test 1 Flashcards
What does the WHO define health as?
“a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (illness).”
“Health” is the goal we strive to achieve for optimal function and state of being for body, mind, and spirit.
What does WHO define wellness as?
“a positive approach to living” and encompasses “the optimal state of health of individuals and groups”
Wellness is the lifelong, daily process of conscious (and unconscious) choices and actions, not only for self, but also for community and the planet.
what are the Dimensions of Wellness model:
8 mutually interdependent elements of personal wellness that influence our wellness, quality of life and longevity
Name the 8 Dimensions of Wellness
- Environmental: good health by occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support well-being
- Intellectual: recognizing creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills
- Physical: recognizing the need for physical activity, diet, sleep and nutrition
- Occupational: personal satisfaction and enrichment derived from one’s work
- Spiritual: expanding our sense of purpose and meaning in life
- Social: developing a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed support system
- Financial: satisfaction with current and future financial situations
- Emotional: coping effectively with life and creating satisfying relationships
What is the Illness-Wellness Continuum, and how does it describe the stages of health?
The Illness-Wellness Continuum is a model that illustrates the spectrum of health, ranging from premature death (illness) to high-level wellness. It highlights how individuals can move between states of disease and wellness based on their lifestyle choices, medical care, and personal health habits.
Illness side (0-3): Includes disease, poor health, and symptoms requiring medication, surgery, or therapy.
Comfort Zone (4-6): A neutral state with no symptoms but inconsistent health habits, creating a false sense of wellness.
Wellness side (7-10): Characterized by good health, regular exercise, proper nutrition, wellness education, and an active lifestyle, leading to optimal health and full function.
The model suggests that wellness is a proactive process and not just the absence of disease.
What are social determinants of health?
Social determinants of health are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes, including:
Income and social status
Education and literacy
Employment and working conditions
Social support networks
Physical and built environment
Health services and access
Gender, culture, and discrimination
Psychological stress and mental health
Housing stability and food security
what are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- No Poverty – End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
- Zero Hunger – End hunger, achieve food security, and promote sustainable agriculture.
- Good Health and Well-being – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.
- Quality Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
- Gender Equality – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
- Clean Water and Sanitation – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation.
- Affordable and Clean Energy – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy.
- Decent Work and Economic Growth – Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all.
- Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure –
Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation. - Reduced Inequalities – Reduce inequality within and among countries.
- Sustainable Cities and Communities – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
- Responsible Consumption and Production – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
- Climate Action – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
- Life Below Water – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources.
- Life on Land – Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
- Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions –
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice, and strong institutions. - Partnerships for the Goals – Strengthen global partnerships to support and achieve the goals.
These goals aim to address global challenges and create a better future for all by 2030.
What is the relationship between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex in emotional processing and decision-making?
The amygdala controls emotions and reacts quickly to stress, triggering fear, anger, or panic (fight-flight-freeze-appease). The prefrontal cortex helps with thinking, reasoning, and self-control. When we’re stressed, the amygdala can take over (amygdala hijack), making it hard to think clearly. But with practice, we can use the prefrontal cortex to calm down and make better decisions.
What is the brain also known as?
Central Command Center
What are the two main branches of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), and what are their functions?
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) (brain) triggers the fight-or-flight response, preparing the body for action. The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) activates rest-and-digest, helping the body relax and recover.
How does the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) affect the body?
It acts like a gas pedal, increasing alertness, heart rate, and energy while reducing digestion to prepare for a threat.
What does the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) do?
It works like a brake pedal, slowing the body down, aiding digestion, and promoting relaxation and recovery.
Why is balancing the SNS and PNS important?
Too much SNS activation leads to chronic stress, while PNS helps restore balance, ensuring proper digestion, relaxation, and overall health.
What is the role of the hypothalamus in the body?
The hypothalamus regulates homeostasis, controlling vital functions like temperature, blood pressure, mood, hunger, thirst, sex drive, and sleep. It links the nervous and endocrine systems.
What is the HPA axis, and why is it important?
The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis is the body’s stress response system, acting like a thermostat to regulate cortisol and trigger the fight-or-flight response.
What hormone is released in response to stress, and where is it produced?
Cortisol is released by the adrenal glands (located on top of the kidneys) in response to stress.
What are the beneficial functions of cortisol?
Cortisol helps regulate blood pressure, mobilizes glucose for energy, and reduces inflammation.
