Different Ways of Looking at Health

8/2/2019 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.

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Different Ways of Looking at Health