Health24ed

As editor of a health website, I am knee-deep in all the latest studies on every body part. Want to know what’s going on in little toe research? I can probably point you to a link.

It all contributes to a severe case of health journalist syndrome, in which you develop symptoms of every disease you write or read about. Fatigue, stress and a healthy dose of paranoia can take you pretty far through the A to Z of diseases.

Just occasionally, though there is a study that makes me scratch my head in wonder. For example, this week a university in Finland unveiled a study which revealed... drumroll please... that human beings like to look at nude pictures. I am sure I am not conveying the subtlety of the academia involved, but in truth I could have drawn the same conclusion by looking at the most popular links on the internet on any given day.

Studies that reveal what the rest of us think is glaringly obvious are published every day, begging the obvious question: Who paid for this?

In another recent study, an American study on over 2000 people revealed that exercise helps you sleep better. My grandmother told me that back in the 1960s. And she didn't have to ask 2000 other people first.

What is it with this need we have to confirm what we surely already know? Are there not more pressing health issues for us to study? If all that money and brainpower went towards solving actual problems, we'd be a lot further down the road to permanently eradicating scourges like HIV, TB, malaria and cancer.

What's the most pointless research you've ever read about? 

I'm having an interesting discussion with a colleague here about whether fast food is that good that it is worth the obvious health downside.

My answer: It depends how old you are. For her, in her early 30s, it may well seem that a greasy portion of chips with loads of salt may pose little health challenge. But for me as a mid-40-something, I've experienced a few health challenges and would prefer to avoid any more in the future. Is it also just that I have a more urgent sense of my own mortality? Perhaps.

Similarly, I have always said that when I hit 80 I will take up smoking again. When I told my 79-year-old mother that she said: "Why, will you be so old that your life is not worth living?" Point taken, but I am definitely influenced in my lifestyle choices by the middle-aged position I find myself in, with things slipping south day by day. Surely by 80 I'll be a bit freer to indulge without worrying about long-term consequences?

How does your age affect your lifestyle choices?

When death comes, in its dark cloak and unexpectedly, I can only hope that it isn't because I've done something darn stupid that will be a source of amazement and hilarity to others. The Darwin award is one I would rather not win, thanks.

One of our top stories on Health24 today is 8 weirdest deaths and I really do understand the fascination. After all, we all think we know what to be scared of and where danger might come from. But this sort of thing is, well, weird.

I'm back to basics again for my personal health journey.

* Need to get my water intake up.

* Need to avoid that late-night snacking. Early to bed!

* Need to keep the exercising enthusiasm going.

What are your back to basics challenges?

The constitution of the World Health Organisation defines it simply, but powerfully: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

The health of our bodies touches everything we do, every decision we make, and is influenced by everything around us: the food we eat; the place we live; the clothes we wear. Issues of health will decide, positively or negatively, what we choose to do with every day.

Health by numbers

We asked our Facebook community "What is health?" and one user provided the most profound definition: "Absence of death."

Luckily there are a few more specific measurements that have been devised so you can assess your health status. Numbers such as your blood pressure, cholesterol level and so on can be quantifiable clues as to whether you are falling into the general parameters for your sex and age that indicate you are healthy. Find a list of the essential numbers in this article: Know your numbers.

The health of our planet

It's apparent that health is both a deeply personal matter and an indisputably public one. The very air we breathe can be a cause of ill-health. To truly embrace health we have to look at the health of our environments, and unavoidably at the health of the Earth too.

Ultimately though, it is our own daily answer to the question: "How are you?" that will colour our experiences. And while we may wish to set the bar a little higher than mere absence of illness, at its root health is our ability to live our lives as we wish without having to think too hard about whether our bodies will cooperate.

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