Health. What is it and why is it often elusive? For many, health means not being sick, but have you or someone you know ever consulted a doctor because of not feeling well, and after the standard bloodwork and other tests, were told that “everything is normal?” Yet deep down there was a definite feeling that something was wrong. Sometimes health can’t be measured by conventional medical diagnostic tools.
In order to understand what health is, let’s see how it is defined by various sources. Then we’ll look at it from the homeopathic viewpoint.
Noah Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 defines health this way:
HEALTH, noun helth. [from heal.] That state of an animal or living body, in which the parts are sound, well organized and disposed, and in which they all perform freely their natural functions. In this state the animal feels no pain. This word is applied also to plants.
- Sound state of the mind; natural vigor of faculties.
- Sound state of the mind, in a moral sense; purity; goodness.
A modern definition of health in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is:
- the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit
- freedom from physical disease or pain
- the general condition of the body
- a condition in which someone or something is thriving or doing well
- general condition or state
According to the World Health Organization, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
The Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary defines health as:
- The state of the organism when it functions optimally without evidence of disease or abnormality.
- A state of dynamic balance in which an individual’s or group’s capacity to cope with all the circumstances of living is at an optimal level.
- A state characterized by anatomic, physiologic, and psychological integrity, ability to perform personally valued family, work, and community roles; ability to deal with physical, biologic, psychological, and social stress; a feeling of well-being, and freedom from the risk of disease and untimely death.
So health is not just the absence of disease. From the above definitions, one could summarize health as having these characteristics: optimal function, a dynamic balance, a sense of well-being, and a freedom from disease or pain.
Samuel Hahnemann, the Father of Homeopathy, wrote in The Organon of the Medical Art, in aphorism 9: “In the healthy human state, the spirit-like life force (autocracy) that enlivens the material organism as dynamis, governs without restriction and keeps all parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both feelings and functions, so that our indwelling, rational spirit can freely avail itself of this living, healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence.” The German word that Hahnemann used that is translated into English as “health or healthy” means “soundness,” which is both freedom from disease or abnormality and also a condition of optimal well-being or functioning. (In case you’re wondering, an aphorism is a concise statement of a scientific principle.)
The well-known contemporary Greek homeopath, George Vithoulkas, in his book The Science of Homeopathy defines health of the whole being as “freedom from pain in the physical body, having attained a state of well-being; freedom from passion on the emotional level, having as a result a dynamic state of serenity and calm; and freedom from selfishness in the mental sphere, having as a result total unification with Truth.” He adds a parameter that defines a measurement of health – creativity. “By creativity, I mean all those acts and functions which promote for the individual himself and for others their main goal in life: continuous and unconditional happiness. To the extent that an individual is limited in the exercise of his creativity, to that degree he is ill.”
From these definitions and our own experience, we can see that health is not static. Rather it is a continuum. Many factors, experiences, influences, and stressors cause our state of health to shift up and down the spectrum of well-being. The goal of homeopathy is to move one’s state of health up the continuum towards more freedom and fulfillment in the pursuit of temporal happiness in this world.
Information contained on this site is for educational purposes only and should not be used to prescribe, diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness. Any information provided is not intended to replace medical advice offered by a physician. If you desire or need such advice, you should consult a professional healthcare provider.