Is Health Really Wealth?

Oleh Admin 23 Mar, 2023 Posting Komentar

The phrase "health is wealth" has become relatively universal, to the point where it seems cliché to write. However, it is a message that applies to all regions and cultures: if you are not healthy, you cannot enjoy life. Whether or not your health is your top priority right now, it provides the foundation for building everything that's important to you: family, work, school, hobbies, and community.

Traditionally, "health is wealth" is a message from the heart; Its meaning and sincerity will further help in the longevity of the expression. This expression is said to have been coined 2,000 years ago by the Roman poet Virgil who said, "The greatest wealth is health."

Although the specific context of the proverbs has changed, their meaning has remained the same: your health is paramount and the key to a fulfilling life.

This statement is based on the idea that health is so expensive that we cannot afford it. It aims to bring humanity down to earth by hoping against superficiality and reminding us that what makes life special is not for sale. In theory, we assume that this is true. However, what seems like a clear message is distorted when we redefine what health means in the modern capitalist world.

Health is a very difficult word to define. Although it is used in everyday care, we do not have a universal definition of health that everyone agrees on. For the purposes of this discussion, we will follow the World Health Organization's definition of health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being." There's a caveat to this definition, too: Many people, from doctors to anthropologists to myself, don't believe it accurately represents a "healthy" person. The World Health Organization indicates good and "complete" safety status. But the perception of safety and health varies from person to person. If someone is managing a chronic disease like diabetes, is that considered healthy? What about the pain from my injured knee or the extra stress in the week leading up to the organic chemistry test? These questions suggest different definitions of health. There is no uniform scale that places someone in "good" or "bad" health, because standard terms like "good" and "bad" are interpreted differently by each person and their experience.

Rather than emphasizing the benefits of our health, the phrase emphasizes our materialistic society. "Health is wealth" may have been true in the past, but in a modern world driven by money and power dynamics, we have learned to make health a marketable commodity. Because our society is based on a consumerist mindset, we have hidden our early notions of health as a priceless commodity. Companies benefit from things that don't sell now.

Because we live in a society that benefits from the illusion of health, the word does not have the same meaning. A clear example of this is the social media trend "Clean Girl Aesthetics". Any quick internet search will return thousands of videos showing similar exercises and "healthy" lifestyles. A typical "clean girl" wakes up at 6 a.m., makes a green juice, does her six-step skin care routine, pairs a SoulCycle or Equinox class with Lululemon clothing, drinks her supplement, and dresses in Aritia-sweet-to-work clothes. . A healthy wave of "clean girls" has swept social media. As of March 15, there were 3.3 billion views of videos with this tag on TikTok. Whether consciously or unconsciously, these influencers associate this aesthetic with consumerism. The Clean Girl craze is a clear example of the "health is wealth" shift, as expensive skin care products and related exercise equipment became attractive and seen as essential to a new aesthetic .

I won't try to ignore the benefits of this trend. I love watching this 10 second composition and it inspires me to create better habits with the "clean woman" in question. The downside to this beauty, however, is tunnel vision when it comes to health in this video. With an audience of over three billion people, the wide reach of these videos offers a unique set of health and lifestyle choices. The women in these videos have a lot of free time and usually come from a middle-class social background; As a result, they present unsustainable morning routines and lifestyles for many people.

The "pure girl" aesthetic continues to market feel-good brands, and now they're profiting from a distorted definition of feel-good. Sporty & Rich, famous for its "clean woman" craze, charges $300 to $400 to match workout collections with phrases like "health and wellness club" or "be beautiful." Get plenty of sleep and drink plenty of water. The "health is wealth" message has been tainted by such brands whose advertising and marketing focus on the idea of acquiring health at a high price. At the top of their website, facing the minimalist athletic entertainment page, they display their tagline, "Health Starts Here." The problem is when brands use "good health" as a marketing ploy to drive sales and promote the idea of getting health for money.

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The saying "wealth is health" is more appropriate for the current economic situation. However, it's not just social media and lifestyles that perpetuate this distorted narrative, but the health care industry itself: vitamins are often portrayed as an essential part of personal health care. They sell themselves under the word "life" (very similar to "essential"). In "Vitamin" they work as a simple sales strategy. Companies offer pills for every problem and often market vitamins as a preventative health strategy with many health benefits. Although there is little evidence to support this, about half of American adults take vitamins.

As a result of health marketing, the dietary supplement industry generates over $30 billion annually. However, there are many cheaper vitamin options available to divert consumers' money. "The pill is not a shortcut to improved health and prevention of chronic disease," said Johns Hopkins researcher Larry Appel. Dietary and behavioral changes, such as trans fat, sugar and sodium, and eating a balanced diet have shown the greatest health improvement. But our capitalist society has trapped Americans into believing that health is a commodity, and it's becoming easier and easier to sell that commodity.

This is just one of the many intersections between health and wealth. Companies market expensive medical conditions. Recognizing the prevalence of health disorders is equally, if not more, important because of the unequal benefits stemming from socioeconomic status and social determinants of health. In the year A 2008 study found that adults below the poverty line were five times more likely to report poor or fair health conditions than those in the 400th percentile of the federal poverty line. It's true that wealth is a major determinant of health, and America's corporate and health care systems are widening this gap by misrepresenting health.

We often seem to prioritize maintaining the illusion of health over actual well-being. Our society has taken advantage of this health vulnerability that affects all human beings. Wealth now represents exactly what "health" looks like. Healthcare continues to provide lucrative opportunities for companies that perpetuate this false narrative. It is up to us to change the definition of health to reflect a more accurate and diverse picture.

We need to let go of the idea that there is a "normal" version of health and stop falling for sports and lifestyle business strategies. Health is relative, and life experiences include illness. Take care of your mind, listen to your body and do what works for you.

Kate Micallef is a columnist based in Boca Raton, Florida. She writes on lifestyle, trend cycles and university culture for The Daily and can be reached at katemic@umich.edu.