What is Health: Definition and 191 Discussions

Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in which disease and infirmity are absent. A variety of definitions have been used for different purposes over time. Health can be promoted by encouraging healthful activities, such as regular physical exercise, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. Some factors affecting health are due to individual choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, and others are due to structural causes, such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get necessary healthcare services. Still other factors are beyond both individual and group choices, such as genetic disorders.

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  1. L

    Wifi Sector antenna health hazard?

    Hi - the building community where I live has just installed a few Wi-Fi ("sector", I believe) antennas and one of them is at same height and facing straight into my apartment. They are probably 10-15 meters across my apartment. I have a one year old son, and concerned about any health effects...
  2. M

    Health and Safety In Nuclear Org.

    Hi, I am a new member here... I am a Doctoral candidate. I am looking for suggestions on research topics for a Ph.D. thesis in "Health and Safety in Nuclear Organisation". I would appreciate any ideas that you might have on topics that you might feel are worth considering as a result of your...
  3. L

    Do you think cell phones pose a health risk?

    I have a few questions/thoughts about microwaves ovens and cell phones that I'm hoping someone here can help with. Microwaves ovens and cell phones both use around the same range of frequencies. But microwave ovens use way more power. Ovens about 500W, cell phones at most 2W. More power...
  4. Borek

    Uncovering the Health Care & Insurance Industry Relationship

    Seen somewhere else: Any comments? Does it really look this way?
  5. M

    Physics Health physics or medical physics

    I'm looking into a career change to health physics or medical physics from analytical chemistry (in the pharmaceutical industry). For medical physics, I think I'm going to run into CAMPEP drama due to timing, so am leaning more towards health physics. For health physics, will I be limited to...
  6. George Jones

    Health Benefits of Tea: The Tea Council's Research

    Tea, wonderful tea. And healthy! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5281046.stm Hmm, the research was funded by The Tea Council.
  7. A

    Health Physics: Reactor Poll

    Hello, I'm working on a final paper for a HP class (ugrad/grad) and could use some suggestions. The problem I'm working on is determining the depth of water in a spent fuel pool, above a full core offload, required to reduce the exposure leve to X mGy/hr from fission products and principal...
  8. Ivan Seeking

    News You hate Obama's health care penalty for the uninsured?

    Under the new health care mandates, which are now effectively "the law", if you don't have health insurance, you will be fined according to a sliding scale that reaches a maximum of something like $1500 per year. This seems to be at the crux of many objections to the new system: What gives them...
  9. Ivan Seeking

    News Health Care Reform - almost a done deal? DONE

    It appears that the House will vote on Sunday; I think on the Reconciliation Act of 2010. http://www.rules.house.gov/bills_details.aspx?NewsID=4606 Then it goes back to the Senate. However, as I understand this, the President can sign the bill passed by the House making it law until the...
  10. L

    Medical How bad is marijuana for your health?

    How bad is marijuana for your health? Every time I talk to someone who smokes it, they always say the same thing; "It's never killed anybody ever since the beginning of time". I find that hard to believe. People have died from everything, why is marijuana an exception? At the very least there...
  11. L

    Challenging the Status Quo: Health Care Education

    If you sign up for a course in say health care and your instructor says you may not question the current thinking on health care. doesn't that make sure the status quo is maintained and no new ideas will be forthcoming unless some well known name decides that a new idea is needed?
  12. G

    Medical Antioxidants bad for your health?

    While searching the web, I came across this study: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/297/8/842 published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which suggests that anti-oxidants increase the risk of death. Maybe it is just my lack of familarity with statistical...
  13. M

    UK health secretary sacks drugs adviser

    For those who haven't come across this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8334774.stm My facebook status sums up my feelings on the subject: Predictably, the shadow home secretary wallowed in the typical Tory self-image of the last bastion of law and order in a broken society, but the Lib...
  14. X

    Medical Problem from Intro to Health Physics by Cember and Johnson

    Hello guys, can you please help me figure out how to solve this problem. Many thanks! A scanning He–Ne laser that scans at a rate of 10 s−1 emits 5 mW through an aperture of 0.7 cm. If the beam divergence is 5 milliradian, then, for an intrabeamviewing distance of 200 cm, calculate (a) the...
  15. N

    Is Tin Foil a Fire and Health Hazard in the Stovetop?

