The politics of word choice: wellness vs health

Coming up with a suitable title for my thesis proposal has been an unexpected challenge. My project’s goal is the promotion of health or wellness, but which word should I use – health or wellness? If I had only read this NYTimes article earlier, I could have saved myself some time. By using the word “wellness,” I am apparently endorsing a movement that began in the 1950s that seeks, not to eliminate illness, but to maximize individual potential. Got that? Oh, the politics of word choice…