The very nature of health practice in medicine and related professions is interpersonal. The concept of the person - practitioner relationship is central. This relationship is established and maintained at a level sufficient for acceptable standards of  health care only if and when effective communication is achieved.

Unfortunately, most orthodox medical practice seems deficient in this key area. Even medical textbooks on the topic talk about the "doctor - patient" relationship. Notice that the doctor comes first in this dyad. Further, the profession's cultural norms are evident in the language they prefer, like the socially strong term for themselves and the very passive term, 'patient' for those who seek their services (although they prefer the phrase, need their treatment).

If you ask most people to tell you what health means, or simply ask, what is health, you will come up with some interesting findings. I know, I've asked plenty of people. Most troubling to me are three observations.

1. Most people will say words to the effect that health is not being sick.
2. Very few people can talk about health without actually talking about disease.
3. The above applies equally to most so-called health professionals.

The concept of health as a truely positive state seems to be beyond most people's grasp. Perhaps that's because the experience of health, real health, is also beyond their grasp.

Here is a short parable on finding value in the struggles of life. I have seen many people fail in one way or another in life, whether in business, career or more importantly, in character. Many wish for the easy life, for themselves, their family and friends. But that is not always the blessing it may at first appear. Quite a few of those failures I have seen were experienced by people for whom things in life just came too easily, they had never been tested in the fire, they knew no real struggles.

Like most people I don't advocate going out of your way to find struggles, though I have seen some do it. What I do say however, is don't despair when you find yourself facing struggles of one type or another. Finding your way through is the path of growth, and to me, when you cease growing, you die.

I came across an article in a newsletter recently that I finally found a minute to read. It is about sensibly resisting the aging process and I noted that with very little change, it is quite consistent with material already published here in The Health Gazette. Since it's an important topic I have provided a significant excerpt below.

From "Secrets of Feeling Younger" by Carole Jackson.

CHOOSE YOUR AGE

One example of youth-focused living is the group of seniors who tour in their own rock show (no, I don't mean the current tour of the Rolling Stones), belting out witty takes on aging like "Stairway to Heaven," "Every Breath You Take" and "Forever Young." These seniors and many like them choose to live not by the calendar or number of candles on their birthday cake but from their heart -- and to enjoy all their time on earth.

I came across an interesting book recently and was immediately taken by how much it agreed with what I've said for years. That must sound aweful, but it's true. What is it they say; there's nothing new under the heavens? Maybe they're right.

Anyway, this book is about making a good brain great and it employs the deceptively obvious observation that your brain is involved in everything you do. That is almost so obvious as to be trite, but the author, Dr Daniel Amen, draws some very practical user guidelines based on the perfectly obvious.

Here we are finally at Part 6 of our short series on the myths of aging. We will conclude the series with a debunking of the magic bullet to eternal youth myth and a brief consideration of just how you can go about slowing, stopping or reversing the aging process.

Actually, if you have paid attention to the earlier parts of this series you'll realize straight away that I should say reversing the aging processes. It clearly has to be plural, since there are various dimensions to aging. This is true not merely because aging is an holistic experience, but even in the terms we have already introduced.