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Health Education = Health Promotion

Writer's picture: Kevin McGuinnessKevin McGuinness

Updated: Jul 21, 2020

Let us imagine that Adam and Eve have comparably optimal genomes and reside in a paradisaical environment called Eden, which is essentially stress free insofar as, Eden poses no apparent challenges (objective stressors) unmatched by its inhabitant’s individual or collective capabilities. Let’s also add that Adam and Eve are free agents, each at liberty to choose whatever course of action is preferred individually or jointly. So, Eden is a dynamic environment, to which Adam’s and Eve’s respective DNA is homeostatically and behaviorally responsive. In other words, Adam’s and Eve‘s mental, behavioral and physical health is optimally matched to the actual demands of their circumstances.


Under such a scenario it might be expected that both Adam and Eve will maintain an essentially stable, healthy genome; that is, until subjective perceptions diverge from objective reality. Such is the most likely fate of our Edenites. Eden and its inhabitants are imperfect, and while Eden poses no particular challenges of its own for either Adam or Eve, one of them, as interpreted from the perspective of the other, is bound to make a ‘mistake’ sooner or later; one for which either or both may be mentally, behaviorally or physically ill-prepared to cope. When this happens, new edits (aka polymorphisms) may be written into the DNA instruction manual. Of course, under certain conditions gene replication and reproduction may proliferate such adaptations, healthy or ill.


Arguably, given their state of optimal health, their identical cognitive capabilities, and their stable external environment, Adam and Eve might always agree with each other, so long as they do not lose sight of their shared truth. On the other hand, even identical twins simultaneously observing the same environmental event cannot share an identical physical perspective without sharing the identical spatiotemporal coordinates. Perspective is always the rub that leads to disagreement, but factions develop when perspective (from which opinions are formed) is mistaken for and defended as truth. When disagreements are resolved rationally there may be minimal or no stress and therefore, minimal, or no downstream genetic consequences to the disagreeing parties. On the other hand, when perspective is defended in place of reason, bias subverts truth in favor of opinion, and psychological stress can change the DNA.


Although genetic change may be random in nature, it is always responsive to subjective stress. Prior to acting upon an objective stressor, one’s subjective response to it varies with one’s self-perceived capacity to neutralize it and vice versa. Of course, we should strive to ensure that health care is accessible to all that need it. But it is essential that we as the human race begin in earnest to reduce the need for health care through health promotion from birth. This will happen only if lifelong health education begins in early childhood.


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