    My roommates were using Tin Foil under the stove burner to prevent the base from getting messy. One instance when I was cooking soup, the contents spilled onto the base covered by the tin foil. The contents started to burn and I saw flames. Tin foil has a very high melting point. I can't...
  16. J

    Public Health Awareness: Benefits and Misconceptions

    Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... Don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like...
  17. K

    News American Health Care: People are acting like 12-year-olds.

    If someone would disseminate this image around the internets in places I haven't already disseminated it, I would much appreciate it. Which brings me to the subject of this post: why, instead of having a reasoned discussion, are people acting like gorillas on speed when talking about healthcare?
  18. Ivan Seeking

    How for-profit insurers hijacked the health care system

    http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/watch.html
  19. Ivan Seeking

    News The US has the best health care in the world?

    This claim is often made by those who oppose Obama's efforts to reform the medical system. I worked in health care [tech support and services] for seven years, and my wife has been an X-Ray and CT tech for over thirty years. She has worked everywhere from world-class hospitals, to one-horse...
  20. T

    Aspartame is extremely dangerous to your health?

    I've heard a lot about the artificial sweetener used in thousands of products "Aspartame" has been said to cause cancers, brain lesions, lowering I.Q., as well as quite a slew of other serious health problems. I've been drinking diet soda for quite a few years now, I don't know if I am greatly...
  21. I

    Medical Health Risks Associated with Living Near High-Voltage Power Lines

    I've never found any conclusive evidence suggesting that it does. Have there been any independant studies conducted?
  22. U

    Health Physics Programs and Career

    Hey, I currently a rising senior in nuclear engineering at Georgia Tech, but I've recently been thinking about going more into a career in health physics. What are some good programs in health physics? Would grad school in nuclear be a better option than getting an HP degree? Any thoughts...
  23. Andre

    News Health care or cap'n trade CO2?

    What decision to make? http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dem-centrists-press-pelosi--to-shelve-climate-change-bill-2009-05-06.html James Hansen, NASA climatologist has an outspoken opinion about cap and trade: Temple of doom So what would save more lives? reforming health care or...
  24. N

    Is Our Education System Contributing to Poor Health in Later Life?

    I suggest that our hot-house system of education, with its cruel blackmail that children have only 'one chance' to 'succeed', is a major contributing factor to ill health in later life. If a person fails in his final exam at any stage, he may well see himself as a 'failure' in life and turn for...
  25. A

    Understanding Health Insurance: Decoding Jargon and Navigating Medical Bills

    OK, so I have Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employees Program, but have never used it. So I don't have a clue of what all the jargon means and what to do. I recently got sick, so had to go to the hospital. The Dr. charged a co-payment of $20, and then sent me to the clinic for "services"...
  26. G

    Medical What are the health hazards of mercury on our bodies?

    How does the element Mercury actually effect your body for it to be a health hazard?
  27. Ivan Seeking

    5 Surprising Holiday Health Myths

    http://www.livescience.com/health/081217-holiday-health-myths.html
  28. L

    Wifi networks. Dangerous for health?

    Wifi networks. Dangerous for health?? Hi, Recently, I have installed a wireless router to create a network at home between 2 computers. This question to say the truth has worried me a bit because searching in the net about this question we can find a lot of opinions warning about the use of...
  29. Ivan Seeking

    The Economy's Impact on Health Care Costs

    http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5835433&page=1
  30. adrenaline

    News Mcain's plan will decimate employer based health coverage

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/opinion/16herbert.html?hp Does anyone else think this is a bad idea?
  31. F

    Need Articles relating to research in the health sciences.

    Hello! :D I need help finding articles from print media sources that deal with types of surgery, not limited but including the surgical sciences and arts, as well as articles dealing with topics like diabetes and cancer. I need these articles ASAP. Thanks!
  32. moe darklight

    Anyone here use Crest Pro Health for that methhead-look that's in now?

    http://consumerist.com/363684/crest-pro+health-mouthwash-i-woke-up-with-brown-spots-on-my-teeth" SCARY stuff. I've googled the internet and this doesn't seem to be a joke. People everywhere are waking up with brown meth-addict teeth! Scary thing is I just bought a bottle today and used...
  33. O

    Medical Does masturbation have any bad affect on our health?

    just curious does masturbation have any bad affect on our health?
  34. N

    Obesity and health - pointer to a way to reduce costs?

