Giving Birth to Health

Few are familiar with the term salutogenesis, yet it expresses the very essence of wellness.

Antonovsky coined the term in 1979. It is derived from salus, which is Latin for health, and genesis, meaning to give birth.

As Cowley and Billings wrote: “Salutogenesis literally means ‘that which gives birth to health.’ In traditional public health and community medicine approaches, a ‘pathogenic’ perspective, in which the focus is on disease or illness and its prevention or treatment, most often dominates interventions. Adoption of a salutogenic perspective highlights the importance of starting from a consideration of how health is created and maintained.”

Originally printed in the March 26, 2011 edition of Dynamic Chiropractic (dynamicchiropractic.com).