Behavior as the dynamic unit between polar opposites - Health and Disease

Abstract

The current definition of health of the World Health Organization (WHO), formulated in 1948, describes health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of disease or infirmity”.[1] Although, this formulation was been revolutionary because it overcame the negative definition of health as the absence of disease and included physical, mental and social domains, it has been partially criticized over the past 60 years. This definition is in fact referred to the disease acute pattern, which is transient and limited in the time. Today, the number of people living with chronic diseases for decades is increasing worldwide. Ageing with chronic diseases has become the norm representing the main care burden and the most of the expenditures of the healthcare system. In this context the WHO definition becomes confounding as it could declare people with chronic diseases definitively ill. Machteld Huber, et al. believe that the WHO would benefit if it extends the definition of health, taking into account that the demography of populations and the nature of disease have changed considerably since 1948.[2] Georges Canguilhem suggested a new idea of health as a capability to adapt and self-manage in the social, physical and emotional challenges, it moving from the static formulation towards a more dynamic one based on the resilience or capacity to cope and maintain and restore ones integrity, equilibrium, and sense of wellbeing.[3] Health, considered as “ability to adapt”, becomes a condition of equilibrium (dynamic, therefore always new, continually to be reset) between the subject and the environment (human, physical, biological, social) that surrounds it. Therefore, health and disease