Download The “Wellness” Paradigm:

Where do we fit into America’s Perception of Vitality?
Dr. Ronald J. Farabaugh
A special thanks to Dr. Greg Palkowski who designed this lecture
What is Wellness
 What is the definition of Wellness? More than ever
before, we hear this word in the news, on billboards, in
conversation and even at work. Interestingly, there is
no universally-accepted definition of wellness. There
is, however, a set of common characteristics seen in
most thoughtful attempts at a definition of wellness.
We generally see a reference to a “state of well-being,”
which is vague, to say the least. Also frequently seen is
a “state of acceptance or satisfaction with our present
condition.”
What is Wellness
 The truth is Wellness is a tough word to define. That
said, according to Charles B. Corbin of Arizona State
University his definition of Wellness: “Wellness is a
multidimensional state of being describing the
existence of positive health in an individual as
exemplified by quality of life and a sense of wellbeing.”
 The WHO definition of Health: A state of optimal
physical, mental, and social well-being, and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Dimensions of Wellness
 Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and
making choices toward a more successful existence.
 Process means that improvement is always possible .
 Aware means that we are continuously seeking more
information about how we can improve.
 Choices means that we consider a variety of options
and select those in our best interest.
 Success is determined by each individual to be their
collection of life accomplishments.
Wellness
Dimensions:
The Wellness Wheel:
 If wellness is multidimensional, what
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then are the dimensions of wellness?
The most commonly described subdimensions are the following:
Social Wellness
Occupational Wellness
Spiritual Wellness
Physical Wellness
Intellectual Wellness
Emotional Wellness
Environmental Wellness
Financial Wellness
Mental Wellness
Medical Wellness
Social Wellness
emphasizes the
interdependence with
others and nature.
Social Wellness Facts and Tips
 Socially isolated people are more susceptible to illness and have a
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death rate two to three times higher than those who are not socially
isolated.
People who maintain their social network and support systems do
better under stress.
Approximately 20 percent of Americans feel lonely and isolated
during their free time.
Touching, stroking, and hugging can improve health.
Laughter really is good medicine.
Cholesterol levels go up when human companionship is lacking.
Warm, close friendships cause higher levels of immunoglobulin A
(an antibody that helps keep away respiratory infections and
cavities).
A strong social network can create a good mood and enhance selfesteem.
Occupational Wellness
Occupational Wellness
 On your Occupational Wellness journey you'll begin to value the
importance of not only your own personal gratification, but your
contribution to the well-being of the community at large. The
choice of profession, job satisfaction, career ambitions, and
personal performance are all important components of your
path's terrain. As you travel the wellness path, you'll begin to
believe that - occupationally.
 It's better to choose a career which is consistent with our
personal values interests and beliefs than to select one that is
unrewarding to us.
 It's better to develop functional, transferable skills through
structured involvement opportunities than to remain inactive
and uninvolved.
Spiritual Wellness
The spiritual dimension of
wellness involves seeking
meaning and purpose in
human existence. It includes
the development of a deep
appreciation for the depth
and expanse of life and
natural forces that exist in
the universe.
Spiritual Wellness
 As you begin to develop the spiritual wellness
dimension of your life, taking the Wellness path,
spiritually, you'll start asking the question, who am I
and what is meaningful in my life. You'll observe the
scenery along the path, the world around you with
appreciation and wonderment. You'll ask many
questions about the scenery, the world, as well as your
everyday experiences, and learn to value that which
cannot be completely understood. Growing spiritually,
you'll try to find peaceful harmony between internal
personal feelings and emotions and the rough and
rugged stretches of your path.
Physical development
encourages knowledge about
food and nutrition and
discourages the use of
tobacco, drugs and excessive
alcohol consumption.
The physical dimension of wellness encourages
cardiovascular flexibility and strength and also
encourages regular, physical activity.
Physical Wellness
 By traveling the wellness path, physically, you'll be able
to monitor your own vital signs and understand your
body's warning signs. You'll understand and appreciate
the relationship between sound nutrition and how
your body performs. The physical dimension of
wellness provides almost immediate beneficial resultsboth physical and psychological. The physical benefits
of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to
the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem,
self control determination and a sense of direction.
The emotional
dimension of wellness
emphasizes an
awareness and
acceptance of one's
feelings. Emotional
wellness includes the
degree to which one
feels positive and
enthusiastic about
oneself and life.
Emotional Wellness allows
you to be aware of and accept
a wide range of feelings in
yourself and others.
Emotional Wellness
 You'll be able to express feelings freely and manage
feelings effectively. You'll be able to arrive at personal
choices and decisions based upon the synthesis of
feelings, thoughts, philosophies, and behavior.
 On the wellness path, you'll live and work
independently while realizing the importance of
seeking and appreciating the support and assistance of
others.
Financial wellness is
an intricate balance of
the mental, spiritual
and physical aspects
of money.
Financial wellness is
having an
understanding of your
financial situation and
taking care of it in such
a way that you are
prepared for financial
changes.
When searching the
literature on mental
health, it is difficult to
find a straightforward
definition of mental
wellness. Instead, we
define it by its
absence.