    I caught the tail end of a news item, something about 25% of New York (city? state?) residents being obese (presumably including whatever is more than obese)*, and that got me thinking. Take all the research results on health, nutrition, etc, and assume a New York population that has an...
  35. JasonRox

    Some Thoughts on the Health (Long)

    Note: Please read the entire opening posts. As some of you may know, I moved to Quebec City about a month ago. I found the place I live in just a week before I moved here. I just jumped on the boat and came here. Family, friends, and colleagues thought this was crazy, and amazing. (I'll get...
  36. humanino

    Can Google Health be a game-changer for online healthcare?

    What do you guys think about this new service ? Will you consider using it ?
  37. E

    Being a vegetarian for health reasons

    Does it make sense to be a vegetarian purely for health reasons?
  38. T

    Medical Height & Health: Is It Possible?

    These questions may seem a bit awkward but as I don't have any knowledge about medical field, I'd still put them forward: Is it possible to increase human height through artificial means, like medical operation etc.? Indulging into sexual activity reduces our energy. Would a person who is...
  39. E

    A2 Health Physics Eye question

    Hello everyone, Really struggling to answer a practice exam question on the eye, and was wandering if anyone could help, here's the question: "The unaided eye of a student has a power of 59.0D when viewing an object at infinity. When using her spectacle lens, the near point is 25cm from her...
  40. C

    Schools Need an accredited college for a health care management degree.

    Hi to all the folks. I have always wanted to get in the health care profession but at a managerial position. For this I have been planning to do a healthcare management degree but the problem is that I can only make it online as I have certain responsibilities to look after. What I need is a...
  41. F

    News Most US doctors now support a national health plan

    No surprise to me, but in case there was still any doubt that the current for-profit situation in the US isn't working... http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/march/most_doctors_support.php
  42. R

    Medical What is an area of health research that you think should no longer be pursued?

    Hey all, I'm in the process of applying to Uni. and the program I've chosen requires an additional application. That said, the one question on it is: What is an area of health research that you think should no longer be pursued? Why? I've been thinking about it and I could take the...
  43. Ivan Seeking

    News Health Care: The cost of medications

    Although I do understand that R&D, testing, insurance, legal costs, etc serve to legitimately drive the cost of medications much higher than might seem reasonable, I was shocked by this one! I have psoriasis and use a number of topical meds to keep it in check. I was aware that these meds...
  44. wolram

    Medical Gum health and vitamin deficiency

    I have looked on the net but can find no answer, so, my dentist tells me i have to have two teeth out not because they are bad but because i have cavities in the gums, she tells me this may be linked to lack of b12 and folic acid, like how? i can find no additional info. Thanks.
  45. EnumaElish

    News Reuters: World Bank uncovers fraud in India health projects

    http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-31361020080111 My 2 cents on this is, at least somebody discovered it (= 1 cent for the good news) and something tells me this is the tip of an immense iceberg (= 1 cent for the bad news).
  46. M

    Finding Health Physics Resources

    If anyone can help me with health physics resources(journals,books..),that would be great.
  47. F

    News What are the real health plans of the presidential candidates?

    I had no idea that the candidates had any actual plans. I thought their support depended on the rate that they could say the word "change." Whoever becomes president, it doesn't look like Americans will get universal health care anytime soon. http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/177/12/1484
  48. T

    News Socialist Health Care: Does it Work?

    It doesn't work in Europe and Canada, what makes U.S politicians think that it will work here?
  49. C

    Medical Magnetic Field Safety: How do MRI fields affect human health?

    I know high magnet fields can be dangerous to health. My questions are 1) at what point does a magnetic field become powerful enough to be actually cause problems with human health and 2) why exactly is it hazardous at high levels? Thank you for your time.
  50. S

    The Impact of Vibration on Human Health

    gooooood evening.. i have presentation about the effect of vibration on human and i did not find what i want and i did not understant the topices when i searched from google .. so I will be grateful if anyone could help me..
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