Wellness, or good health, has traditionally been viewed as freedom from disease; thus, if you were not sick, you were considered healthy. This perspective is changing. The absence of illness is just one part of being healthy, and, in fact, does not indicate that you are in a state of well-being. Wellness is more, including the sense of total physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It is a proactive, preventive process designed to achieve optimum levels of health, as well as social and emotional functioning. Wellness is the integration of body, mind, and spirit, and emphasizes the whole person.
Wellness research shows that people who take care of themselves and properly manage their lifestyles are healthier, more productive and have fewer absences from work. Studies have also shown that this "wellness" approach, which focuses on a self-care education program, resulted in less total medical visits and, additionally, a significant decline in medical visits for minor illness.
While traditional medicine concentrates on alleviating or curing disease, the wellness approach encourages patients to take personal responsibility for their well-being. Integrating advanced medical treatment options along with a wellness approach will not only improve medical effectiveness, but eventually decrease medical costs as well. Prevention of illness is an integral part of comprehensive medical care. Optimal outcomes can be achieved by prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of illness.
The new Affordable Health Care Act includes annual wellness exams for senior citizens through the Medicare beneficiary program. It is a new comprehensive preventive health exam that kicks in this year. This new benefit can be used every year and is free to seniors. Furthermore, the exam includes the usual evaluations of vital signs, height, and weight, yet also establishes a schedule for recommended screenings (such as bone density testing, colonoscopy, mammograms and cholesterol screenings) and a medical nutritional consultation. Through the exam physicians also seek to identify cognitive impairment, functional ability, and depression, three problems common to us seniors as we age.
Wellness is closely associated with your lifestyle. Each person has a responsibility to provide for himself or herself such health essentials as good nutrition, proper weight control, exercise and management of risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse. Each of these factors play a role in wellness. Sometimes, it is difficult to initiate a wellness lifestyle yourself. There are many types of wellness programs including nutritional and mental health counseling, massage therapy, Tai chi, yoga and other exercise programs. Programs may even involve acupuncture or other alternative medicines. Entering a wellness program is critical to helping people identify their wellness problems and improving their overall well-being. This New Year's resolution need not be just a slogan, but an important first step to following the wellness lifestyle.
Dr. Yong H. Tsai is board-certified in rheumatology, allergy and clinical immunology and has been practicing in this area since 1993.
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