| Health is broadly defined as the physical and mental state of well-being in an organism. This can refer to the condition of the entire body or to a specific organ or function of the organism.
Health is a relative term, based on measurements that fall within a range of averages observed in a "normal" population. One must also consider individualized factors (e.g., age, weight, height) in determining the degree of health in a person. For instance, a normal heart rate for a child is higher than that of an adult. Similarly, a weight of 100 lb may be inadequate for one person, while the same weight may be considered too much for another.
Health can be compromised by a number of factors, such as age, trauma, genetics, and infection. The possible causes for diseases are innumerable; there is still much to learn and discover about them. The health care field has traditionally focused on the detection and treatment of such diseases. Newer approaches have emphasized health prevention and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, being able to provide a dignified death in the case of terminal illnesses. |