What we call “health” care, and that involves medical attention from health professionals, is more accurately “sick” care – we are treating the body when it ails or fails us. This confusion of semantics may seem trivial, but I think that a shift in this vocabulary perpetuates a shift in thinking – we should embrace “health” care as proactive wellness focused on healing, and not reactive patching when symptoms suddenly emerge. Placing your hand in the air to stop a ball from smacking your face, rather than simply treating the wound after it happens (or practicing mindfulness so that you know when to step out of the way of airborne balls!)
Here are a few key differences between what we think of as “sick care” and “health care.”
