Until now, traditional Western medical practices have adhered to a two-tiered model of health. You are either in a state of disease or you are healthy. Frequently, treatments tend to be algorithmic and of a ‘one size fits all’ nature. A nationwide study presented at the first Aspen Institute Health Forum in 2007 revealed an emphatic desire by Americans for personalized health care. Aware of the extraordinary technological advances available, Americans today want science to tell them not only if they are healthy, but also how to measure and maintain wellness in their own bodies.

The term ‘wellness maintenance’ usefully labels such an approach. ‘Wellness’ refers to the state of health that you wish to achieve, while ‘maintenance’ is the process you employ to achieve and retain it. Given our lack of control over our individual genetic makeup and, to a great extent, the environment we live in, maintenance is really the only part of achieving and maintaining health that we can control. Good results in any endeavor generally require ongoing critical attention to details, and achieving a high level of wellness is no exception. This concept contrasts with the current usage of the term ‘health care’, since in most cases ‘health care’ is synonymous with ‘disease care’. You only see a doctor when you are ill and you depend on the doctor to do something about it.

In wellness maintenance, your physician provides an assessment of your state of health, using well-established, science-based tests, and then develops an individualized plan for you to follow based directly on your own test results. The diagnostics from these tests help with achieving or maintaining the tendency toward stability in your body through a system of feedback controls. From this assessment, an individualized program meeting your specific needs is devised. At this point, it becomes your responsibility to utilize the information on your state of health and execute the program designed to meet your body’s unique needs.