As we learned from our first post each of us had a similar definition of health but most of them
varied just slightly. Similarly, I think our definitions of unhealthy will vary slightly. To me unhealthy
can be described as imbalance in our physical health such as a disease, sickness, or illness but it can
also be an imbalance in mental, or spiritual health. That means that not all conditions are
pathological, some diseases have mental or spiritual manifestations. One example is Munchausen
syndrome. Munchausen syndrome, a factitious disorder imposed on oneself, is a mental health
disorder where the patient falsifies, exaggerates, or induce physical, emotional, or cognitive
disorders (Cleveland Clinic Staff, 2020). The treatment for this is not drug treatment but meeting
with a psychiatrist or therapist to work through the need to create a factitious disorder for
attention.
Not all conditions required drug treatments. Sometimes you can change your diet, or exercise to
reverse conditions such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, but treatment may become
necessary if the conditions are genetic or not improving. Other times you can change a habit such as
drinking or drug use to correct the beginning stages of liver disease or a weak immune system.
While some can quit cold turkey, others who may be dependent my need medical management and
drug therapy to withdrawal from use, to attempt reverse the effects of the dependency. Some
treatments include allowing the illness to run its course such as viruses. When I was younger if you
had a virus, they would treat you with antibiotics. Now they have found that antibiotics cannot kill
viruses because viruses have different structures and replicate in a different way than bacteria, and
over prescribing cause issues with antibiotic resistance (Anderson, 2021). As the medical field
continues to advance one this is evident it will continue to change and advance, and treatments will
change.
WHO defines health as being “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO, 2021). c With, unhealthy would mean the exact opposite.
It can pertain to an unhealthy way of life, thinking, living or even a particular habit. Unhealthy does
not automatically mean pathology because it is not always disease related and all unhealthy ways
are not curable or even treatable. They do not all include drug treatments and drug treatments are
not always needed. Sometimes they may just need to change a habit, way of thinking, or a different
approach to taking care of themselves. Therapy and exercise would be examples of non-drug
treatments for changing unhealthy ways.
According to WHO unhealthy means that you are not taking care of yourself physically, mentally, or
socially. The word unhealthy has a lot of different meanings from not providing your body with the
proper nutrition, not providing yourself with mental help, or having a disease present. c Sometime
being unhealthy can be fixed by changes of diet or seeking mental help when needed and after
receiving help you can be healthy instead of unhealthy. Other times when diseases are present it
can be more difficult to find your way back to being healthy. Another way for individuals to aid in
keeping healthy is to regularly see their physicians to prevent illnesses or unhealthy habits. Being
unhealthy does not automatically include drug treatment and it is not always needed. Sometimes
individuals need to be shown that they are living unhealthy to change their unhealthy habits
without the use of drug treatment. Sometimes drug treatment can be used to help individuals that
need other assistance to change their unhealthy habits.
According to the World Health Organization, health is considered a complete state of physical,
mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 2021).
Therefore, to be unhealthy would be the interference of any of these states of wellbeing resulting in
incomplete normal body functions. However, to be unhealthy does not automatically mean that
disease is present. A disease is referred to a state of which the body no longer functions normally
due to significant physical and emotional issues that cause temporary stress of life-threatening
complications (Story, 2017). A child can accidentally fall and bruise a knee. Although the pain from
the fall and bruise on the knee may cause the child some temporary emotional trauma, it would
eventually heal with the help of a pain reliver and topical antibiotic treatment. The bruised knee
may result in the temporary inability to walk normally until it has completely healed back to health
but that does not indicate that a disease manifested in the body. Being unhealthy does not
automatically include a drug treatment because not all the time a drug is needed for a person to
healthy again. For instance, persons who suffer from mental and physical exhaustion can get
adequate sleep, eat a healthy diet, and practice physical activity or yoga to resume a healthy state
of mind and body (Brazier, 2020).
To be unhealthy, means that someone is straying away from health. Health is defined by the World
Health Organization as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 2021). This in turn means that just because one is
unhealthy by not exercising eating unhealthy food or being stuck in a social situation that is
damaging to their emotional health, it does not mean that there is something wrong with them
pathologically. This means that just because someone is unhealthy, does not mean that have a
disease.
Medications are used to treat an imbalance of homeostasis within the body that the body can no
longer manage itself. This could be a medication to regulate blood pressure, chemotherapy to fight
off cancer or even hormone replacements after the acquired absence of an organ. If one simply is
engaging in unhealthy behaviours, they do not always need medication. Medication would only be
used if the body could no longer maintain homeostasis after prolonged unhealthy behaviours
persist. I think that sometimes even when an imbalance of homeostasis exists, medication is not
always needed, because the body has mechanisms to fix the imbalance first. If the body fails at
some point, then we should consider medication assisted treatment for illness. If we do not let the
body try to solve the problem first, we could be harming the systems within our bodies more than
we know.
