Redefining Hypochondria

When I was young and foolish… I was young and foolish.
One of the ways that showed up was in what I called “hypochondria.”
Definition: A condition where someone has an excessive and persistent worry about having or developing a serious illness.

For me, that illness was always cancer. I’d often show up to the doctor with some mysterious lump — until one day, my GP sighed and said to my 19-year-old self:
“Mark, it’s just part of your anatomy.”

That was my turning point. I decided to stop worrying and, as they say, “grow a pair.”

But here’s the twist — I think I’ve since gone maybe too far the ‘other’ way.
What’s the word for someone who shows ‘too little’ concern for their health?
I know detailed health checks exist, but they’ve never appealed to me — for two reasons:
1) My heart beats around 60 times a minute — that’s 32 million beats a year, every year. It’s never had a service, repair, or replacement. It cannot be in perfect condition… but I’d rather not have that confirmed.

2) If they did find something catastrophic (say, an aortic aneurysm), I’d rather remain blissfully unaware.

In medicine, “hyper” means *too much*, and “hypo” means *too little.*
So by that logic… “hypochondria” should mean *too little chondria*, right?

Not quite.
The word actually comes from ancient Greek:
chondros (χόνδρος) = cartilage.
“Hypochondrium” literally meant “under the cartilage” — the upper abdomen beneath the ribs.

Ancient Greek physicians believed that area was the seat of emotion and “melancholic humours.”
When people complained of discomfort there without a clear cause, the condition was called ‘hypochondriasis’.

Over time, the meaning shifted:
From “pain under the ribs” → to “imagined or exaggerated illness.”

So perhaps it’s time to modernize the term:
Hyperchondria = excessive worry about illness
Hypochondria = insufficient worry about illness
And somewhere in between… maybe ‘normal’?