Symptoms of Health
What are the signs and symptoms of health?
How do you know if you are moving toward health? How do you describe health and can you do it without comparing it to disease?
Starting with my undergraduate degree in health education, I memorized signs and symptoms of disease. In massage school, I learned to look for structural imbalances and tension patterns that lead to chronic pain.
Although I was supposed to be supporting my clients back to health, I only knew the signs and symptoms of disease.
It is often taught that in order to know health, we must know disease. I had gained knowledge about disease and hardly anything about health. I was so busy preventing disease, that nourishing and promoting health seemed like an awkward and strange endeavor.
I was pummeled with a whole new set of symptoms of disease while studying Chinese medicine. In response, I gave myself the challenge of knowing what the return to health looked like. It was time to know the signs and symptoms of health. I wanted to roll off this list as quickly as I could articulate the symptoms of cancer or diabetes.
It has been my experience that people can very easily describe their diseases, their short comings, and the symptoms of most major diseases. Even if they never formally studied medicine or healing, most people know the signs and risk factors of heart disease.
Even the term “prevention” has an emphasis on knowing the disease we are trying to prevent. The pharmaceutical, herbal, supplement, exercise, and nutrition corporations reinforce our concern about disease symptoms by selling us more products that promise to prevent disease. Fear of disease has become a well used marketing technique.
Please use the comment box below to share your signs and symptoms of health.
Having the body, mind and spirit to enjoy your life as you have created it, and yourself
Silvia,
Thank you! I love what you wrote!
Cindy,
I read your post this morning and all day my mind has been pondering your question. Two words came to me in a meditation; freedom and flow. When I am in a perfect state of health everything in my body is flowing freely. Love your articles!
Thanks for sharing your symptoms of health Heather. Your words go right to the heart of the matter. I’ll meditating on your words all night! 🙂
I agree with what Harry and Janet shared. I would add that a symptom of health is the ability to engage in what one is spontaneously drawn to. That means being flexible (in mind and body), strong, curious and happy. I could go one and on – there are more symptoms of health than there are for a disease – but I am drawn to go take a short, leisurely walk in the afternoon Florida sun!
Ah yes, a walk in the Florida sun is wonderful symptom of health! Thanks for your thoughts Karen 🙂
Health to me is a feeling. Its when I am feeling like a wellspring of happiness, with chocolate and purple chiffon surrounding me! Its when I can look at those around me and see their goodness, and when I can smile, just because. Moving toward health looks like to me when someone complains less and enjoys more, when someone can see the lessons of life as a gift. I have had clients challenged with cancer share deep gratitude for events in their life and deep regret for hurts caused. Even if moving toward health is not an end to “dis-ease” the peace one feels when seeing their life as whole is when we are really “healthy”… in body amd mind!
Beautifully expressed Janet. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom.
Peace during the storm is so different than being thrown around by the storm. Thank you for your vision of what health looks like during the inevitable challenges we encounter along the way.
Cindy, thanks for creating my morning reverie….symptoms of health…a smile on my face when I wake up every morning, delicious appetite and a desire to share food, having a cat live with you (or 2 or 3!), excitement to learn about stuff, loving being in Nature, being in love with yourself, your friends, your family, your pets…etc., peace in my heart and mind, and oh yeah, I guess that my physical body could also be in pretty good shape, but on the other hand I feel that some of the scars we have from a life well encountered may linger in our physical bodies for a time and so aren’t necessarily symptoms of disease, but may be reminders of where we’ve come from.
Thank you Edie! I especially appreciate your re-framing of scars into “reminders of where we’ve come from.” 🙂
Dear,
My first symptom of health might be an enormous and gargling laugh whenever encounter an issue.
The absence of fear may be the other sign of good health.
The inner balance might be the other one. The proper variation, moderation and balanced diet may add more to my state of wellness.
I would like to mention that every day I exercise a little bit myself in order to keep my body in good shape. As a result exercise may balance my hormones too.
One more sign of good health is when we exhibiting the same weight through our life cycles.
Thank you in advance.
Harry.
Harry,
Thank you for sharing your insights and symptoms of health – these are wonderful!