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What is Wellness? - Global Wellness Institute (Global Wellness Institute,  n.d.)

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Health to me means not only having good health but being in a state of physical, mental and social well being that allows me to achieve goals and thrive in my daily life.  I feel healthy when my mind is switched on and have motivation to complete daily activities.

Global Wellness Institute. (n.d.). What is Wellness? https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/what-is-wellness/

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Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. The key tenets of wellness as both preventive and holistic can be traced back to ancient civilizations from the East (India, China) to the West (Greece, Rome). In 19th-century Europe and the United States, a variety of intellectual, religious and medical movements developed in parallel with conventional medicine. With their focus on holistic and natural approaches, self-healing and preventive care, these movements have provided a firm foundation for wellness today. Wellness-focused and holistic modalities have gained more visibility since the 1960s/1970s under the writings and thought leadership of an informal network of US physicians and thinkers (such as Halbert Dunn, Jack Travis, Don Ardell, Bill Hettler, and others). As these have evolved, proliferated, and gone mainstream, they have informed the healthy-living, self-help, self-care, fitness, nutrition, diet and spiritual practices that have become a flourishing wellness movement in the 21st century.

Defining Wellness

The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.

There are two important aspects to this definition. First, wellness is not a passive or static state but rather an "active pursuit" that is associated with intentions, choices and actions as we work toward an optimal state of health and wellbeing. Second, wellness is linked to holistic health-that is, it extends beyond physical health and incorporates many different dimensions that should work in harmony.

Wellness is an individual pursuit-we have self-responsibility for our own choices, behaviors and lifestyles-but it is also significantly influenced by the physical, social and cultural environments in which we live.

Wellness is often confused with terms such as health, wellbeing and happiness. While there are common elements among them, wellness is distinguished by not referring to a static state of being (i.e., being happy, in good health, or a state of wellbeing). Rather, wellness is associated with an active process of being aware and making choices that lead toward an outcome of optimal holistic health and wellbeing.

Wellness Is Multidimensional
Wellness is about more than just physical health. Most models of wellness include at least six dimensions (and sometimes up to 9 or 12):

Physical: Nourishing a healthy body through exercise, nutrition, sleep, etc.

Mental: Engaging the world through learning, problem-solving, creativity, etc.

Emotional: Being aware of, accepting and expressing our feelings, and understanding the feelings of others.

Spiritual: Searching for meaning and higher purpose in human existence.

Social: Connecting and engaging with others and our communities in meaningful ways.

Environmental: Fostering positive interrelationships between planetary health and human actions, choices and wellbeing.

The Wellness Continuum

One way to understand wellness is to consider health as a continuum that extends from illness to a state of optimal wellbeing.* On one end, patients with poor health engage the medical paradigm to treat illnesses; they interact reactively and episodically with doctors and clinicians who provide care. On the opposite end, people focus proactively on prevention and maximizing their vitality. They adopt attitudes and lifestyles that prevent disease, improve health, and enhance their quality of life and sense of wellbeing. In other words, wellness is proactive, preventive and driven by self-responsibility. The growth of wellness is the extension of this consumer value and worldview.

Wellness is different from healthcare. Our healthcare systems use a pathogenic and reactive approach, focused on causes, consequences, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries. In contrast, wellness is a salutogenic and proactive approach, focused on prevention, healthy lifestyles and the pursuit of optimal wellbeing. Ultimately, a solid foundation for wellness helps us prevent and overcome disease, both at present and in the future.

Wellness vs. Wellbeing

The terms "wellness," "wellbeing" and "happiness" have often been used together or interchangeably by businesses, researchers and the media. This graphic outlines what they share in common and how these terms differ in concept, usage and association.

Explore Wellness Industry Research

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What is Wellness? - Global Wellness Institute

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WHAT IS WELLNESS? Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. The key tenets of wellness as both preventive and holistic can be traced back to ancient civilizations from the East (India, China) to the West (Greece, Rome). In 19th-century Europe and the United States, a variety of intellectual, religious and medical movements developed in parallel with conventional medicine.

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The competency standard that stood out to me was 12.3, 'Clinicians adhere to high ethical standards and are committed to the principles of

person-centred and family-focused care;

access and equity;

quality and safety;

dignity and respect; and

effective communication

when providing culturally responsive care to people from migrant and refugee backgrounds' (Cultural Diversity Health, 2019). The competency standard that was outlined is important in a healthcare setting as knowing about a patient's culture, values and belief's will make them feel comfortable and at home. This will build a relationship with the patient which can implement effective communication and gain an understanding of their personal needs. These factors can improve positive health outcomes and quality of care (National Institutes of Health, 2021). This framework has given me an understanding of why it's essential for competency standards to be applied in a health care setting. By understanding a person's culture, values, beliefs and personal needs I can apply this knowledge by being more aware of their situation and delivering culture appropriate care in future practice.

