Elie De Jesus
COM/360
December 13, 2010
Don Case
Integrative Intercultural Communication Paper
“Health is a universal human aspiration and a basic human need. The development of society, rich or poor, can be judged by the quality of its population’s health. How fairly health is distributed across the social spectrum, and the degree of protection provided from disadvantage due to ill-health. Health equity is central to this premise. Strengthening health equity - globally and within countries - means going beyond contemporary concentration on the immediate causes of disease to the ‘cause of the causes’- the fundamental structures of social hierarchy and the socially determined conditions these create in which people grow, live, work, and age (Professor Sir Michael Marmot, 2010). As the professor states above, good health is desired and required by all. Each member of society, around the globe, would either have good health, or at least have access to the facilities which would enable them to better their health conditions. If they are unable to communicate what it is they need so that their health can improve then they should have someone that could explain to their primary care physician what they need. Or if their primary care physician has the understanding of nonverbal coding, then they should be able to use that to communicate to their patients but that should not be the only way. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that health is a state of complete well-being; physical, mental, and emotional. Good health is more than being healthy but having a healthy environment and a stable mind as well. In a perfect world there would be no illness to be had for anyone, but since this is no perfect world by anyone’s comparison being able to have great health or the means of it is better than nothing at all. The impact of cultural variations on intercultural interpersonal relationships with
References: Fischman, J. (2006, Jul 17th). Bridging the Language gap. Some hospitals make non English speaking patients feel right at home. Retrieved from U.S. News & World Paper 141 (2), 88. Lustig, M. W., & Koester, J. (2006). Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across Cultures. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC.aspx?assetdataid=25fb9b6a-472f-4da2-a6e3-db72e67e7b7a&assetmetaid=d08dcbf2-c5e6-49dd-bb20-5d7507e7fe1e. Professor Sir Michael Marmot. Interim Statement of the commission on Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/epidemiology/people/marmotm.htm .