What is Wellness?

So, what is this new Wellness movement and what does the term ”Wellness” really mean anyway?

It is said the term was coined back in the 1950’s by an American physician, Dr. Halbert Dunn, who was studying American trends affecting human health. He used the word Wellness to describe the opposite of “illness.” Several decades later, the popularity of the term began to spread all over the world. Today, we hear the term used by groups all across the board; holistic practitioners, spas, and gyms, even drugstores, hospitals, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are incorporating the term.

So, what is it? There are a variety of definitions of Wellness… Webster defines it as “the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal. The Medical Dictionary defines it as “a dynamic state of health in which an individual progresses toward a higher level of functioning, achieving an optimum balance between internal and external environments.” Dr. Patrick Gentempo, founder of Creating Wellness and the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance, defines it as "The degree to which an individual experiences health and vitality in the three dimensions of their life — physical, bio-chemical and psychological."

No matter how you wish to define Wellness, one thing is certain, just like the term “health,” Wellness is more than just feeling good. A person can feel good, yet be unaware that they are suffering from a disease or illness that may soon take over their life. Every one of us knows of someone who was feeling just fine one moment, and the next suffered a life-altering stroke or heart attack.

As Dr. Gentempo states in his definition of Wellness, we must make certain that the three dimensions of our health… physical, bio-chemical and psychological, are being properly assessed and that we’re taking action to ensure every cell, tissue, and organ within our body is functioning at one hundred percent, one hundred percent of the time.

You may be wondering, “How is that possible?” Check back tomorrow for my follow up blog.