Culture Diversity Health. (2019, January). Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice: Working with People from Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds. https://culturaldiversityhealth.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Culturally-responsive-clinical-practice-Working-with-people-from-migrant-and-refugee-backgrounds-Jan2019.pdf

National Institutes of Health. (2021, July 7). Cultural Respect.
https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/cultural-respect#:~:text=Cultural%20respect%20benefits%20consumers%2C%20stakeholders,achieving%20accuracy%20in%20medical%20research.

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Cho, H.J., Kang, K., & Park, K.Y. (2023, May 30). Health-related quality of life of migrant workers: a systematic literature review. National Center for Biotechnology Information. 23: 1004. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15981-5

Orjeula-Grimm, M., Deschak, C., Aragon Gama, C.A., Carreno, S.B., Hoyos, L., Mundo, V., Bojorquez, I., Carpio, K., Quero, Y., Xicotencatl, A., & Infante, C. (2021, September 20). Migrants on the Move and Food (In)security: A Call for Research. National Center for Biotechnology Information.24(5): 1318–1327. https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10903-021-01276-7

Thomas, F., Chase, E., & Aggleton, P. (2018, November 20). Health education and migration. Sage Journals. 78(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896918813592

World Health Organization. (2023). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1

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Principal health issues that Refugees face.

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Principal health issues that Refugees face.

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Afghanistan is one of the many countries that refugees immigrate from, being 0.3 per cent of Australia's population (Home Affairs, n.d.). Afghanistan is a multi ethnic landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia (Britannica, 2023). Afghanistan today is facing a humanitarian crisis which the Taliban are responsible for. Over 90 per cent of the population experienced food scarcity which led to families forcing to skip meals daily leading to poor health outcomes (Human Rights Watch, 2023).

The three common health concerns that are listed on the Australian refugee health practice guide that refugees may present with upon migrating to Australia are Malaria, Sexually Transmissible infections (STIs) and Hepatitis C (Refugee Health Guide, 2023).

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects mosquitoes which then feeds on humans. If not treated it can lead  to severe infection that may cause seizures, kidney failure, mental confusion, come and death (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Studies show that one-third of malaria imported to Australia are from migrant ( Refugee Health Guide, 2023).
Treatment -
-oral treatment such as Artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem®)
-Atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone™)
(Mayo Clinic, 2023).

Sexually Transmissible infection (STis) is an infection transmitted from one person to another through sexual contact caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. If left untreated it can lead to blindness and neurologic manifestations (WomensHealth, n.d.).
Treatment-
-antibiotics
-Chlamydia (azithromycin)
-Gonorrhea (ceftriaxone)
(VeryWellHealth, 2022).

Hepatitis C is a virus that attacks the liver that can lead to inflammation. The main cause of this virus is exposure to contaminated blood, such as sharing needles or unsafe health care. If left untreated the infection can cause the liver to be scarred (cirrhosis) (World Health Organization, 2023). Studies say that more than 230,000 people living in Australia are living with chronic HCV (Refugee Health Guide, 2023).
Treatment-
-medications and oral treatment
-DAA Tablets, fastest and most effective treatment for Hepatitis C
(NHS, 2021).

Britannica. (2023, August 17). flag of Aghanistan. https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Afghanistan

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, June 28). What is Malaria?. https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/faqs.html#:~:text=Malaria%20is%20a%20serious%20and,%2C%20and%20flu%2Dlike%20illness.

Home Affairs. (n.d.). Permanent migration from Afghanistan. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/country-profiles/profiles/afghanistan#:~:text=This%20makes%20the%20Afghan%2Dborn,cent%20of%20Australia%27s%20total%20population.

Humans Right Watch. (2023). Afghanistan Events of 2022. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/afghanistan#:~:text=Economic%20and%20Humanitarian%20Crises,-Afghanistan%27s%20humanitarian%20crisis&text=Over%2090%20percent%20of%20the,term%20health%20problems%20in%20children.

Mayo Clinic. (2023, February 9). Malaria. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/malaria/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351190

NHS. (2021, October 27). Treatment. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hepatitis-c/treatment/#:~:text=Hepatitis%20C%20is%20treated%20using,for%208%20to%2012%20weeks.

Refugee Health Guide. (2023). Common health concerns – all ages. https://refugeehealthguide.org.au

VeryWellHealth. (2022, March 18). How Stis Are Treated. https://www.verywellhealth.com/std-treatment-4014305

WomensHealth. (n.d.). Sexually Transmitted infections. https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/sexually-transmitted-infections#:~:text=An%20STI%20is%20an%20infection,some%20STIs%20cannot%20be%20cured

World Health Organization. (2023). Hepatitis C. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c#:~:text=The%20hepatitis%20C%20virus%20is,lead%20to%20exposure%20to%20blood.