Different Ways of Looking at Health
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Transcript of Different Ways of Looking at Health
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Different ways of looking at health
'Disease is the matter for Doctors. They test and diagnose individuals to identify
the disease. Drugs and surgrey provide the soloution to your health problems.
Further advances will come from laboratory science enabling the development of
better drugs and deeper knowledge about the working human body.
Using appropiate literature, present the strengths and limitations of this
statement.
Using the above mentioned statement, this essay will endeavour to assess its
strenghths and limitations. Not only will it question whether: 'Disease is a matter
for doctors' only, but also, whether: 'Drugs and surgrey provide the solution to
one's health problems.' Finally, will the future of the world's health simply rest
on forthcoming laboratory advancemeents in manufacturing improved drugs
actually lead to more enhanced knowledge of the human body's workings; or
will be more a case of re-educating people through empowering goverments
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and through them, educating global society.
Disease are disorders which have specific causes, signs and symptoms which
make the body function abnormally. They cannot be caused by physical injury,
although injuries can open the way to disease. Should 'disease be a matter for
doctors' alone, or society in general? Doctors have been the key to testing,
diagnosing and managing patients' disease and aliments for centuries. Public
health only began to emerge as a force after the Second World War. Hone
Schou and David Loccker assert that:
'... health is both an individual and a social responsibility that is best secured by
collaborative actions at all levels of society.' (pine (ed.), 1997)
Thus, doctors should not bear sole responsibility for diseases. They diagnose
and prescribe curatives for aliments already present, but other agencies should
be in place to aid disease prevention and health promotion.
The invention of new drugs for disease has helped to ease long-term illnesses
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and suffering and, in some cases, cured patients. Nowadays, with ever-
increasing use of technology, specialised surgrey can be performed that was
impossible inthe past, ie 'organ transplants' and 'key-hole' surgrey. Drugs can
only do so much therefore, a full breakdown of a patients' life-style is essential.
Joan Busfield states that:
' In Britain, as in other advanced western societies, the health care system is
over ridingly oriented towards curing sicknessrather than maintaining health. In
terms of activities and spending the National Health Service would be more
accurately described as a National Sickness Service or a National Illness
Service.' (brusfield, 2000).
Drugs do help in the short term, ie. antibiotics, innoculations, pain relief, etc.,
and surgery, as a last option. Using preventive medicine can help to avoid drug
dependancy and the side effects of specific drugs.
With the future, comes the prospect of many new advances in pharmaceutical
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drugs and hopefully, a better understanding of the human body functioning.
Major pharmaceutical companies are constantly rieving with each other to get
their products on the market. It does not profit them to use the 'preventages
measure approach' to improve people's life-styles. They are in business of
'curative' medicine, which makes money.
Medical advancement is always sought after, but not enough emphasis is placed
on re-educating people to help themselves, ie. campaigning for healthly eating
and regular exercise classes, teaching children from an early age to cook and
eat healthily in order to maintain healthy life-styles.
People may be of the opinion that: 'disease is a matter for doctors', because of
the length of time they study to qualify. This allows the burden to be put firmly
on their shoulders, when it should be shared by all society. People no longer
live in the 'Dark Ages' when one could plead ignorance the world has made
huge technological advances in all aspects of life. People are living longer,
death in childbirth are fewer, as well as infant mortality. 'Health, housing and
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sanitation have improved drastically, but the stresses of modern life have taken
their toll. Jobs are fewer and no longer for life and the cost of living has risen.
Whereas families used to eat fresh food daily, people have now adopted a 'fast-
food' living culture, based on processed foods. Increasingly, doctors are dealing
with stress related illnesses and obesity, due to twenty first century living -
therefore, drugs and surgery are not always the answer. Further scientific
advances will no doubt occur in time, but basic health promotion via
goverment,media, doctors, schools and hospitals, would be more cost effective,
not only to the goverment but society itself. This is not a new idea, as Royal
Sanitary Commission, stated as much in 1871:
'The contstant relation between the health and vigour of the people and welfare
and commerical prosperity of the state requires no argument.... public health is
public wealth.' (Acheson 1988).
This can be achieved, as many countries have already made a start by banning
smoking in public places. It is no use taking five steps forward and two
backwards; society hascome too far. Families and whole communties need re-
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educating in order to tackle major health issues. The afore mentioned statement
has both strenths and limitations far out weigh the strengths. Disease, ever-
increasing use of drugs and surgery can all be prevented, to some extent, if
people are encourage to take responsibility for their own well being. More
funding for health promotion could lead to a better understanding of how the
human body functions, with out the need for drugs and additives.
References:
Acheson, D. (1988). 'Foreword. Public Health in England.' Cmd 289. H.M.S.O,
London, cited in Fatchett, Anita (1988). Nursing in the new N.H.S. Modern,
Dependable? 3, (33-35), p.49.
Busfield, Joan. (2000). Health and Health Care in Modern Britain, 4, (10-14),
p.103.
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Schou, Lone and Locker, David. (1992). 'Principles of oral health,' cited in pine,
Cynthia M. (ed.). (1997). Community Oral Health, 11, (12-14), p.177.