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course syllabus for Your Well-Being online health and wellness education course

Course Outline

Main Ideas

Learning Objective

Understand the difference between acute and chronic diseases and the impact of environmental and lifestyle factors on the development of chronic conditions.

Behavioral Objective

Assess your lifestyle and environmental conditions to identify changes that can reduce the risk or impact of chronic diseases..

Key Thought

Chronic diseases often stem from the body's normal reactions to abnormal conditions; by altering these conditions through lifestyle and environmental changes, we can significantly improve our long-term health.

Main Ideas

Learning Objective

Understand the difference between acute and chronic diseases and the impact of environmental and lifestyle factors on the development of chronic conditions.

Behavioral Objective

Assess your lifestyle and environmental conditions to identify changes that can reduce the risk or impact of chronic diseases..

Key Thought

Chronic diseases often stem from the body's normal reactions to abnormal conditions; by altering these conditions through lifestyle and environmental changes, we can significantly improve our long-term health.

Terms

Chronic Disease

noun

A disease of long duration.

Terms

Chronic Disease

noun

A disease of long duration.

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Activities

Introduction

Many of us start life healthy, with robust sleep and well-being. Over time, however, changes such as weight gain, acne, and fatigue begin to emerge. Understanding these shifts can help us mitigate the risk of chronic diseases that increasingly affect our population.

Acute vs. Chronic Diseases

While acute diseases like colds are temporary and clear up on their own, chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes develop over time and require ongoing management rather than a cure. These conditions reflect the body's reaction to long-term environmental and lifestyle factors rather than short-term illnesses.

Is Your Body Normal?

A common misconception among patients with chronic conditions like diabetes is that their bodies are inherently defective. However, just as a car designed to run on diesel won't function correctly with the wrong fuel, a body fed a poor diet can't be expected to perform well.

Recognizing that the body reacts normally to abnormal conditions can empower individuals to make changes that significantly improve their health. For example, addressing dietary choices or environmental stressors can often reverse or significantly mitigate the effects of chronic diseases.

The Role of Environmental Factors

Chronic diseases often develop as a response to prolonged exposure to adverse conditions, such as poor diet, stress, or environmental toxins. By identifying and modifying these factors, individuals can often restore a higher degree of health and vitality.

Reframing Our Approach to Health

Rather than accepting chronic disease as an inevitable part of life, a proactive approach focused on modifying environmental and lifestyle factors can lead to substantial health improvements. This perspective encourages not just treatment but prevention and reversal of the underlying causes of chronic disease.

Practice Wellness : 1:10

Healthy Highway Webinar Week 1 8-13-14 : 27:33

Chronic Disease Family Tree

Make a list of chronic diseases you have or that are common in your family. List any "treatments" you or a family member are currently doing for the disease. Do you think this treatment is addressing symptoms only or the root problem?