Is ‘Health’ Different From Being ‘Disease-Free’?

I was once at a conference where I was speaking to a relatively large group of people. The topic was “How to maintain health”.

Upon repeatedly hearing me use the phrase ‘reasonable health’, a 75 year old gentleman stood up and asked me a question. “Can you define what ‘reasonable health’ is?” he said.

The question sparked a general murmur across the hall, from which I understood that a fair number of people were interested to hear what I would have to say. A very valid question! The answer I gave this gentleman is an answer that I would like to share with you all.

Not having blood pressure, Diabetes, or any Coronary Artery Disease is NOT the criteria. Medication for these conditions will continue in order to keep their health under a reasonable check. Some diseases are hereditary. Many people don’t have a choice regarding what diseases they might inherit.

So reasonable health in any situation should not depend on the diseases you suffer from. It should be defined by whether or not you are able to perform your usual day to day activities.

1. You must be able to sleep well, without the use of any medication, even if just for five to six hours a day. One should avoid day time sleep.
2. You should be able to relish the food that is available to you. You should also not have any discomfort immediately or subsequently.
3. You should have one single bowel movement per day, ideally at around the same time each day. It need not be early in the morning; it can be during any part of the day.
4. You must be able to enjoy every activity you are involved in. Grumbling is not a sign of good health.
5. The measurement of your chest should be more than the girth of your tummy/abdomen.
6. You should enjoy the company of others at your home, workplace or in social circles. Irritability for trivial reasons is not a sign of health.

As a Doctor who has seen a vast multitude of patients throughout my life, I can confidently say that being reasonably healthy is different from having diseases.

Many of the patients that come to me with conditions such as Diabetes or high blood pressure actually look much healthier than the ones that come in for an occasional check-up. Many of them are able to perform their daily tasks despite having some of the above mentioned diseases. Even when compared to people who do not suffer from any diseases, these people live cheerful lives.

The above six points are the “keys to health”, originally coined by Dr. B Venkat Rao, a renowned Naturopath of the country. He also happens to be my late Father.

Author Info

Dr.Bapuji

Armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Botany, Zoology and Chemistry and an M.B.B.S by 1977, Dr. Bapuji had a clear aim in his mind – Naturopathy. Graduating as one of the first to have taken up as Naturopathy as a career in India, he was appointed as the ‘Doctor on special duty’ to handle complicated cases and emergencies for the patients undergoing treatment at the Nature Cure Hospital in 1980.