others, or through being at peace with nature. Spirituality allows us to find the inner calm and peace needed to get through whatever life brings, no matter what one’s beliefs are or where they may be on your spiritual journey.

The human spirit is the most neglected aspect of our selves. Just as we exercise to condition our bodies, a healthy spirit is nurtured by purposeful practice. The spirit is the aspect of ourselves that can carry us through anything. If we take care of our spirit, we will be able to experience a sense of peace and purpose even when life deals us a severe blow. A strong spirit helps us to survive and thrive with grace, even in the face of difficulty.

We should take care of our spirit to experience a sense of peace and purpose even when life deals with some difficulty. A strong spirit only helps us to survive and thrive with grace.

Additional 4 Types of Health

In addition to the types of health mentioned in the previous lines, and which are part of the WHO definition, there are also 4 different types of Health, such as Family Health, Sexual Health and Reproductive Health, Occupational Health, and Public Health.

1. Family Health

Family health is a working instrument, with a comprehensive approach, on promotion and prevention, to train the entire health team that intervenes in families with difficulties of various kinds: risk factors, crises, and conflicts.

Human beings acquire many habits in the family that largely determine our health, and therefore our well-being. Therefore, it is very important that, in addition to taking care of yourself by applying all the measures that, you also take care of the little ones, instilling healthy habits in them that will help them have a better quality of life.

Besides, you must know the specific indications, as well as the medical check-ups that should be carried out based on age, sex, or in specific periods such as pregnancy.

Please remember, good family health positively affects its members.

2. Sexual Health and Reproductive Health

Sexual health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being related to sexuality; it is not just the absence of disease, dysfunction or disability. For sexual health to be achieved and maintained, the sexual rights of all people must be respected, protected, and fully exercised”.

For its part, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has defined sexual health as “the experience of the permanent process of achieving physical, psychological, and sociocultural well-being related to sexuality.”

Sexuality is a central aspect of the human being throughout his life and includes sex, gender identities, and roles, sexual orientation or preference, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy, and reproduction.

Sexual and reproductive health is the ability to enjoy a satisfying sex life without the risk of childbearing, and the freedom to decide to do so or not to do so. Reproductive rights are based on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to freely and responsibly decide the number of children, the spacing of births and the interval between them, to have the information and the means to do so; and the right to achieve the highest level of sexual and reproductive health.

For this, 2 communication strategies and materials have been developed that will allow positioning the importance of sexual and reproductive health.

(I) Double Protection

It provides information on ways to protect yourself from a sexually transmitted disease including HIV / AIDS and at the same time avoid an unplanned pregnancy, without preventing full sexuality.

(II) Family Planning

It informs about methods and tools that allow planning the family and living an adequate sexual and reproductive health. Sexuality is a central aspect of the human being throughout his life. For sexual health to be achieved and maintained, the sexual rights of all people must be respected. Indeed, to achieve this, the WHO assures that a “positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relations is required, as well as the possibility of having pleasant and safe sexual relations, free from coercion, discrimination, and violence.”

3. Occupational Health

The occupational health is a multidisciplinary entity that is focused on achieving the most complete state of physical, mental, and social workers in performing work.

The occupational health encompasses various areas, focusing mainly on prevention and control of occupational hazards, reduce diseases and accidents associated with any job, aspects that more and more people are aware of its importance.

An example is the growing interest of company leaders in strengthening a corporate culture focused on improving occupational health through the creation of healthy workspaces.

According to figures from the International Labor Organization (ILO), approximately more than 2 million people die each year from diseases and accidents at work.

In addition, more than 200 million cases of professional ailments are registered per year. Likewise, non-communicable diseases in the office also directly or indirectly cause each country to lose up to 6% of its GDP. That is why occupational health should be a priority and an aspect that all companies and the State must guarantee.

Therefore, we could say that occupational health is the “set of activities whose objective is the promotion and maintenance of the highest possible degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers, promoting the adaptation of work to the person and the person at your work”.

4. Public Health

The public health is a non – clinical specialty-focused medicine in the promotion, prevention, and intervention of health from a multidisciplinary and collective perspective, whether at the community, regional, national or international level, i.e., not centered on the individual, but in the collective.

