Health and Disease According to Different Perspectives

According to the World Health Organization, the definition of Health is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’.

This definition was adopted in 1946 by WHO International Health Conference in New York. Despite, its criticism from Machteld Huber and colleagues, regarding its absoluteness of word complete wellbeing is no longer fit for purpose given the rise of chronic disease and “would leave most of us unhealthy most of the time.” Further they argue that it therefore supports the tendencies of the medical technology and drug industries. However, the reason of its unchanged formulation is its breadth and ambition.

The term ‘disease’ is originated from Old French desaise, means ‘lack of ease’, from des- (expressing reversal) + aise ‘ease’. Hence, disease is a particular quality or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group of people. Further it is defined as a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury (Oxford dictionary).

When we discuss about disease in particular to individual health, we must describe disease in a more specific term rather than broad idiom. We also use of few terminology for disease sometimes such as injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviours, and atypical variations of structure and function. In humans, “disease” is often used to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person.

However, the term disease, disorder, morbidity and illness are used interchangeably, though a definition of each term differs. Also, Well categorisation is prerequisite for treatment pathway. It is important to identify whether disease is infectious or non-infectious, clinically evident or not, does it generate symptoms or may be asymptomatic during its incubation period, but expected to produce symptoms later. If we term it as illness or sickness then we may include lethargy, depression, anorexia, sleepiness, hyperalgesia, and inability to concentrate. The term disorder is also used in many other areas of medicine, primarily to identify physical disorders that are not caused by infectious organisms, such as metabolic disorders. A disorder is a functional abnormality or disturbance and can be categorized into mental disorders, physical disorders, genetic disorders, emotional and behavioural disorders, and functional disorders.

Another term such as Morbidity (from Latin morbidus, meaning “sick, unhealthy”) is a diseased state, disability, or poor health due to any cause is being used to refer to the existence of any form of disease, or to the degree that the health condition affects the patient. To represent some cases like Drown syndrome and Parkinson syndrome the term ‘syndrome’ is used more often in association of several medical signs, symptoms, and or other characteristics that often occur together. 

According to homeopathy, Health is a state of vital force which maintains normal functions and sensations of the organism while, disease is a dynamically deranged state of vital force by morbific influence, where it causes abnormal sensations and functions which are manifested outwardly through the material body as abnormal signs and symptoms, the totality of which constitutes the disease.

Ayurveda in Sankrit; Sam dosha, samagni, samdhatu malakriyah, Prasannatma, indriyas manah swath abhidayate.– Sushruta stru 24/41

Means, Health is in balance when all three doshas (bioenergy) and agni (metabolic process) are in balance, and excretions are in proper order. When atman (soul), senses, manah (intellect) are in harmony with internal peace, the svastha (optimal health) is achieved.

Here, Health care is viewed as one of several means to a good life–defined as the individual’s harmonious interaction with the community and with the physical and spiritual environment.

Central to this ethos is the notion of Qi, usually translated as “vital energy” or “life force.” Qi encompasses that which distinguishes life from death, animate from inanimate. Although considered to be the substantive element in living systems, Qi is believed to permeate all of space.

In TCM, disease is generally perceived as a disharmony (or imbalance) in the functions or interactions of yin, yang, qi, xuĕ, zàng-fǔ, meridians etc. and/or of the interaction between the human body and the environment. Therapy is based on which “pattern of disharmony” can be identified. In the case of the meridians, typical disease patterns are invasions with wind, cold and damp Excesses.

The term Homotoxicology is derived from three words ; “homo” meaning man, “toxico” derived from toxin or poison, and finally “logy”, derived from the Greek ‘logos’, meaning study. To summarize, we can describe Homotoxicology as the study of the influence of toxic substances on humans.

Thus, Homotoxicology defines Diseases as the expression of biologically purposeful defence mechanisms against endogenous and exogenous homotoxins, or the expression of the organism’s effort to compensate for toxic damage it has sustained. Furthermore, Homotoxicological disease evaluation tables classify diseases in six levels according to severity of the patient’s disease. They are known as, 1. Excretion phase, 2. Inflammation phase, 3. Deposition phase, 4. Impregnation

phase, 5. Degeneration and 6. Differentiation. This table is also divided by biological division, where first block of 3 phases on the left side of this division represents diseases as causal homotoxins or their effects are extracellular. Three phases, on the right side of it suggests presence or effect of the homotoxins is mainly intracellular.

In short, The biological division marks the difference between extra-cellular and intra-cellular intoxication. From an organic point of view the biological division is often the point of no return.

As we can see that simpler and to the point understanding of health and disease is prerequisite for better cure. Above, all definitions present the complexity of their theory and thus this complication gives hitch to practitioners and pains to patients. The most excellent and foolproof understanding reflects in electrohomeopathy. 

The definitions in Electrohomeopathy of health and disease are more clear, concise and complete. According to electrohomeopathy life is in blood and lymph while, disease is in their vitiation. Here, Diseases are classified in two categories; positive and negative. Activity above neutral is positive while below normal is negative. i.e. hyperthyroid is positive disease and hypothyroid is negative disease. 

Interestingly, dosology of electrohomeopathy, is also very simple. For, positive disease negative dose and negative disease positive dose is to be administered. D4 potency is known as positive dose which is also known as strong dose. D5 is a neutral dose while above D5 means, D6 is a negative dose. Any successive dilution is made up by adding 9th parts of water in one part of original dilution. i.e. 1 part of D4 and 9 part of water makes D5 by just giving 10 downward strokes.

Electrohomeopathy has excluded the possibilities of intoxications of drugs or fears of drug induced diseases by avoiding use of material / animal substances, poisons, nosodes and sarcodes as well as higher potency above Avogadro’s limit. Electro homeopathic medicines are prepared from only plant kingdom and spagyric method is adopted for their preparations to keep them safe, potent and pure or free from any toxicities and impurities.

In short, most appropriate classification of disease and health in Electrohomeoathy gives privilege to Electrohomeopathy over other systems of medicine. 

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