Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mrs. ODowd
Anatomy/Physiology
18 March 2017
Wellness
Our society has seen tremendous changes over the past 15 years in regards to how we
view the standard of wellness within the population. Wellness, can be defined as the ability to
become self-sufficient and content by means of balancing the several components of ones life.
This can be determined by a variety of factors, including the mental, physical, social, and
spiritual/emotional state-of-being of a person. But in order to truly determine how accurate this
claim is, it must be first implemented into the circumstances we face on a daily basis.
My own daily life can seemingly be viewed through these four major categories.
am always ready to seize an opportunity where I can gain new information, understand new
concepts, and test my ability to apply to my knowledge out onto the real world. Constantly I find
myself conducting independent research on topics that interests me, so that I may better serve not
only myself, but others when presenting this information. Although, it can be noted that my
self-implied standards can often weigh a less than desireable load of stress on my consciousness.
Physically, I have put my body through demand on a regular basis, whether it be through sport or
basic exercise. My main athletic passion, distance running, has allowed me to push my body to
new extremes and become more fulfilling of reaching its potential. Socially, I have always
encountered others with an open-mind, as I feel if being able to create and maintain healthy
relationships with the people around me is an important aspect in life. And in terms of a
moment and never taking anything too seriously, as I look for the positive in all things I
encounter.
As a result of my own experiences, I feel that individuals within society should also look
to improve upon these four key distinctions in their own lives. But with debate over how the
modern-day healthcare system should be addressed, many people have been left with confusion
and frustration over the changes that are being implemented. Prior to the newly proposed reforms
we are hearing of, former President Barrack Obama was responsible for establishing the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (but more commonly known as Obamacare). Under this act,
nearly 20 million people were able to secure a health insurance coverage since its
implementation in 2010 (D.H.H.S) by cutting down the cost of affording such a service. Now,
under our newly elected President Donald Trump, revisions are being made to get rid of this act
and put the control of healthcare back onto the people. These reforms will most likely increase
the cost of healthcare service, but may also speed up the process and availability in which these
services are provided, since more privately owned companies will be competing to gain more
customers.
A valid point brought up by our guest speaker Mrs. Maurer was how the healthcare
system is now moving towards a more nurse-orientated environment due to the desire of being
taking a more proactive approach to the well being of people. This means that people would take
measures to remain healthy before an actual problem were to occur. The main reason for this
would be that it is much more affordable to maintain a healthy lifestyle, as opposed to treating
someone who is already sick or needs medical attention. And with the cost of healthcare likely to
see an increase in the near future, people will now have this incentive to follow a proactive
approach. This was a practice that was rarely considered over ten years ago, as shown by the
documentary Supersize Me, where two teenage girls were willing to sue McDonalds after the
fact that they had become obese by consuming substantial amounts of fast food from the
company. This example showed how people were only willing to take action for securing their
health only after they have been brought to near-death circumstances. Another example was a
man who drank over a liter of soda a day and as a result, had momentarily lost his vision while
on work. These anecdotes will most likely continue to decrease as people find it more difficult to
pay for healthcare when they are sick, as opposed to taking the necessary precautions of leading
a healthy lifestyle.
To add on, there are many ways that I can see myself implementing good habits in order
to secure my personal wellness. I know for certain that I often times tend to not set apart enough
time for being social with friends or other peers. In order to fix this, I could better schedule my
time so that I am able to maintain the relationships I have established with the friends that I have.
In terms of my family life, there are a couple of things that I feel can be better handled. One issue
I have seen is a lack of communication, although granted, this is mainly my own fault. I tend to
keep to myself, stay focused on my agenda, and often lose sight as to what is going on in the
lives of the people around me. A possible solution to this would be to hold family meeting or
have more family dinners, where everyone is able to discuss and express how they are and what
is going on in their own daily lives. These issues, accompanied by their solutions, may sound
easily implemented, but it has been rather difficult in the past to see these plans go through.
Our perception of wellness continues to adapt as the conditions of our society continue to
change. Reforms continue to develop in favor of establishing a society that is better suited
towards helping those who are healthy remain so. The further we change our lifestyle towards
maintaining a healthy well being, the less likely we will be of ending up in a situation where you
are not only hurting yourself, but those around you as well.
Bibliography:
"Trump Starts Making Changes to Obamacare That Could Mean Higher Costs for Consumers."
CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
Tongco, Tricia. "Pres. Obama Just Got Some Great News About His Flagship
Achievement."ATTN:. N.p., 30 Nov. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
Adult Obesity Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Apr.2013