{"id":1878,"date":"2012-08-08T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2012-08-08T10:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=1878"},"modified":"2012-08-07T16:38:45","modified_gmt":"2012-08-07T20:38:45","slug":"what-is-wellness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=1878","title":{"rendered":"What is wellness?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It takes thought, planning and maybe even some changes to live a healthy life<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Dr. Matthew Lapp, MS, DC<\/strong>, Columnist, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>If you aren\u2019t sick, does that mean you\u2019re healthy?\u00a0 How about if you aren\u2019t depressed? Does that mean you\u2019re happy?\u00a0 For most people, the answer to these questions would be \u201cno.\u201d\u00a0 However, how often do we base our state of health on symptoms, or lack thereof?<\/p>\n

Our current healthcare system is a perfect example.\u00a0 The goal is usually to eliminate symptoms of disease, and we spend a lot of money to do it.\u00a0 According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in 2010 total healthcare expenditures in the US reached $2.6 trillion (that\u2019s 12 zeros in case you\u2019re keeping track.)\u00a0 That comes out to over $8,000 per person.\u00a0 This health paradigm suggests that we reduce the fever, dull the pain, pop that pill and go on with our lives.\u00a0 But in the long run, do these passive behaviors actually lead us toward greater health?\u00a0 In essence,\u00a0 our healthcare system advocates quantity of life, not necessarily quality<\/em> of life.<\/p>\n

I think that we\u2019ve got it backwards.\u00a0 If the goal is to achieve health, lets study and promote behaviors and perceptions that promote health.\u00a0 Lets put structures in place that allow health to flourish.\u00a0 And, if the goal is to achieve optimal <\/em>health we need to go even further. We have no way of knowing the capacities of human functioning or the possibilities that exist with regard to health and happiness.\u00a0 Enter wellness.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably a term that you\u2019re familiar with, or have at least heard mention of at your local drug store or minute clinic.\u00a0 It\u2019s the topic of many conversations, magazine articles, and television commercials and it\u2019s a billion dollar industry.\u00a0 The problem is that its an often used, but rarely understood term.\u00a0 Many insurance programs now offer \u201cwellness incentives\u201d and almost all pharmacies offer in-store discounts for joining their respective \u201cwellness programs.\u201d\u00a0 These organizations would have us believe that achieving wellness is as simple as taking our medication du jour and getting a once a year check-up.<\/p>\n

More accurately, Charles B. Corbin from Arizona State University defines wellness as a \u201cmultidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key concept of this definition is that that many factors influence a person\u2019s individual state of wellness.\u00a0 Some of those factors that may influence a person\u2019s overall level of well-being are physical, mental, emotion, financial, spiritual, environmental, and social health.\u00a0 Another truth is that wellness is an active state of being which exists on a limitless continuum. It\u2019s up to us as individuals to claim ownership of that state regardless of our life circumstances.\u00a0 By doing so, we become empowered to take responsibility for our own health and well-being.<\/p>\n

At this point, you might have questions about where you stand.\u00a0 So, if you\u2019re new to the wellness game, here are a few simple steps to get you started on your path to well-being.\u00a0 First, grab a piece of paper and draw a large circle.\u00a0 Next, draw eight lines starting in the center of the circle and extending to the edges of the circle.\u00a0 Each line represents a different area of life and completes the circle like spokes on a wheel.\u00a0 Label these lines: physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, financial, career, and environmental.\u00a0 Next, give yourself a score in each category by making a mark along the line.\u00a0 The closer the mark is to the center of the circle the lower the score.\u00a0 The farther away from the middle, the higher the score.\u00a0 A perfect score would fall directly on the boarder of the large circle you started with.\u00a0 Finally, connect the dots.\u00a0 When your examine your own \u201cwell-being wheel,\u201d what do you see?\u00a0 Is the ride bumpy or smooth?\u00a0 Just as a single flat tire can make the whole car ride uncomfortable, an area of life that you\u2019ve been ignoring could be detrimental to your quality of life.<\/p>\n

That also means that we should celebrate those areas of life where we\u2019re successful!\u00a0 Whether we\u2019re happy with the results or not, we can take solace in knowing that we ultimately have the power to influence the results.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t mean that we should shun modern medicine or ignore signs of disease, it simply means that in order for us to move towards higher levels of optimal health and wellness, we need to take a more active role in our healthcare.\u00a0 It means that, as a nation, we might need to reconsider our healthcare goals.\u00a0 There\u2019s no superhero waiting to rescue us.\u00a0 We don\u2019t get do-overs.\u00a0 We should all embrace the power that is within us and strive to create the best possible lives that we can.<\/p>\n

Matthew Lapp, MS, DC is the owner of Salus Chiropractic Studio in Thorndale.\u00a0 For more information, visit him on Facebook at http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SalusChiropracticStudio<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It takes thought, planning and maybe even some changes to live a healthy life By Dr. Matthew Lapp, MS, DC, Columnist, The Times If you aren\u2019t sick, does that mean you\u2019re healthy?\u00a0 How about if you aren\u2019t depressed? Does that mean you\u2019re happy?\u00a0 For most people, the answer to these questions would be \u201cno.\u201d\u00a0 However, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,622],"tags":[625,623,624,626],"class_list":["post-1878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-health","tag-chiropractic","tag-health-2","tag-wellness","tag-wellness-circle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}