Why can high levels of cortisol be harmful?
Chronic high cortisol can lead to health problems like increased blood pressure, metabolic issues, and weakened immune function.
What is the role of the HPA axis in stress regulation?
The HPA axis controls the body’s stress response, sending signals via nerves, neurotransmitters, and hormones like cortisol to regulate body functions.
How does the HPA axis impact the body?
It affects cognition/emotions, immune function, metabolism, and digestion by transmitting stress signals throughout the body.
Why is cortisol important, and what happens if levels are too high?
Cortisol helps with focus, energy, and metabolism, but chronically high levels can lead to issues like autoimmune, cardiovascular, and digestive disorders.
What factors influence how stress affects the body?
Genetics, lifestyle, and environment all interact to determine individual susceptibility to stress-related diseases.
How many nerve endings are in the gut?
The enteric nervous system contains 200-600 million nerve endings embedded throughout the digestive tract.
Why does stress often “show up” in the digestive system?
The gut has its own nervous system, called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), which communicates with the brain. Stress affects gut function by altering motility (movement of food), releasing stress hormones, and influencing pain perception. The gut also sends signals back to the brain, meaning digestive health can impact emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Stress-related GI distress is known as:
Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder (FGID), which includes conditions like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and acid reflux.
What digestive issues are linked to stress?
Stress can cause or worsen acid reflux, gallstones, ulcers, nausea, appetite suppression, indigestion, intestinal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, diverticulitis, IBS, and IBD (Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis).
What percentage of people will experience a functional gastrointestinal disorder in their lifetime?
Between 35-70% of people will experience a functional gastrointestinal disorder at some point in their lives.
What is the gut-brain axis?
The gut-brain axis is a bi-directional communication system between the gut, nervous system, and immune system that affects thoughts, mood, and behavior.
How do gut bacteria influence the brain?
Gut bacteria interact with the nervous and immune systems, sending signals to the brain that impact cognition, mood, and behavior.
What major nerve is involved in gut-brain communication?
The vagus nerve plays a key role in transmitting signals between the gut and the brain.
Through what pathways does the gut communicate with the brain?
Communication occurs via immune pathways, endocrine (hormonal) pathways, and neural pathways.
What lifestyle factors impact the health of the gut-brain axis?
Diet, stress, sleep, exercise, and gut microbiome diversity all affect gut-brain communication.
How does the immune system play a role in the gut-brain axis?
Gut bacteria interact with immune cells, influencing inflammation and brain function, which affects mood and behavior.
What is the “take home” message from Dr. Maté on stress and the immune system?
The “take-home” message from Dr. Gabor Maté on stress and the immune system is that chronic stress plays a major role in the development of illness, including autoimmune diseases. When the body is under prolonged stress, the immune system can become dysregulated, leading to inflammation, immune system overactivity, and even the body attacking its own cells. His work emphasizes that emotional repression, unresolved trauma, and chronic stress weaken the body’s natural defenses, increasing the risk of disease.
In short: Long-term stress can harm the immune system, contributing to chronic illness and autoimmune diseases. Managing stress, addressing emotional health, and setting boundaries are crucial for overall well-being.
What is a communicable disease?
A disease that spreads person-to-person through air, fluids, surfaces, or vectors (e.g., insects). It is typically contagious and often acute.
What is a chronic (non-communicable) disease?
A long-term condition that is not contagious, often caused by genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors. It lasts more than a year and affects quality of life.
How do communicable and chronic diseases differ?
Communicable diseases spread between people (e.g., flu, E. coli), while chronic diseases develop over time and are not contagious (e.g., diabetes, Alzheimer’s).
Give two examples of communicable diseases.
Flu, E. coli, COVID-19, STIs, Lyme disease, chickenpox.
Give two examples of chronic diseases.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer.
What factors contribute to chronic diseases?
Genetics, lifestyle, environment, age, and gender all play a role in chronic disease development.
What is cardiometabolic health?
Cardiometabolic health refers to the overall function of the heart, blood vessels, metabolism, and related organs, including the kidneys, liver, and endocrine system. It involves factors like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and inflammation.
What are key health indicators of cardiometabolic disease?
Blood pressure
Blood lipid levels (LDL, HDL, triglycerides)
Blood glucose and insulin response
Body fat distribution
Inflammation and immune markers
Kidney and liver function
What is metabolic syndrome?
A cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Diagnosis requires having three or more of the following factors.
What are the diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome? (Need 3+ factors)
Abdominal obesity (central/visceral fat)
High triglycerides
Low HDL cholesterol
Elevated fasting glucose
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Why is metabolic syndrome important?
It is linked to chronic low-grade inflammation and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), kidney disease (CKD), type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.
What is the main difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes: The body does not produce insulin.
Type 2 diabetes: The body does not use insulin properly (insulin resistance).
What is the treatment difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?
Type 1: Must take insulin.
Type 2: May take insulin but can often be managed with diet, exercise, and oral medications.
How is Alzheimer’s related to dementia?
Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia and is responsible for 60-80% of all dementia cases.
What is the key difference between Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia?
Alzheimer’s is a specific brain disease, while dementia is a broad term for various cognitive impairments.
What is unconscious bias?
Unconscious bias, also called implicit bias, is an automatic judgment or assumption about people or situations without conscious awareness.
What influences unconscious bias?
Stereotypes, socialization, culture, friends, and family shape our unconscious biases.
What is the impact of unconscious bias?
It affects the way we treat others, make decisions, and perceive people based on assumptions rather than facts.
What is halo bias?
Assuming someone is good based on one positive trait (e.g., thinking a well-dressed person is honest).
What is horn bias?
Assuming someone is bad based on one negative trait (e.g., thinking a casually dressed person is dishonest).
What are some other examples of unconscious bias?
Affinity bias: Preferring people similar to us.
Confirmation bias: Seeking information that confirms existing beliefs.
Groupthink: Following the opinions of a group instead of independent thinking.
What are strategies to reduce unconscious bias?
Be aware of bias.
Spend time with diverse people.
Challenge assumptions and stereotypes.
What are different types of privilege?
Economic privilege – Access to financial resources and opportunities.
Racial privilege – Benefits associated with racial identity.
Gender privilege – Advantages based on gender (e.g., male privilege).
Educational privilege – Access to quality education and learning resources.
Able-bodied privilege – Lack of barriers faced by people with disabilities.
Heterosexual privilege – Social acceptance of being straight.
Citizenship privilege – Legal rights and protections based on nationality.
What is intersectionality?
Intersectionality is the concept that multiple aspects of identity (e.g., race, gender, class, disability) overlap to shape a person’s experiences, especially in terms of discrimination and privilege.
Who introduced the concept of intersectionality?
Kimberlé Crenshaw, a civil rights advocate and scholar.
What are some marginalized communities affected by intersectionality?
Women of color
LGBTQ+ individuals
People with disabilities
Low-income communities
Immigrants and refugees
What are some examples of “isms” (types of discrimination)?
Racism – Discrimination based on race
Sexism – Discrimination based on gender
Classism – Discrimination based on socioeconomic status
Ableism – Discrimination against people with disabilities
Homophobia – Discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals
Xenophobia – Discrimination against immigrants/foreigners
How can understanding intersectionality help create a more just society?
It helps recognize overlapping systems of oppression, promotes equity, and encourages inclusive policies and social change.
What does the data on discrimination in Canada suggest?
Certain groups, such as Muslims, Indigenous people, and Black people, report experiencing the highest levels of discrimination, highlighting systemic bias in society.
What is the most common motivation for police-reported hate crimes in Canada (2021)?
Race or ethnicity was the most reported motive, followed by religion and sexual orientation, indicating persistent racial and religious bias in hate crimes.
What does the Toronto median employment income data show?
There is a clear income gap by race and gender, with white and Japanese men earning the most, while Black and West Asian women earn the least.
What does the healthcare data suggest about systemic bias in Canada’s healthcare system?
Black and Indigenous populations have higher odds of experiencing health conditions like heart disease and hypertension, reflecting disparities in healthcare access and treatment.
What impact has Quebec’s Bill 21 had on religious minorities?
Many religious minorities, especially Muslim women, report increased discrimination, career changes, and concerns about job prospects due to the law.
What is the difference between calling out and calling in?
Calling out: Publicly addressing problematic behavior or speech, often to hold someone accountable.
Calling in: A more private, constructive conversation, aiming to educate and encourage change without shaming.
How is emotional suppression in boys linked to societal issues?
Societal norms discourage boys from expressing emotions, leading to mental health struggles, difficulty forming relationships, and increased risk of aggression or isolation.