So are we all a little bit crazy?
Mental Wellness
 Mental wellness can be influenced by:
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Biological factors - changes in the central nervous system, medications, illnesses and
family history
 Social environment - losses, traumatic events, stress and low economic status
 Mental wellness is promoted through:
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Physical activity
Good nutrition
Adequate rest and sleep
Stress reduction
An optimistic attitude that can include humor, creativity and faith
Optimal medication management
Emotionally enriched environments
For people to savor their later years, maintaining mental wellness is an essential charge,
both for themselves and for those who work with them.
Medical Wellness, as
defined by the
Medical Wellness
Association, is the
practice of health and
medical care relating
to wellness
outcomes.
Medical wellness is an
approach for delivering
health care that considers the
multiple influences on a
person's health.
“Medical” Wellness
Provides a balanced, appropriate application of Wellness
practices within the clinical setting that are based on evidencebased practices.
 Promotes a cross-disciplinary approach to patient care, based on
informed consent and decision support between the practitioner
and patient.
 Establishes a foundation for dialogue and collaboration between
conventional and complementary practices with the primary
goal of promoting optimal health and well-being.
 Promotes the development and application of professional
standards for wellness practices across clinical practices
Chiropractic
Philosophy and
practices encourage a
drug-free approach
attractive to many
Americans who seek
an alternative health
care approach
But, is the rest of our society
ready to put our philosophies
on the wellness bandwagon?
Chiropractic Wellness
 If you Google “Chiropractic Wellness”, you are directed
toward an assortment of individual practice websites
and yellow page listings that all have listed wellness
somewhere within their text.
 Further investigation of these sites highlight
neuromusculoskeletal treatments, nutritional
supplementation , acupuncture, etc., and a
personalization of the clinicians’ opinion on wellness
based upon his/her practice philosophy.
Chiropractic Wellness
 Paul Zane Pilzer wrote the book “The Wellness Revolution”
and “The Next Trillion” over a decade ago, and
chiropractors were then enthusiastic about the opportunity
to become the Wellness leaders in their communities.
Wellness is the first word to become a trillion dollar
industry without ever being defined and without a
trusted brand associated with it.
 We as a profession are facing numerous challenges to find
our place in the Wellness Movement and DCs struggle
every day to stand out from the evolving Wellness crowd.
Chiropractic Wellness
Inconsistencies
 There exists significant variation between
Subluxation-based practices, nutritional-based
practices and Neuromusculoskeletal practices and
their approach to patient education and the concept of
wellness. This has resulted in no clear branding of
Chiropractic Wellness at this time. Given that there
exists an evolving body of research and clinical
chiropractic based evidence, particularly directed
through the efforts of James Chestnut, DC, and in
cooperation of the ICA, when do we embrace any
accepted concept as Chiropractic Wellness?
Chiropractic Wellness
Inconsistencies (cont.)
 Presently, most Wellness marketing comes from
individual Chiropractic practitioners with limited
budgets vs. multimillion dollar campaigns created by
and directed toward large corporate entities. While
individual DCs may be distressed from these
inconsistencies and this public confusion, medical
buildings and hospitals are popping up around the
country with the word “wellness” on their signage.
Chiropractic Wellness
Inconsistencies (cont.)
 In Ohio, the OSCA tried to market our own statewide,
Wellness based public education and marketing
campaign from 2008-2009, at ultimately it sucked our
financial reserves dry. To my knowledge, presently
there is no prominent national, state wide, or local
Wellness campaign, that is diverse enough to fulfill the
wide variety of chiropractic perspectives within our
profession at this time. I personally wonder if the
public is ready to accept the chiropractic viewpoint of
Wellness, given the fact that less than 10% of the
Americans even are under chiropractic care during any
one time.
Chiropractic Wellness
Inconsistencies (cont.)
 There is now a growing concern that the chiropractic
profession is being ambushed by Wellness and that
within five years this word will be owned by the
pharmaceutical industry in the mind of the consumer
and that it will become synonymous with the word
medical. How can Wellness be owned by the
pharmaceuticals, and be in direct opposition to the
chiropractic paradigm in which wellness is directed
toward drug-free?
Chiropractic Wellness
Inconsistencies (cont.)
 Finally, from the financial point of view, we must
beware of the non-existent reimbursement by major
players in the health care insurance industry who will
not recognize the chiropractic concept of Wellness, as
opposed to programs created and funded by the AMA
and the large pharmaceutical industry. Historically,
the insurance industry has evolved from being an
industry which used to pay for the subscribers’
healthcare to one that know purchases the healthcare
for that consumer. Therefore if you practice Wellness,
you must become a strong cash-based practice.
Our Challenge:
 If you truly desire to go in the direction of a wellness
practice with your services and products , you must
market your practice and educate the individual
patient and public in general, in order to make yourself
stand out in the crowd, because there is no lead voice
within chiropractic who is leading the wellness
campaign.
 So I ask you,….can you walk the walk and talk the talk,
and can you afford it? It seems like another David vs.
Goliath scenario to me.