excess morality lecture 2- aspects of health Flashcards
what is health?
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.
what is the biggest criticism of the who definition of health?
-Most criticism of the WHO definition concerns the absoluteness of the word “complete” in relation to wellbeing.
Contributes to the medicalization of society.
Definition of “complete health” implies most people are unhealthy most of the time.
Supports medical and pharmaceutical industries in expanding disease definitions.
New screening technologies detect minor abnormalities that may not cause illness.
Pharmaceutical companies create drugs for conditions not previously considered health issues.
Intervention thresholds for conditions like blood pressure, lipids, and sugar are lowered, leading to more medical treatment.
why is the operationalization of the who definition problematic?
The operationalization of the WHO definition is problematic, as it refers to a complete state of health, which is impractical and neither measurable nor operational despite the WHO’s systems for classifying diseases, disabilities, and quality of life.
what is the need for reformulation?
-Various proposals have been made for adapting the definition of health.
-The best known is the Ottawa Charter, which emphasises social and personal resources as well as physical capacity. However, WHO has taken up none of these proposals.
-The limitations of the current definition are increasingly impacting health policy.
For instance, in prevention programs and healthcare, how we define health influences the goals we set.
Instead of focusing solely on longer life expectancy, it may be more meaningful to prioritize people’s ability to participate in society. Similarly, helping individuals improve their capacity to manage health challenges could be a more realistic goal than striving for full recovery.
The discussion of experts, however, led to broad support for moving from the present static formulation towards a more dynamic one based on the resilience or capacity to cope and maintain and restore one’s integrity, equilibrium, and sense of wellbeing. The preferred view on health was “the ability to adapt and to self-manage.”
what are the fundamental conditions and resources for health?
-peace,
-shelter,
-education,
-food,
-income,
-a stable eco-system,
-sustainable resources,
-social justice, and equity.
Improvement in health requires a secure foundation in these basic prerequisites
how do we use the adapted concepts of health?
The first step towards using the ADAPTED concept of “health, as the ability to adapt and to self-manage” is to identify and characterise it for the three domains of health: physical, mental, and social.
what is physical health?
-In simple terms, a healthy body can adapt to changing conditions to keep itself balanced, a process called allostasis
For example, when you’re exposed to stress—like intense exercise or a sudden change in temperature — a healthy body responds to protect itself, making adjustments like sweating to cool down or increasing your heart rate to pump more blood. These changes help prevent harm and restore balance.
If your body can’t adapt successfully over time, this stress builds up, leading to damage (known as allostatic load), which can eventually result in illness.
what is mental health?
In the mental health field, Antonovsky talks about something called the “sense of coherence,” which helps people deal with and recover from serious stress, and can even prevent conditions like Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This idea is about how well you understand, manage, and find meaning in difficult situations.
what is CBT?
For example, if you face a tough challenge but feel like you can make sense of it, handle it, and find purpose in it, you’re more likely to feel better and cope effectively. This can also improve both your mental and physical health.
A real-life example of this is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Many patients who received CBT reported feeling better and experienced fewer symptoms, showing how mental and physical health are connected.
What is social health?
Health isn’t just about being free from illness—it’s also about how well people can live their lives, fulfill their potential, and manage responsibilities, even with a medical condition.
It’s the ability to live independently and participate in social activities, including work.
People’s capacity to fulfil their potential and obligations.
Ability to manage their life with some degree of independence despite a medical condition.
Ability to participate in social activities including work.
Health is like a balance between what you can do and the limitations you face, which can change throughout life and be influenced by things like social and environmental challenges.
People who successfully adapt to their illness can still feel healthy and participate in life despite their limitations.
what is an example of social health?
A good example of this is the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Program.
Patients with chronic illnesses who learned to manage their conditions reported feeling better overall. They had less stress, more energy, fewer disabilities, and were able to participate more in social activities. As a result, healthcare costs also decreased.
what is cardiovascular disease?
-Coronary heart disease
-Angina
-Heart attack
-Congenital heart disease
-Stroke
what is atherosclerosis?
Atherosclerosis can underlie coronary heart disease (angina and heart attack) and stroke
what is cancer?
Cancer is a disease where some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. Normally, cells grow and divide in a controlled way, but in cancer, this process goes wrong, leading to the formation of abnormal cells that can form tumors or spread through the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
what are the most common types of cancers in both genders?
Men:
Prostate cancer – the most common cancer in men.
Lung cancer – second most common, often associated with smoking.
Bowel (colorectal) cancer – third most common.
Women:
Breast cancer – the most common cancer in women.
Lung cancer – second most common, with smoking being a key risk factor.
Bowel (colorectal) cancer – third most common.
