Health: a personal complex-adaptive state

Defining health has been a long-term endeavour, each attempt taking a particular perspective that emphasises one aspect of the experience of health over others. It is notable that only the WHO definition mentions disease - the "enemy" that needs to be wiped out - as part of the health definition; all others emphasise personal aspects that result in the experience ofpersonal health (Table 15.1). The experience of health is essentially personal and has been equated to well-being and happiness. The dynamics between personal internal and external factors determine theexperience of health, be it good health or poor health, or be it in the presence or the absence of discrete diseases. People can report poor health in terms of illness or disease rather than their specific conditions (diseases)