Is health more than the absence of disease?

Health is definitely more than just the absence of disease. It indicates the wellness and the entirety of a
person’s state. Health is a holistic concept which constitutes one’s physical, mental, psychological,
emotional, social and spiritual state. Health is how one relates with his neighbors, how one takes care of
his own body, and how one takes care of his mental state. To say that health just means the absence of
disease must be mistaken as he merely focuses on the narrow clinical aspect of a disease or an illness.
Not having a disease may be associated with being healthy, but it does not define health in its totality.
An individual fundamentally has the capacity to be fully capable of being healthy despite the context of
their disease. Health and disease can actually coexist. It is not dependent on the presence or absence of
a disease. For instance, a 55 year old man who has high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus, can still
actively play lawn tennis and golf regularly because he believes he is fit to play. Despite the presence of
some inherent diseases in the man’s body, he can still definitely be healthy physically, mentally, and
even emotionally. This example exemplifies the value of an individual and how he/she is rooted in the
social and cultural construct of health since it can be understood in different perspectives through
factors like experience or family or beliefs. People must not see disease as dependent to one’s health.
Rather, it is important to address the need for people to stay well than treating disease as an equal to
weakness or even death.