In this sense, its functions are mainly the management, surveillance, and improvement of the health level in the population, as well as the prevention, control, and eradication of diseases.

In addition, it is responsible for developing public policies, guaranteeing access, and the right to the health system, creating educational programs, administration of services, and research. Even tasks related to environmental sanitation, food quality control, among other things, maybe part of their competencies.

Due to the breadth of its functions, multiple disciplines oriented to the administration of the health system converge in public health, such as medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing, biology, pedagogy, social and behavioral psychology, work social, sociology, statistics, etc.

The public health can be administered by an organized community, by a government agency, or an international one. Normally, each country has its corresponding Ministry of Health or Secretariat of Health, which is the State agency responsible for ensuring the health conditions of the population.

Similarly, there are international organizations, such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) or the World Health Organization (WHO), created to manage prevention and health care policies at supranational levels.

Final Thoughts

We all have the right to understand our health. We are often intimidated, embarrassed, and afraid when we are patient. But from this writing, I wanted to equip and inform all of you so that we regain control over our body, health, and well-being.

From the overall discussion, we can understand, without knowledge concerning health, and the types of health, it will be difficult for us to find out who we are, what our health condition is, and what should we do to improve our overall health.

References:

  1. https://shcs.ucdavis.edu
  2. https://study.com
  3. https://books.google.com.
  4. https://www.urbandictionary.com
  5. https://kidsenvirohealth.nlm.nih.gov
  6. https://www.unh.edu
  7. https://www.who.int

5 Reminders To Read When Your Dark Thoughts Are Starting To Scare You

1. You’re not as fucked up as you feel. Nothing is wrong with you. You’re not broken. You’re not a lost cause. You’re not destined to fail, destined to disappoint, destined to feel this miserable forever. You need to stop beating yourself up about things you’ve done wrong in the past and the questions you have about your future. Above all, you need to stop feeling so ashamed about the way your mind works, because your feelings are truly valid. Your fears are valid. You are valid.

2. All you need to focus on is today, this second, this moment. It can be overwhelming to wonder about tomorrow and then next day and the day after that. But you don’t have to think too hard about your future right now. You can focus on the moment. Focus on getting through whatever you are feeling, right now, and worry about the rest later. Right now is all that matters. And right now, you need to breathe.

3. You can’t put off asking for help for any longer. You should reach out to someone who can help you get through this time, whether it’s a therapist or a trusted friend. You’ve held onto your feelings for long enough. You’ve tried staying silent — and now you should try being honest. Instead of worrying about how others might look at you if they heard the ‘crazy’ thoughts swarming around in your brain, you should be more worried about what will happen if you never say those words out loud. You should be more worried about what will happen to you if you bottle everything up inside. You need to work through your pain. You need to take the proper steps to heal yourself, and that requires asking for help.

4. You know yourself better than anyone else does. Other people might assume you’re fine. They might have no idea you’re going through tough times because you keep your worries in your head and save your crying for when you’re all alone. You can’t wait around for someone else to realize you’re struggling and help solve the problem. No one else is going to play the part of your hero. You need to take care of your problems on your own. After all, you know yourself best. If something is wrong, you shouldn’t ignore the feeling in your gut. You shouldn’t keep putting off getting help until you reach your breaking point. Take your future into your own hands. Start taking better care of yourself today, because you deserve it more than you realize.

5. You are going to survive this, just like you’ve survived everything else. You can’t waste too much time doubting yourself. You can’t question your strength. You’ve made it this far. Even though it was hard. Even though there were moments when you wanted to give up hope. Even though you struggled. You’ve proven yourself wrong before and you’re going to do it again. You’re going to be okay again soon. You’re going to get through these harsh moments.

HOLISTIC MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

What is Holistic Mental Health?

With all of the stress, chaos, and trauma of this crazy year, I think it would be helpful to put together some resources on how to really take care of our mental health. I admit that with everything going on, I have had my own struggles. We are living in a time that is much harder than most of us have ever had to go through. I see that nearly everyone I know is dealing with anxiety, panic, or even depression because of the overall situation going on. So let’s go over some helpful ways to really help with supporting our mental health in general, as well as some specifics for this current time period.