Unhealthy means anything that deviates from the normal body function and something that can
cause harm. Unhealthy can apply to our health, mental state and even relationships. One can cause
his/her self to unhealthy or someone can be unhealthy due to a disease or disorder. For example,
someone can have Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
which can manifest itself by different signs or symptoms and could possibly lead to death. Whereas
someone can cause oneself to be healthy by his/her nutrition choices which can cause obesity and
high blood pressure.
Being unhealthy does not always include drug treatment. Those that are overweight or have type 2
diabetes may not necessarily need medication. With a change in diet and regular exercise one can
lose weight and reverse their diabetes diagnoses. “Studies show it’s possible for some people to
reverse type 2 diabetes. Through diet changes and weight loss, one may be able to reach normal
blood sugar levels without medication” (Sherwood, 2020). Hair loss or hair thinning can also be
reversed without the use of medicines by keeping the hair protected and oiled. “Lavender,
peppermint, rosemary, cedar wood, thyme, clary sage and tea tree oils can promote hair growth”
(Gotter, 2019).
As stated by the WHO "“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and
not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (MND, 2021). This shows that the overall meaning
of being healthy us a wide array of qualities adding up together. And even if someone had a disease
or disability, they can still be healthy. So long as the other qualities of being healthy apply. Being
that pathology is the study of disease or injury, the word unhealthy does not automatically mean
pathology. As some unhealthy characteristics may not apply to an injury or disease. For example, it
could be mental health issues or unhealthy eating habits.
Being unhealthy always requires drug treatment. While a great deal of injuries or diseases will be
helped by drug treatment. There are some scenarios in which drugs are not going to help. This
could be for example a patient doing physical rehab after an injury. Drugs are not going to fix
someone's injury, so the patient needs to exercise and rehab to heal and regain strengthen an
injury. Also, if someone is overweight and trying to lose weight, drugs may not be the answer. While
some drugs can help weight loss and there are surgeries that can help. Ultimately weight loss is
done by exercise and a change in eating habits and intake.
To be unhealthy means to have an abnormality whether it is physical or mental. Ultimately it is
staying away from things that will make you healthy. Health is defined by the World Health
Organization as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 2021). Health affects so many aspects of our lives, both
physically and mentally. Immediately people will think that health is only about food consumed.
However, our health stems from how we "feed" our bodies. c Someone can have a disease and still
be healthy. c According to Story, a disease is referred toa state of which the body no longer functions
normally due to significant physical and emotional issues that cause temporary stress of life-
threatening complications. Being unhealthy does not always include a drug treatment. You can use
homeopathic measure to alleviate any ailments or illness that present in your body. Drugs are not
always going to fix whatever the problem is. It is a combination of what you feed your body, soul
and mind.
Story, L. (March 1, 2017). Pathophysiology: A Practical Approach, (3rd ed) Health and Disease.
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781284142983
World Health Organization. (2021). Constitution of the World Health Organization. c
https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution
(Sherwood). (2020). Type 2 Diabetes. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/can-you-reverse-type-2-
diabetes
(Gotter). (2019). Essential Oil. https://www.healthline.com/health/essential-oils-for-hair-
growth#essential-oils
World Health Organization. (2021). Constitution. WHO. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from
https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution
Brazier. Y. (June 4, 2020). What causes fatigue, and how can I treat
it?https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248002
Story, L. (March 1, 2017). Pathophysiology: A Practical Approach, (3rd ed) Health and Disease.
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781284142983
World Health Organization. (2021). Constitution of the World Health Organization. c
https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution
World Health Organization. (2021). Constitution of the World Health Organization. Www.who.int.
https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution#:~:text=World%20Health%20Assembly%20%C
2%BB&text=Health%20is%20a%20state%20of
Scully J. L. (2004). What is a disease? EMBO reports. c https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.embor.7400195
World Health Organization. (2021). Constitution of the World Health Organization. c
https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution
Anderson, P. L. (2021, July 27). Why Don’t Antibiotics Kill Viruses? Drugs.com:
https://www.drugs.com/article/antibiotics-and-viruses.html
Cleveland Clinic Staff. (2020, November 23). Munchausen Syndrome (Factitious disorder imposed
on self). Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9833-munchausen-
syndrome-factitious-disorder-imposed-on-self
