Disease, illness, and sickness are closely related but conceptually distinct terms in medical anthropology. Understanding the differences among them is essential for anthropologists because health and disease are not merely biological phenomena; they are also shaped by social, cultural, psychological, economic, and political factors. Medical anthropology studies how different societies perceive, explain, prevent, and treat health-related conditions, emphasizing the interaction between biological processes and cultural beliefs. Disease refers to a pathological condition of the body or mind resulting from infection, genetic abnormalities, nutritional deficiencies, injury, or physiological dysfunction. It is primarily a biomedical concept based on objective signs and measurable abnormalities. Diseases are identified through clinical examination, laboratory investigations, and diagnostic procedures. Examples include tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, malaria, hypertension, and fractures. The biomedical model considers disease as a deviation from normal biological functioning and aims at diagnosis, treatment, and prevention through scientific methods. Illness refers to the individual's personal and subjective experience of not feeling well. It includes physical discomfort, emotional distress, pain, fatigue, weakness, anxiety, and other symptoms as perceived by the affected person.