What Went Wrong

the letters wrong thumbtacked to a board

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 how lifestyle and environmental factors contribute to the development of chronic conditions.

Behavioral Objective

Identify personal lifestyle and environmental factors that may contribute to chronic diseases and make changes to improve long-term health and well-being.

Key Thought

Chronic diseases are often the body's natural response to abnormal conditions, and by addressing environmental and lifestyle factors, many of these diseases can be managed, prevented, or reversed.

Main Ideas

Learning Objective

Understand the difference between acute and chronic diseases, and how lifestyle and environmental factors contribute to the development of chronic conditions.

Behavioral Objective

Identify personal lifestyle and environmental factors that may contribute to chronic diseases and make changes to improve long-term health and well-being.

Key Thought

Chronic diseases are often the body's natural response to abnormal conditions, and by addressing environmental and lifestyle factors, many of these diseases can be managed, prevented, or reversed.

Terms

Acute Disease

noun

A disease that has a rapid onset and a short duration, often resolving without long-term effects.

Chronic Disease

noun

A long-term health condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, or obesity, that progresses slowly and often requires continuous medical management.

Environmental Factors

noun

Elements in a person's surroundings, such as pollution, toxins, or dietary influences, that affect health and may contribute to chronic disease development.

Lifestyle Factors

noun

Daily habits and behaviors, including diet, exercise, and stress management, that influence long-term health and well-being.

Reversal

noun

A process by which the progression of a disease or condition is slowed, halted, or reversed, often through lifestyle changes or medical intervention.

Terms

Acute Disease

noun

A disease that has a rapid onset and a short duration, often resolving without long-term effects.

Chronic Disease

noun

A long-term health condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, or obesity, that progresses slowly and often requires continuous medical management.

Environmental Factors

noun

Elements in a person's surroundings, such as pollution, toxins, or dietary influences, that affect health and may contribute to chronic disease development.

Lifestyle Factors

noun

Daily habits and behaviors, including diet, exercise, and stress management, that influence long-term health and well-being.

Reversal

noun

A process by which the progression of a disease or condition is slowed, halted, or reversed, often through lifestyle changes or medical intervention.

Read
Watch
Activities
Related Content

Introduction

Many chronic diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure, don't just appear overnight. They result from years of exposure to poor diet, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices. We must first look at what went wrong to understand how to regain health. This topic explores the difference between acute and chronic diseases, the misconceptions about how our bodies respond to illness, and how making simple, informed changes can reverse or manage chronic conditions for better long-term health.

Acute vs. Chronic Diseases

Many 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.

While acute diseases like colds are temporary and clear up independently, chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes develops over time and requires 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 people 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.

Understanding that the body reacts normally to abnormal conditions can empower individuals to make changes that significantly improve their health. For instance, addressing dietary choices or environmental stressors can often reverse or significantly mitigate the effects of chronic diseases. This emphasizes the person's role in their health journey, making them feel empowered and in control.

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. Individuals can restore a higher degree of health and vitality by identifying and modifying these factors.

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 means actively identifying and addressing factors like poor diet, stress, and lack of exercise before they lead to chronic conditions. This perspective encourages not just treatment but prevention and reversal of the underlying causes of chronic disease.

Practice Wellness : 1:06

Family Health Research

Objective: Understand the role of chronic diseases within your own family and the medications commonly used to manage them.

Activity:

Interview family members about any chronic diseases they may have, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease. Document the types of medications they take to manage these conditions.
Research the medications mentioned to understand their role in managing the symptoms and progression of chronic diseases. Reflect on how lifestyle changes might help reduce dependence on these medications.

Identifying Environmental Risk Factors

Objective: Raise awareness of environmental factors that contribute to chronic diseases.

Activity:

Research common environmental risk factors, such as pollution, poor diet, and chronic stress, that contribute to the development of chronic diseases.
Create a list of risk factors present in your daily environment and reflect on how they may be impacting your health.

Assessing Personal Lifestyle Choices

Objective: Help individuals understand how their daily choices affect long-term health.

Activity:

Track your diet, exercise, and stress levels for a week, noting any unhealthy habits or patterns.
Identify one area where you can make a positive change, such as improving your diet or reducing stress, and plan a strategy to implement this change.

Reframing Chronic Disease

Objective: Encourage individuals to shift their perspective on chronic illness.

Activity:

Reflect on any chronic conditions you or someone you know might have. Write about how understanding the role of lifestyle and environmental factors could change how you approach managing the disease.
Share your thoughts with a support group or community and discuss strategies for incorporating healthier habits into daily life.

hand changing reality over a nature background showing weather changing used to depict health behavioral change

Making Healthy Lifestyle Behavioral Change

Making any significant change in life is hard. Most of our behaviors, whether healthy or not, are learned from the people and environments we associate with. Overtime our behaviors (whether unhealthy or healthy) have real consequences to our health and well-being. While change is often hard, it is achieve-able and worth it.

an image of a man with apple-shaped belly and women with pear-shaped belly indicative of metabolic syndrome

Understanding Metabolic Dysfunction and How to Address It Naturally

Metabolic dysfunction affects millions, often without them even realizing it. This silent health issue can lead to severe conditions like diabetes and heart disease. This post will explain metabolic dysfunction, what causes it, and how to identify its signs. You'll also discover how to address it through a holistic osteopathic medicine approach, empowering you to take control of your health with practical lifestyle changes.

healthy and unhealthy foods on four forks show a continuum from healthy to unhealthy depicting the standard American diet

What Is the Standard American Diet (SAD)?

How aware are you of what's going into your body? Are you eating to live or living to eat? In reality, we all have different nutritional needs, but the standard American diet (SAD) doesn't suit most of them (or most people, for that matter). Your diet might be making you sick, sluggish, and at-risk.

What Went Wrong

Main Ideas

Learning Objective

Behavioral Objective

Key Thought

Main Ideas

Learning Objective

Behavioral Objective

Key Thought

Terms

Terms

Introduction

Acute vs. Chronic Diseases

Is Your Body Normal?

The Role of Environmental Factors

Reframing Our Approach to Health

Family Health Research

Identifying Environmental Risk Factors

Assessing Personal Lifestyle Choices

Reframing Chronic Disease

Making Healthy Lifestyle Behavioral Change

Understanding Metabolic Dysfunction and How to Address It Naturally

What Is the Standard American Diet (SAD)?

Course Outline