Diet and Holistic Mental Health

Your gut is your second brain, which means that what you consume plays a direct role in your mental health. If you are eating a diet filled with sugar, processed foods, and food with artificial ingredients than your entire body can suffer. Unfortunately, the majority of food in the Western world is full of this garbage, so it can take some time and effort to figure out what is good or bad.

Do your best to eat clean. To me this means sticking with REAL foods. Look for organic foods when you can. Go for grass-fed meats, free-range eggs, organic and grass fed dairy, fresh fruits and veggies, and just moderate your sweet intake (you can still enjoy dessert! Just make sure it’s made with REAL ingredients and be smart about portions).

Leaky Gut and Holistic Mental Health

In addition to diet change, healing the gut is crucial for your mental health. We often have to undo the damage that our guts dealt with over the years before we can get the most benefit from our new, clean diet. Healing and sealing the gut lining is crucial too- when food or toxins gets through the gut lining, this is when our health begins to suffer. The main steps to focus on for gut healing include increasing nutrient absorption, healing/sealing the gut lining, and healing the microbiome.

Increase nutrient absorption with things like bitter herbs, apple cider vinegar, unrefined sea salt, and lemon juice.

Heal/seal the gut lining with things like aloe vera, collagen etc.

Heal your microbiome with things like fermented foods as well…

Minerals and Mental Health

When we grow up eating the Standard Western diet, we are basically eating food with very little nutritional value. In addition to being low in nutrients, the stress of trying to digest these foods makes us burn through nutrients even more! This is why minerals tend to be incredibly low in people with chronic illness. Minerals are at the base of our health- if they are imbalanced or depleted, then our entire bodies can suffer!

When it comes to mental health directly, there are a few big mineral imbalances that can occur. With high calcium levels, we tend to be very sluggish and depressed, even apathetic. When we have issues with copper balancing, we can experience a wide range of symptoms like anxiety, racing mind, panic attacks, OCD, paranoia, bipolar, and more. If sodium and potassium levels are tanked, then our bodies lack overall energy in the body- both physical and mental energy!

Toxins/Infections and Mental Health

This step is HUGE for overall health and wellness in general. If our bodies are not eliminating toxins properly, this allows them to recirculate and many toxins can go through the Blood Brain Barrier, which will really affect mental health.

Some toxins and infections to look into if you suspect problems:
  • Mold is one of the WORST offenders right now for creating physical and mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, mood issues, and so many more symptoms are associated with mold illness. If you KNOW you have had mold exposure, please take it seriously! 
  • Lyme and co-infections are also huge causes for mental health issues. Bartonella especially seems to be a big infection associated with mental health problems.
  • Parasites are a lot more common than you think! They are quite hard to detect for the most part, but most people have an infestation of them, especially if you are dealing with a chronic illness. When we have leaky gut, we are even more at risk of developing a parasitic infection. 
  • Heavy Metals are a HUGE cause for mental health issues. When we work on balancing minerals, this helps the most with heavy metal removal as the minerals help to antagonize the metals. But many people need very strong adrenal and liver function to fully eliminate metals- they can sit in the body for YEARS if we’re not working on actively eliminating them. Some of the worst offenders are mercury, aluminum, and uranium.

Emotional Trauma and Mental Health

Healing from our past traumas is an essential part of healing. More and more people are becoming aware of this importance luckily, and for many people it will be the MOST important aspect that they focus on. As someone that went through many traumas growing up, I never really understand the importance of healing from them until a few years ago. I’m still working on this healing, and I can honestly say it is just as (if not MORE) important than the physical healing.

As we work on healing physically with everything I mentioned above, it can become easier to heal on a true holistic level. But to help with healing from emotional trauma specifically, I always recommend reading about a few modalities and go with what speaks to you more.

