THE THEORIES OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS
THE THEORIES OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS
This essay is about the basic assumptions of the medical model of disease; it will mainly refer to Mildred Blaxter`s work on the lay notion of health. It will define health, illness and diseases; also it will discuss the types of diseases of the body system, the absence of diseases, the lay concepts of positive and negative aspect of health, and the holistic approach, the world health organisation state of health, the strength and weakness and how to prevent diseases will be discuss. I would evaluate the tenets of the medical model in the light of work done by Illitch on iatrogenesis.
Health and disease cannot be defined purely in term of anatomical, physiological, or mental attributes. Their real measure is the ability of the individual to function in a manner acceptable to him or herself and to the group of which he or she is part of. Illness and disease is not the same thing. It is quite possible to feel ill without a doctor being able to diagnose a recognisable disease from physical symptoms, but without a diagnosis it is difficult for doctors to prescribe treatment. Complementary practitioners, on the other hand, work on the principle that health depends on the interaction of body and mind. They consider personality, lifestyle and emotional state, as well as physical symptoms, and this can enable them to tailor treatment to restore the body’s self-healing ability and enhance its natural resilience. Whiles disease is when we feel ill we describe the physical symptoms we have noticed to the doctor, who looks for clinical signs, such as a raised temperature, unusual sounds in the lungs or an alteration in heart rhythm, which we may not have noticed. Blood test and X-ray may be arranged to confirm that the body is working abnormally and the doctor then tries to relate these observations and test results to recognised patterns known to occur in certain named disease.
Mildred Blaxter`s (1990), described health as a dichotomy
This essay is about the basic assumptions of the medical model of disease; it will mainly refer to Mildred Blaxter`s work on the lay notion of health. It will define health, illness and diseases; also it will discuss the types of diseases of the body system, the absence of diseases, the lay concepts of positive and negative aspect of health, and the holistic approach, the world health organisation state of health, the strength and weakness and how to prevent diseases will be discuss. I would evaluate the tenets of the medical model in the light of work done by Illitch on iatrogenesis.
Health and disease cannot be defined purely in term of anatomical, physiological, or mental attributes. Their real measure is the ability of the individual to function in a manner acceptable to him or herself and to the group of which he or she is part of. Illness and disease is not the same thing. It is quite possible to feel ill without a doctor being able to diagnose a recognisable disease from physical symptoms, but without a diagnosis it is difficult for doctors to prescribe treatment. Complementary practitioners, on the other hand, work on the principle that health depends on the interaction of body and mind. They consider personality, lifestyle and emotional state, as well as physical symptoms, and this can enable them to tailor treatment to restore the body’s self-healing ability and enhance its natural resilience. Whiles disease is when we feel ill we describe the physical symptoms we have noticed to the doctor, who looks for clinical signs, such as a raised temperature, unusual sounds in the lungs or an alteration in heart rhythm, which we may not have noticed. Blood test and X-ray may be arranged to confirm that the body is working abnormally and the doctor then tries to relate these observations and test results to recognised patterns known to occur in certain named disease.
Mildred Blaxter`s (1990), described health as a dichotomy
References: Blaxter, M and Paterson, E. Mothers and Daughters: a Three-Generational Study of Health Attitudes and Behaviour, Heinemann, London (1982). Davey B. et al (1995) Health and disease, A Reader, Buckingham: The Open University Press McNeill P. (1991) Society Today, London: Macmillan, Vol. 2 S. A. (2008). Simply Psychology; Medical Model of Abnormality. Retrieved 19 January 2012, from http://simplypsychology.org/medical-model.html www.buzzle.com/articles/5dimensions-of-health.html ‘5 dimensions of health’