7 aspects of proactive health care (Wellness)

Comprehensive health is often understood simply as physical health, but in reality, it includes mental health and spiritual factors. This is a holistic approach that not only focuses on physical health but also extends to mental balance, spiritual harmony and positive lifestyle factors such as gratitude and success.

Bill Hettler developed the six dimensions model of health in 1976. Today, this model has been expanded and there are now seven or even eight widely recognized dimensions. This article will explore the concept of health, starting with the original basic dimensions and expanding to new categories added after the 1970s. We will also review some recent research on the topic. This interesting and important topic.

1. What is holistic health?

What is holistic health? According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), holistic health is a proactive process through which people gain awareness and choices to achieve a more successful life. There is a consensus that health is:

• A conscious, self-directed and developmental process aimed at achieving each individual’s maximum potential.
• Viewed from many perspectives and comprehensively, including lifestyle, mental health and spirituality, as well as the surrounding environment.
• Be positive and affirming, working towards improving and maintaining overall balance in life

2. The history of holistic health

This concept was first developed to improve the health and quality of life of college and university students. The guiding philosophy is the pursuit of superior health, which Halbert Dunn (who pioneered the establishment of a national vital statistics system in the United States and is known as the “father of the health care movement”) first defined in 1959 as “an integrated approach to activity aimed at maximizing the potential that individuals can achieve”.

The Dunn Senior Health Model, launched in 1959, pioneered the field. Then, in the 1970s, Dunn’s model was followed and expanded by another highly influential model proposed by Hettler.

3. Aspects of holistic health (wellness)

• Intelligence: Measures the extent to which you engage in mentally stimulating and creative activities. People with good intelligence often make good use of resources to expand their knowledge and skills.
• Physical: Rate how well you take care of your health, including maintaining heart health and following a healthy diet.
• Feeling: Refers to your ability to perceive and accept your own emotions, as well as the level of positivity and enthusiasm you have for life.
• Spirituality: Measures the extent to which you seek meaning and purpose in life, deeply feel the vastness of life, and appreciate the natural forces in the universe.
• Job: Assess the level of satisfaction and enrichment you feel from your work.
• Society: Measure how well you contribute to your community and connect with others and the natural world.

Hettler developed a continuum model from extremely positive health factors to extremely negative factors; that is, a continuum from overall health at one end of the spectrum to premature death at the other end.

The hexagonal model, which includes six dimensions of health, was originally designed for implementation in a university campus setting at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (UW-SP) to improve health. This model was later adopted by the National Institutes of Health.

A seventh aspect of health that is recognized is environmental health. Element This involves perceiving and understanding the connection between the environment, community and self. ‘Environment’ here can include a person’s everyday surroundings such as home, school, work and neighborhood.

Another category that is sometimes recognized is financial health. For example, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the United States has identified this eighth dimension of wellness as feeling personally satisfied with one’s financial situation. . Finances are a common worry for many people, and the ability to manage financial stress is important for maintaining overall health.

4. Harmonize body, mind and spirit

Health models were initially very influential when first introduced, initially aimed at improving the health of college students. The Higher Health Model introduced by Dunn in 1959 is an original, highly influential and pioneering model that integrates body, mind and spirit. This model was later followed by the Hexagonal Model proposed by Hettler. Since then, many new categories have been added and new models have been proposed, such as the model of harmonizing mind, body, and spirit.

The mind, body, and spirit integration model is said to have stronger explanatory power than previous models. This new model allows for additional depth and can include other interacting elements considered important in any concept of health.

Researchers have studied new and important aspects of life satisfaction and positive emotions such as gratitude as a factor that can help individuals experience greater life satisfaction.

Although our knowledge has grown markedly, the basic appreciation of health and its importance in improving human life remains as important as when it was first understood in the late 1990s. 1950.

Reference information: News-Medical