Subhealth is a state between good health and illnesses. It does not involve organ dysfunction but implies gradual bodily deterioration (which is often referred to as “the third state” or “gray state”). Subhealth is closely linked to your physical well-being, psychological state, as well as imbalances in social relationships and environment-related health problems. People with subhealth often suffer from fatigue, neck/back aches, stress overload, excessive anxiety, sleeping disorders and addictive habits. The most severe cases may even exhibit suicidal tendencies or anti-social behavior. Subhealth induces negative emotions, reduces vigor, weakens your immune system, and jeopardizes your personal health. Employees suffering from subhealth often cost enterprises and institutions quality of work, operational efficiency and positive work attitude. This may in turn cause damage to customer relationship and corporate image, and as importantly, the latent medical cost may be considerable.

　　 Subhealth victims are abundant in developed and highly competitive societies, and the number of affected people is rapidly increasing. A recent survey by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that 75% of the world's urban population are suffering from subhealth. SUBHEALTH and AIDS are ranked as the two most threatening health risks of the 21 st century, according to WHO. Findings by China Health Care Science Technology Society, which covers 16 Chinese provinces/cities with a population of over 1 million, showed similar trends. In the study, Beijing , Shanghai and Guangdong reported significantly higher number of subhealth residents, representing 75.31%, 73.49% and 73.41% respectively of the cities' population. In May 2005, the Third International Conference on Health Preservation also found only 15% of the mainland Chinese measuring up to the WHO health standards, and about 85% of the national population suffered from subhealth!

　　 Incidents of subhealth are most prominent among the intellectuals and business executives, affecting more than 70% of the group. Subhealth syndrome also appears in over half of the white-collar professionals engaged in highly competitive fields (such as information technology, banking and finance, accountancy, retailing, advertisement, and media), as well as in data processing, sales and R&D jobs. In addition, over half of the middle age group suffers from subhealth. Women aged between 30 and 60 are also a vulnerable, especially when they reach menopausal. Such emotional distress and physical changes may cause subhealth. These statistics point to white collar workers being possibly the most vulnerable group subjected to subhealth threat. Hence, proactive measures should be taken to improve your subhealth status or prevent subhealth.