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PEACE OGBUAGU
Grand Canyon University: NRS-434V
08/04/2019
INTRODUCTION
The Health-illness continuum is a graphic illustration of the process of change whereby a person
experiences different levels of health and illness from extremely good health to death. Health is a state
of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of diseases. The
concept of health is dynamic and must undergo changes continually for an individual to be termed as
one in a state of good health. One can have a chronic disease but can still adapt and function
effectively, such an individual is in good health. Some factors that affect which direction patients’
health go include physical health, emotional, mental, social, environmental and spiritual health. These
states are not fixed as it can alter an individual’s overall health status even at the slightest change.
Different patients have different responses to illness and how they adapt, however, the state of
adaptation and adjustment to certain levels of health is what puts an individual in charge of their own
health. The health illness continuum enables patients to take charge of their health and develop a plan
from one point to another (Jacko, 2019).
Health and illness, when placed on a continuum has no single cut off point, because the lowest point
on the continuum is death and the highest point aligns with the World Health Organization’s definition
of positive health. Individuals make a gradual transformation from optimal health to illness which means
that an individual may be in optimal health condition today and tomorrow, the person might lapse into a
diminished level. This shows that health is not to be assumed as having gotten it once rather, it is to be
This study source was downloaded by 100000852681095 from CourseHero.com on 11-26-2022 05:43:09 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/141939347/ASSIGNMENT-ON-HEALTH-ILLNESS-
PEACE OGBUAGU
Grand Canyon University: NRS-434V
08/04/2019
INTRODUCTION
The Health-illness continuum is a graphic illustration of the process of change whereby a person
experiences different levels of health and illness from extremely good health to death. Health is a state
of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of diseases. The
concept of health is dynamic and must undergo changes continually for an individual to be termed as
one in a state of good health. One can have a chronic disease but can still adapt and function
effectively, such an individual is in good health. Some factors that affect which direction patients’
health go include physical health, emotional, mental, social, environmental and spiritual health. These
states are not fixed as it can alter an individual’s overall health status even at the slightest change.
Different patients have different responses to illness and how they adapt, however, the state of
adaptation and adjustment to certain levels of health is what puts an individual in charge of their own
health. The health illness continuum enables patients to take charge of their health and develop a plan
from one point to another (Jacko, 2019).
Health and illness, when placed on a continuum has no single cut off point, because the lowest point
on the continuum is death and the highest point aligns with the World Health Organization’s definition
of positive health. Individuals make a gradual transformation from optimal health to illness which means
that an individual may be in optimal health condition today and tomorrow, the person might lapse into a
diminished level. This shows that health is not to be assumed as having gotten it once rather, it is to be
This study source was downloaded by 100000852681095 from CourseHero.com on 11-26-2022 05:43:09 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/141939347/ASSIGNMENT-ON-HEALTH-ILLNESS-
