| Description |
All humans aspire to a healthy life, which is a fundamental right. The definition of health has varied from age to age. In the past, health vaguely meant the state of not having a disease or illness, but the 1946 Constitution of the World Health Organization defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” In broad terms, however, today health can also mean a state of an individual coping with his or her inner and outer environmental changes to maintain complete well-being at all levels. More broadly, health can mean the optimal state in which an individual can effectively play his or her social roles and responsibilities. The purpose of medicine, therefore, is for an individual to maintain a healthy condition. Currently there are two major branches of medicine in Korea: traditional Korean medicine (TKM) and Western medicine. |