Tips for Reducing Stress in Chaotic Times

  • Breathe. Take a step back from the situation. Don’t force yourself to talk about the issues at hand so much, and don’t be afraid to ask others to stop talking about it if it triggers you.
  • Turn off the TV/Social Media if needed. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE. The news has one main purpose: to incite fear. It is really doing a great job at that right now. Social media is even worse. People are constantly sharing doomsday posts and basically running around like Chicken Little right now. Just turn it off and again- breathe. Take breaks as needed. There is nothing wrong with being informed on the situation, but refreshing the page every 5 minutes is not healthy (and trust me, I know how easy it is to get sucked into that).
  • Ground yourself. Mediation, breathing exercises, a nice relaxing bath, or even make sure you’ve got your crystals on hand (black tourmaline, shungite, bloodstone, and carnelian are great for grounding). Pray more, talk to God or your angels, ask for light shields- whatever your cup of tea is. If you’re an empath, I highly recommend The Empowered Empath for more tips. Melanie of Ask Angels has an amazing YouTube channel with many meditations to help with emotional health as well.
  • Hobbies! It’s a good time to start a new one or pick an old one back up. Take your mind off of the stress.
  • Spend time with your loved ones. Play a game, watch a movie.
  • Reach out to friends and family to speak with if you need
  • Use herbs and homeopathy as needed if you are dealing with anxiety, depression, anger, or anything else that feels out of hand. It is OK to feel your emotions, but if you start to feel like it’s getting to be too much then take steps to help yourself calm down.
  • Remember to eat! Please nourish yourself, and do not neglect yourself.
  • Sleep as best as you can. 
  • Just remember that this will pass. Have faith! Stay safe and healthy!
More Resources on Holistic Mental Health- Please do as much research as you can on this. I feel like this all deserves a book and not just a blog post.

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor so if you are suffering from an illness, I would advise you to seek out a licensed health professional before embarking on any suggestions I make. The suggestions on this website are just for informational purposes only and by choosing any of the natural remedies discussed here, you will be taking responsibility for your own health and wellness.

Find a doctor willing to work with you to actually HEAL instead of just mask symptoms. So many doctors are starting to get on board with true healing now and they are willing to help more people now.

Talking All Things Chronic Pain.

Just about everyone feels pain from time to time. When you cut your finger or pull a muscle, pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Once the injury heals, you stop hurting.

Chronic pain is different. Your body keeps hurting weeks, months, or even years after the injury. Doctors often define chronic pain as any pain that lasts for 3 to 6 months or more.

Chronic pain can have real effects on your day-to-day life and your mental health. But you and your doctor can work together to treat it.

What Makes You Feel Chronic Pain?

The feeling of pain comes from a series of messages that zip through your nervous system. When you hurt yourself, the injury turns on pain sensors in that area. They send a message in the form of an electrical signal, which travels from nerve to nerve until it reaches your brain. Your brain processes the signal and sends out the message that you hurt.

Usually the signal stops when the cause of the pain is resolved — your body repairs the wound on your finger or your torn muscle. But with chronic pain, the nerve signals keep firing even after you’ve healed.

Which Conditions Cause Chronic Pain?

Sometimes chronic pain can begin without any obvious cause. But for many people, it starts after an injury or because of a health condition. Some of the leading causes include:

  • Past injuries or surgeries
  • Back problems
  • Migraines & other headaches
  • Arthritis
  • Nerve Damage
  • Infections
  • Fibromyalgia – a condition in which people feel muscle pain throughout their bodies

Symptoms:

Chronic pain can range from mild to severe. It can continue day after day or come and go. The pain can feel like:

  • A dull ache
  • Throbbing
  • Burning
  • Shooting
  • Squeezing
  • Stinging
  • Soreness
  • Stiffness

Sometimes pain is just one of many symptoms, which can also include:

  • Feeling very tired or wiped out
  • Not feeling hungry
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Mood changes
  • Weakness
  • A lack of energy

Chronic Pain and Your Mental Health:

Chronic pain can interfere with your daily life, keeping you from doing things you want and need to do. It can take a toll on your self-esteem and make you feel angry, depressed, anxious, and frustrated.

The link between your emotions and pain can create a cycle. When you hurt, you’re more likely to feel depressed. That can make your pain even worse. The link between depression and pain is why doctors often use antidepressants as one treatment for chronic pain. These drugs can help with both the pain and the emotional strain it causes.

Pain also interferes with sleep and raises your stress levels. Both a lack of sleep and more stress can make pain feel stronger.

Get Help for Chronic Pain:

If you hurt and it doesn’t seem to get better, see your primary care doctor or a pain specialist. They can help you find relief so pain won’t keep you from living your life. Some options include medicine, relaxation therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, and lifestyle changes, such as getting enough sleep and not smoking.