However, one may view the term “health”; I am sure of one thing we all can agree on in the end, is from birth to adulthood health is an essential aspect of life, and without it, the human population would be significantly decreased.
Many factors play a role in our everyday health. Whether my interpretation of the term health differs from yours; one thing is for sure, health is the most critical aspect of our entire lives. I believe health is the ability to accomplish personal health practices and coping skills, by understanding biology and genetic make-up and providing ourselves with adequate healthcare services.
How does one achieve a healthy self?
I found structuring my lifestyle has resulted in a healthier me. I started this journey by making simple changes to my diet; such as eating whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Keeping to this way of eating hasn’t been easy! The hardest part was creating willpower, meaning not allowing myself to stop off at a drive-thru to grab a quick bit to eat; instead, I told myself to venture home and fix a healthy cooked meal. I added bike riding and swimming to my exercise, routine, which wasn’t too difficult for me to do. I have always enjoyed working out; this has helped me to maintain a young body and mind. I recently introduced a form of meditation; that being yoga, with the use of essential oils, has helped to decrease my everyday stress.
Practicing yoga was a new adventure for me; so, I decided to do some digging on the internet, to see if I could find some research evidence on yoga and stress. I came across an interesting article that found, “women who experience a yoga session reported a lower tendency to cope with stress through aggression and self-pity and a higher tendency to cope through downplaying (reappraising) a situation.” Therefore, this evidence suggests that yoga can help with stress. (Schell et al., 1993) (Frontiers in neuroscience, 8, 770.doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00770)
Biology & Genetics
Why I believe biology and genetics play a role in our overall health!
As I worked through my degree in Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) with American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS), I began studying anatomy and physiology; this introduced me to biology and genetics. It was interesting to learn that a person may develop health conditions due to specific traits being passed down through parents’ genes to his or her offspring. Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNIPS) is the most common type of genetic variation among people.
Most SNIPS do not affect health or development; however, some of these genes are different. Testing DNA for Methylation and MTHFR defects may help identify whether a person carries a gene responsible for certain complex diseases. There was a study done by (Med Arch, 2018) that described 677C>T (rs1801133) and 1298A>C (rs1801131) SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) are the two most common mutations in the MTHFR gene. Many of the MTHFR gene polymorphisms alter or decrease the activity of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, leading to an increase of homocysteine in the blood. “Decreased folate and increased plasma Hcy levels are associated with a variety of common conditions such as cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, cleft lip/palate, hypertension, preeclampsia, thrombosis, osteoporosis, dementia, alzheimer’s disease, down syndrome, certain types of cancer, glaucoma, pregnancy complications, migraine, epilepsy, depression, and schizophrenia.” This evidence made me realize the importance of knowing if we are carrying mutations in our MTHFR genes. Also, administering a simple test may result in detecting specific illnesses. This information could prevent the formation of certain life-threatening diseases from happening, which in turn could help save our lives. Medical archives Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Herzegovina.
Why I think healthcare services are essential for our overall health.
I feel healthcare service play’s a significant role in our overall wellness; without the proper diagnoses and care of an illness or injury, our health can be greatly at risk. Whether we are young or old, our health can be affected, so it’s vital when conditions occur, we are seen immediately by a healthcare physician. Without adequate healthcare insurance, many of us will chose not to seek proper treatment due to the cost of the healthcare and the burden it may have on our financial situation. Although without this healthcare, death may happen, leading to sorrow and grief among our families.
Michelle Obama once said in her Vogue article, 2016: “It’s multifaceted,” she said of health. “It’s physical, it’s internal, it’s my diet and my emotional state—it’s all tied in together.” In other words, it comes from the inside out.
Author bio
Jayne is an identical twin who was born in Wales, Great Britain. Her passion for wellness brought her to study Complementary Alternative Medicine, with Specialization in Aromatherapy and Integrative Health Sciences at American College of Healthcare Sciences. In her spare time she enjoys painting, exercising, and walking on the beautiful local beaches of South Texas.
