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Introduction – Definitions |
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Written by Allen Lawrence, M.D.
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If we are going to look at illness, wellness and healing we first must look at the what each of these mean. The problem is often that there are so many meanings that it is often impossible to know when we use one of these words and when we talk about what illness is, what it means to be healed, cured or be well that we are all on the same line. Too often in the past having taken for granted that what we believe is the meaning is also what others believe and accept as the meaning of these terms only to find out that we have been talking about entirely different things, apples to grapefruits.
Hence before we start our journey of discussing healing, how to make it create it and make it happen that we all agree upon specific definitions of these terms. We can also agree to disagree about various aspects of these terms while still understanding who the term is being used. We respectfully suggest that if anyone disagrees with our definition, that they 1) use it as a baseline in any discussion and 2) make sure that they clearly state the differences or specific definition they wish to use so that future readers will understand our basic definitions and the writers specific variation of these definitions.
With all of this said let’s jump into this discussion by providing a list of words we plan to define and links to their definitions. As better or clear definition occur or as new acceptable variations of these definitions occur we may change these documents so periodically recheck the basic and definitions and their variations using these links.
Words and terms to be Defined:
Illness (also Sick and Sickness)
Disease
Syndrome
Cause of illness
Treatment
Wellness
Healing
Alternative Medicine
Types of Healing |
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Written by Allen Lawrence, M.D.
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To Heal: to mend, to provide cure for, to make sound, to get or make healthy again, to put right, to make whole, to get better, to rejuvenate, to ameliorate, improve, become better, to cure
"Healing" can therefore be said to be:
1) To make sound or whole, to heal a wound, to restore to health;
2) (a) to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome; to mend, (b) to patch up, as in to patch up a breach or division; (c) to heal a breach between friends, 3) to restore to original purity or integrity, such as to be healed of sin; to return to a sound state.
Healing Is A Process
One of the most prevailing definitions in medical texts is the following: “Healing is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic area. Healing incorporates both the removal of necrotic tissue (demolition), and the replacement of this tissue (rebuilding).”
This rebuilding or replacement is generally believed to happen in two ways:
1) By regeneration: the necrotic cells are replaced by the same tissue as was originally there.
2) By repair: injured tissue is replaced with scar tissue.
Most organs and tissues will heal using a mixture of both mechanisms.
The Way Medicine Looks At Healing and Healing Itself
A more common and slightly broader definition of healing frequently found in most medical texts suggests that “healing” is the 1) restoring to health; promoting the closure of wounds and ulcers. 2) The process of a return to health. 3) The closing of a wound. The reunion of torn or injured tissues.
Still another and even broader and less medically accepted definition is that “healing” is the 1) act or process of curing or of restoring to health, and 2) the process of getting well. We like this definition more than either above.
Within these definitions we can see a major problem within our society, that in depending on which definition one chooses to use, we can either narrow the definition of “healing” to such a degree (as in the first set of definitions) where healing would not be considered to have anything to do with either cure or restoration of total health and well-being, rather only the automatic actions our body takes in its mechanical process of healing. This narrow definition is widely used by many physicians. Unfortunately it leaves out the possibility that healing could mean total cure, or complete restoration of all prior functions, return to wellness and optimal function. It leaves the patient/client in a deficit where “the broad definition of healing is not even considered. In such situations many medical professionals by first accepting this narrower definition and then by allowing it to remain limited, act to restrict not only their own capacity. When they do this they automatically also act to limit the capacity of their client/patient to heal and they discourages any attempt on either their own or on the client/patient’s part to obtain a full and total healing nor for the client/patient to play any role in curing on their own or with the help of the physician the illnesses they suffer.
It is not until we broaden the definition of “healing” that we can see that healing is not only possible, but necessary and available. If you do not know that you can be fully and completely healed, then why would you expect for it to happen? How could you even work to help it happen?
Healing is a Natural Part of Life
What is implied in the very first definition and is rarely said, is that the body knows exactly what it needs to do to heal. Its knowledge of healing is part of the body’s internal wisdom. It is an automatic act. But as we suggested and will repeat again and again, by what we believe we can limit our capacity or we can enhance it, we can energize it or we can depress it. By what we expect, our complex of beliefs, we can facilitate complete and total healing and cure or we can obstruct our ability to heal and to return to full and compete wellness and cure.
The goal of this web site and every thing we write on our part will be to help you, our readers and contributors, to recognize that healing and cure are not just possible, they are your birthright, they are born into you and they are part of you. |
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Written by Allen Lawrence, M.D.
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Illness (also referred to as ill-health, being sick or sickness) is a “a state of poor health.”
Illness can be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, acute or chronic, minor, severe, life-threatening or fatal. It is also commonly referred to as a "malady", "condition", "unhealthiness", or as "health problems".
To be ill there generally must be at least one of any three main subjective criteria: 1) the person must feel ill, 2) they must look ill, 3) there must be some impairment of normal physiology, bodily or behavioral functions, or bodily processes which can affect all or part of the individual.
As an abnormal condition of the body or mind it can cause discomfort, pain, dysfunction, disability or distress to the person afflicted or those in contact with the person. Sometimes, in fact, the term illness is used broadly to include injuries, disabilities, syndromes, infections, symptoms, deviant behaviors, or atypical variations of structure or function, while in other contexts these aspects may well be considered distinguishable categories or consequences of illness.
At its most minimal state there are no significant changes in the body hence physical examination, laboratory and diagnostic testing will show nothing. In its more significant state, often referred to as disease, there are pathologic changes hence abnormal findings. The physical examination, blood and other diagnostic testing, will likely show abnormalities once a specific disease is diagnosed.
Some dictionaries use simplified definitions such as:
a) An unhealthy condition of body or mind
b) Poor health resulting from disease of body or mind; sickness, illness
c) Evil, wickedness
d) Affected with some ailment not in good health
More Than the Sick Person Is Affected
One thing that soon becomes clear about illness is that it generally affects more than the person who is sick. It will often affect his or her family, job, co-workers, the family finances, and occasionally the entire community.
Illness can be expensive and may create hardships for the sick person and for their family. It may require legal actions such as sale or goods and properties and even bankruptcy in some cases. Illness, especially severe illness, life-threatening illness, or chronic illness is often multi-dimensional affecting many aspects of the ill persons life, their family, their friends and the community they live in, as we have described above. These illnesses are often referred to as disease, chronic disease or injury.
As an abnormal condition of the body or mind it can cause discomfort, pain, dysfunction, disability or distress to the person afflicted or those in contact with the person. Sometimes, in fact, the term illness is used broadly to include injuries, disabilities, syndromes, infections, symptoms, deviant behaviors, or atypical variations of structure or function, while in other contexts these aspects may well be considered distinguishable categories or consequences of illness.
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