When we think of health and well-being, it is common to immediately think of hospitals, doctors and specialists. In order to encourage a nation of healthy people we must broaden our understanding of how all aspects of life impact on our health and happiness.
Health and well-being from a holistic perspective, can be positively defined as 'the result of a combination of physical, social, intellectual and emotional factors'. Ideas about health and well-being change over time and vary between cultures. We can begin to better comprehend health care through a 'whole-systems perspective'. By consciously living and creating a culture that sustains and promotes health, we can transform our general understanding of health care.
Healthy living can reduce any dependency we may feel upon companies that we may consider profit from illness, and choosing to live healthily can also stop the idea that a health service is a provider of health. By choosing to live healthier lifestyles, and taking into account the physical, social, intellectual and emotional factors that contribute to our state of well being, we can begin to reduce the immense pressures on national health services.
In permaculture, we can create spirals of health within our societies that promote self responsibility and awareness for maintaining our own health. Our bodies are integrated systems that are part of the physical and social environment we live in. The health of our bodies may reveal the balance or imbalance of the bigger systems in which we live.
You can also read the 52 Climate Actions page: Look After Your Mental Health