Recognition & signaling
Receptor function, signal detection, communication, and coordination.
Foundational definition
What are we measuring when we say “health”?
Health is a measurable, integrative state of biological, physiological, cognitive, and environmental function governed by receptor performance, signaling integrity, mobility, cardiovascular capacity, autonomic regulation, adaptive resilience, and the body’s ability to detect, respond to, and recover from stressors.
This definition sets a research agenda. Every proposed measure must be evaluated for validity, repeatability, scope, and its relation to the function it purports to represent.
The central functional question
How effectively does a person detect a stressor, produce and transport a response, eliminate or resolve the challenge, and recover? This sequence provides a structure for hypotheses and measurement. It does not reduce all aspects of health to a single test.
Domains of investigation01 02 03 04 05 06
An integrative model with testable parts.
Each domain can be studied independently and in relation to the others.
Response & recovery
Adaptive processes, resilience, and the time course of recovery.
Cardiovascular & autonomic function
Circulatory capacity, regulation, and response to demand.
Mobility & physical capacity
Movement, muscular function, and ability to perform daily tasks.
Cognition & behavior
Attention, learning, habits, and responses to the environment.
Environment & exposure
Conditions that influence function across time and place.
Scientific practice
What evidence is needed?
In any proposed model, clear operational definitions and independent tests should precede broad claims.
- Define the construct and explain the proposed mechanism.
- Specify the instrument, sampling conditions, and sources of measurement error.
- Assess repeatability, construct validity, and meaningful change over time.
- Report uncertainty, confounders, limitations, and negative findings.
- Separate educational conclusions from clinical diagnosis or treatment decisions.