Carmen Bowen-Wright
WHAT IS wellness? It means different things to different people. I want to share with readers my knowledge of wellness. First of all, it is an attitude to health that encourages and supports a positive lifestyle. This then gives rise to quality living and long life (longevity).
There are many sides to wellness - physical, mental, spiritual and occupational wellness. Promotion of health and wellness is necessary as the wellness concept is new and still not well understood by most people.
In the health field, it must be constantly explained and promoted at all three levels of health care.
Primary care - Care as in your doctor's office or in the clinics across our country.
Secondary care - Where a person is institutionalised, that is, hospital care.
Tertiary care - Where a person goes for super special care. for example, an eye unit or a bone ward (orthopaedic).
In addition, the schools and churches are ideal places to promote health and wellness. The private sector which produces goods and services that support wellness and good health should be part of this promotional initiative.
We have defined wellness and made the point that the concept needs constant promotion by institutions and individuals. Now, let's talk about the characteristics that it takes to achieve wellness.
Personal responsibility - Every person who strives for wellness takes responsibility for his or her health. In other words, in sickness you make the doctor responsible for your health; in wellness, however, you take certain steps that will maintain your good health. Examples are staying on a healthy diet, constant exercise, avoiding stress. This takes great self-discipline but can be done.
Managing stress - All of us are subjected to stress all the time (in another edition, I will explain what stress really is). However, due to different characteristics of each person, some will experience a breakdown in wellness when subjected to stress, while others manage stress well. If you are not managing your stress well you need to seek professional help.
Exercise - Most of us have become sedentary or what is popularly known as couch potatoes. We need exercise to improve our circulation, to lift our mood and make us feel good. It also burns calories, so helping us to lose or stabilise weight.
Walking is recommended as it is effective and cheap. One should walk a minimum of one mile five days a week, or two miles three days a week. Walking every day is indeed essential and invigorating.
A healthy diet - A diet that will promote wellness and good health calls for a lifestyle change as far as your eating habits are concerned. However, there are many misconceptions in our population as to what a healthy diet is. For example, some people feel that if they eat fish and chicken and no other meat, that is a healthy diet and some feel that if they cut out sugar then that is a healthy diet. In another column we will discuss diet to support and sustain wellness.
So long for today.
Dr. Carmen Bowen-Wright is a preventive medicine specialist and wellness physician, Le Clinique, Eden Gardens, phone: 927-4301; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
