Change happens everywhere. Everyone changes yet everyone is scared of change. Change can cause stress. Changes do not only affect people but things too; inert objects which seem to remain exactly the same, and at the same place, are seen by people who have changed over time. in reality , the only constant is change.
According to an online dictionary (English Oxford Living dictionaries), a few definitions given for the word change are listed as follows: “an act or process through which something becomes different; the substitution of one thing for another; an alteration or modification; a new or refreshingly different experience…”
Within the human body, metabolic and millions of other organic processes are constantly operating multiple minor changes in order the maintain the state of health. Ultimately change happens deep within us and all around us; hence, without the ability to change, we can not survive.
Because blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as white and red cell numbers of each individual relatively vary every decade, year, week, and even within a day or so, therefore the health condition of people definitely changes. Change affects everything in the human ecosystem and biology, and the more we can adapt to our environment the healthier we are. On the other hand, health conditions can change for the worse when we no longer are able to adapt with our external world either because of age or simply because the external world is too harsh, and pushes too far the limits of our physiology.
For instance, many scientific reports claim that the consequences of climate change on the environment, and human health are problematic on the long term. As a matter of fact, the Government of Canada mentioned in its official website that “ there is growing evidence that our climate is changing and that these changes are affecting the health and well-being of citizens in countries throughout the world […]”. Moreover, according to an abstract from an article entitled Human health effects of agrichemical use, published by D.D. Weisenburger since 1993, change in practice and processes within the agro-food (agribusiness) industry for the past decades is reported to have dangerous health consequences for the human: ‘’The use of pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture has grown dramatically over the past 30 years […] Environmental exposure of humans to agrichemicals is common and results in both acute and chronic health effects, including acute and chronic neurotoxicity (insecticides, fungicides, fumigants), lung damage (paraquat), chemical burns (anhydrous ammonia), and infant methemoglobinemia (nitrate in groundwater). A variety of cancers also have been linked to exposure to various pesticides, particularly hematopoietic cancers […]'’
We often feel powerless facing many changes occurring outside the human body system which have a negative impact on health, from a public health point of view per say. The good news is that we can make deliberate changes to be healthier; for instance, we can indeed change up to a certain point what we eat, drink, breathe, do and even how we feel in order to be healthier.
Even if the natural law of entropy allows no exceptions in terms of decay of all things, humanity needs more than ever to transcend the many adverse effects of change, and stop being a victim of change, but instead be an architect of change for the better, a positive one, a healthy one, in the few aspects he has control and preponderance over: his deeds and actions.
In conclusion, we have to be realistic, change is inevitable. As already mentionned, it is the only constant. The question is whether we will allow changes outside of us to make us sick or otherwise healthy. Let’s just choose to make the healthy and positive change for the sake of future generations!
