Most people would answer pretty high¦a 9 or a 10 on a scale of 1-10. Problem is that most people do not know what the characteristics are when health has an importance of 9, 10 or 1 or 2 for that matter. Further, most people do not know that there are only three kinds of health conditions: acute, chronic and permanent. Most adults enter our offices with health problems that they've had before which makes their condition either chronic or permanent. The role of initial care is to determine whether the problem can be reversed or, at best, just managed. And this is where one's level of importance on their own and their family's health comes into play. So let's examine some of the common characteristics of 1's, 2's, etc:

1. People who only place an importance of 1 on their health are people who consistently, constantly and consciously make efforts to destroy their own health. These people are generally addicted to a substance or behavior that they KNOW is destroying their health but they do it anyway.

2. These people make occasional, sporadic and un-conscious attempts to destroy their own health. They are in denial¦they binge

3. These folks are just not making conscious, healthy decisions. They are not sure what would contribute to and what would detract from their health.

4. This is the cliche group-they tolerate poor health and justify their actions with cliche's like "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and "maybe it will go away."

5. These are the treatment seekers. They seek treatment from a health professional when they can no longer stand the problem or when what they do to "make it go away" doesn't work.

6. This group not only seeks treatment for conditions but also will take the steps necessary to insure that problems, once handled, do not return.

7. This group believes in the "status quo" when it comes to their health. This is both good and bad. The bad is that there is no such thing as the status quo when it comes to health. The good is that this group will work to maintain any level of health that they feel is good.

8. The opposite of a 3. The people who make up this group are very health conscious¦they are informed and, given a choice between an action that will contribute to their health and one that will detract from it, choose wisely. They make healthy decisions and healthy choices.

9. This is the opposite end of the spectrum from a 2. These people make occasional, sporadic, un-planned attempts at improving their health. While there is no plan in place, "nine's" react to news and trends in health care. They are adventurous "pioneers" with their health.

10. And, finally, "10's" are the opposite end of the spectrum from "1's." This group has a plan to make conscious, nearly continuous, constructive efforts to improve their health and the health of their family year after year. They understand the role of the nervous system in health and, minimally, take pro-active steps to insure that their nervous system is functioning optimally without waiting for health problems to develop.

There a few "pure" members of a particular group. Most are comprised of people who show characteristics of 2 diverse groups.

Now that the characteristics associated with each of the levels of importance one places on their health is known and understood, it is easy to see that people who truly place a high importance on their health make healthy choices and can improve their health year after year after year. Equally easy to understand is that one cannot have truly placed a very high importance on their health to develop chronic health problems. In fact, according to Dr. Steve Hoffman, the levels of 5 and under with regard to importance placed on one's health typically are associated with the development of chronic problems. People who focus on prevention, health maintenance and health development are rarely saddled with chronic health problems.

What if you have already developed chronic health problems? Assuming that the problems are not permanent and can be reversed, there are a few questions that beg to be asked, "have I really been living a healthy lifestyle or have I been waiting for problems to develop?" Am I really pro-active with my health or do I wait for health problems to appear before reacting to them?" "If you raised the level of importance you truly have placed on your health to, let's say a 7, and began living the lifestyle that a 7 would live, would the problems associated with having been a 4 or a 5 go away?" The answer, of course, is YES!

The Bottom Line

Why go through all this? Why is it necessary to know the characteristics? Isn't it enough to just say that my health is very important to me? No, it's not enough. When people understand that the health problems that they do or do not develop are based largely on the importance that they have placed on their health and the lifestyle that they choose to live, they also understand how to become healthier so stay tuned!