How Do We Measure Health?

We can measure health in a myriad of ways. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, thyroid hormones, oestrogen, short chain fatty acids, waist to hip ratio, bone density scans, vitamin D levels…. you get the picture. These tests are some of the excellent markers to help determine levels of health. Or…do they merely determine disease or the absence of disease? 

It depends who you ask, really. 

I don’t want to get into a discussion about the interpretation of blood tests; that topic is much bigger than this commentary. The point that I am trying to make is that health is multifaceted and there is more to it than merely not being sick. Holistic practitioners, such as naturopaths and nutritionists look at the mind, body, spirit connection to promote optimal wellness. A client might be in perfect health, according to blood test results, but cannot achieve more than three hours sleep a night. That is not wellness. A client might have a fabulously nourishing diet but can only poo once a week. That is not healthy.

In the same vein, why is skinny automatically labelled healthy? Why do we tell someone they look so healthy when they lose weight? When did we decide that a healthy weight is the ultimate achievement of good health? I am not suggesting that, conversely, therefore, overweight and obesity is unfairly labelled as unhealthy. There are definitely health risks associated with these, however that is also up for discussion at another time, as they are not absolute, either. What I am suggesting is that skinny, slim, ideal weight…. whatever label we choose to give…doesn’t always tell the full story of health. The same way that a blood test doesn’t tell you everything about the person in front of you. 

I have spoken to people who are surprised that some slim people can have high cholesterol and some overweight and obese people can have healthy blood glucose levels and optimal blood pressure. These are but a few examples to show that you cannot look at someone and determine whether they are healthy, based on their body shape and size alone. It seems rather limiting to me, especially when we consider the rising prevalence of mental health issues, for example. which is largely invisible.

If I am going to argue that optimal health resides in the mind and soul, as well as the body, then surely the things that make us happy offer us good health, too? Exercise releases feel-good endorphins and promotes cardiovascular health, on top of helping with movement and elimination of toxins. Music can reduce stress and improve immunity and human touch can increase oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin (a hormone and neurotransmitters, respectively, that promote, amongst other things, love, trust, reward and a stable mood) while reducing cortisol and blood pressure.

So then why do we automatically assume that an overweight or obese person is unhealthy? Yes, there are inflammatory, cardiovascular and metabolic risks associated

with carrying extra adipose, however this is not a foregone conclusion, not a one size fits all diagnosis. The same way that a healthy weight is not an automatic free pass to good health, not when there are so many factors – unseen factors – that contribute to good health. Perhaps if placed as much emphasis on the health of the vessel that is our body - as well as the magic contained within that is the mind and the soul - as we do on its appearance, we would be much healthier and kinder. To ourselves and each other.