I’M WELL, thank you. Or at least I think I am. I have no major illness to speak of, I am of average weight and a recent knee scan showed my joints are in good condition. My blood pressure is within the normal range and I exercise fairly regularly – at least, some of the time. However, I do have a persistent cough and I don’t feel physically strong. Additionally, since I am turning 40, I should consider getting a mammogram due to my family history of breast cancer.
So, am I healthy? As my “big birthday” approaches, I have increasingly wondered about what it truly means to be healthy and how we can accurately measure our health. I assumed there would be some well-established method to find out. However, as I began to investigate, I quickly discovered that it is a surprisingly difficult question to answer.
This is partly because we now know that many of the metrics we rely on, such as body mass index (BMI), are flawed. It is also due to new understanding of the microbiome and the immune system, among other factors. These new insights are leading to the development of a range of tests that promise a better assessment of health – from those that examine gut bacteria or metabolites, to those that provide an “immune grade”. So, which of these new tests, if any, should I consider for the ultimate health check?
What does it mean to be healthy?
Your understanding of what it means to be healthy probably aligns with…
