Oh, Oh! Chiropractic Blasphemy! The body DOES NOT heal itself?!

Found a document from the University of Ottawa, recently, that got the cogwheels (and turns out, my most recent phase of "writer's block") of my brain moving.  Fascinating and thought provoking. They laid out 3 approaches to defining health.....allow me,

1.  The Medical Model
"Health is defined as the absence of disease and the presence of high levels of function."  Here's a "wordy" example they used,
"A state characterized by anatomic, physiologic and psychologic integrity; ability to perform personally valued family, work and community roles; ability to deal with physical, biologic, psychologic and social stress..." 

2.    The Holistic Model
In an attempt to broaden the medical perspective, WHO came up with, 
"A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". 

3.  The Wellness Model
Further discussion then led to a more dynamic model,
"The extent to which an individual or group is able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment.   Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living; it is a positive concept, emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities." 

Ok...let those stew in the crockpot of your mind for a bit .....but I do like that last one.  

Now the definition of heal, here's 3 different sources,

"to become sound or healthy again."

"to make healthy, whole or sound."

"to make sound or whole."

Well,.....Crap!  While we seem to be getting better (or at least attempting to) at defining what "healthy" means, what does it mean to be "sound" or "whole".  Wait right there.

Ewwwww.....this is interesting, "sound" means,

"In good condition; not damaged, injured, or diseased"

And "whole" means,

"free of wound or injury : unhurt (2) : recovered from a wound or injury : restored"

So after all that, here's where I'm at in my own stage of either growth or regression (I'll let you decide, for your sake's):  On the tenets of pure physiology alone, the body does not heal itself since the organization and reorganization of both local and systemic properties is never the same as the previous status quo of the body prior to "damage".  More like "Repair and Adapt" to me.  You can't be made "whole" again since, and this is my philosophy speaking, you are already "whole" every second that you are alive.....and maybe dead but I simply don't know.  I've always told my patients that, to steal a line from Star Trek, the "prime directive" of the body is to help us survive ONE MORE DAY, to buy another 24 hours so that we, and all the finiteness and limitations of our minds, can make our next choice.  That choice then determines the next physiological change within our bodies.  And so on and so on.  That is the "mechanist" in me talking.  But since I am a "both/and" being.......

The "neo-vitalist" in me cannot ignore the aspect of the human spirit in this equation.  It is truly remarkable to bear witness to the multitude of transformations (and perhaps regressions) that occur to people when the "physical" manifestations of "damage" are doing their "thing".  I wonder.....if they say a cell cannot be in a state of growth or defense at the same time, is it possible that, while the cell "defends", somewhere else in the totality of our evolving and emerging being, growth is happening?

So, wonder I will.....