Since we were young, we have known that "doctors" and "health" went hand-in-hand.
Our mothers took us for well-baby checkups. Later on we got school physicals. Aside from shots, going to the doctor was, for most of us, just an assurance that our bodies were as healthy as they appeared to be.
As we grew older, we realized that we visited doctors more often when we weren't well. We might have been sick with an earache or a cold, we might have fallen off a bicycle or broken a bone. There was the occasional physical for school or camp, but more likely, a visit to the doctor meant something was wrong with us.
Those visits weren't reassurance; they were goal driven. The charge to the doctor was to get us back to well. Often, that process required medical treatment.
As adults, we sometimes use the terms "health" and "medicine" interchangeably. But the distinction can be important.
Health is a goal. It's where we want to be. It describes a state of being well physically and mentally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as, "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
The practice of medicine is a tool used to restore health. It is one process that takes us from being sick or hurt back to wellness.
Some aspects of the practice of medicine are based on scientific research, called "evidence-based." Others are based on historical or anecdotal methods. You'll hear those referred to as the "art of medicine." The practice of medicine is even further divided into sub-types that refer to the forms of treatment provided such as allopathic, surgical, alternative or complementary.
Empowered patients understand their roles in health and medicine in two ways. They know to use preventive measures to maintain health. And they understand how to work with their providers through the use of collaboration and patient tools to support the successful practice of medicine.
