Everyone’s health is unique to them, we are all unique in our bodies and mind’s, and people react in different ways to different situations. To show this I am using an example of a woman, whom I know, who describes herself as being in good health. I am also going to give a brief description of another friend who suffers with the same condition. Yet the opinion of a medic or idealist, regarding the first example, would be that she was without her health, this would be the view from the biomedical approach to health. The social scientist would query whether or not she had the ability to function in a normal social role. Where as the humanist would see that she has adapted positively to the problems that she faces in life, this would be seen as the holistic model of health.
Karen is a 36-year-old female who studies full time at college; she is a diabetic. Karen is insulin dependent, on various medications; she has also gone blind and suffers with peripheral neuropathy. Yet this woman still classes herself as being healthy. She has learnt to understand and manage her condition, to minimise its effects on her life. She is training to be a counsellor so that she can help other people who find themselves in her situation. Karen is grateful for the health that she has, although she suffers many illnesses she sees these as new challenges not as ill health. Karen was first diagnosed 12 years ago.
Bob is a 44-year-old –male, he does not work and is a diabetic. Bob is insulin dependent, receives other medications and he also suffers with peripheral neuropathy. Bob’s treatment is overlooked by the district nurses he classes himself as being housebound; relatives and carers support him in his daily needs. Bob classes him self as disabled yet he still has his sight, so his physical health is actually better than Karen’s is. He has been ill for approximately 6 years.
Everyone will share different views on the health of these two people, that is because health means different things to each of us
Through knowledge I have recently learned I am going to look at what my concept of ‘health’ is now from theoretical perspectives. Health is part of a dynamic process; it has various influences such as age, gender and our social classification. To accurately diagnose somebody’s health, the body must be viewed as a whole, with all areas looked at together as one.
There are many different dimensions of health. We can look at how our health affects us in many different ways. The body reacts as a whole so therefore must be treated as a whole. It is possible for us to be unhealthy with a psychological ailment that can lead to social problems, or even be caused by them without showing any physical trauma. There are also the mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions to look at when defining health. These are all things that need to be taken into account when looking for and accurate diagnosis. How is it possible for an unemployed single mother to feel healthy in a working class society that has family values, when she is on her own and living in poverty? She may not be ‘ill’ but her body is not working in harmony and balance.
Different professions have different theories on health. A medic would say it is the absence of disease or injury that signify health in a person. A social scientist would say that it is the ability to function in a normal social role. The idealist would support the WHO definition, where as a humanist would say that it is the ability to adapt positively to the problems of life, which makes us healthy. All of these professions have different opinions, yet they are important in the delivery of our care when we are ill.
‘The body is born as one, reacts as one and dies as one. It is a unity, when affected by sickness, it reacts as a whole….’
Sankaran, 1992.
Whichever model of health we agree with it must be seen to be adequate for the purpose it sets out to fulfil. Whether this be nursing the sick, the care of the elderly, both physically and mentally, and the prevention of ill health through the society in which we live.
Holistic is a word derived from the Greek word ‘Holos’ meaning whole. The holistic model of health is one that fulfils the WHO definition in the sense that not only on the absence of disease and illness but also on the absence of physical, psychological and social ailments, will there be harmony and balance. Both of which are needed to interact to form complete homeostasis. Holistic models say that to consider the body without taking into account the social and psychological aspects, would give a misleading diagnosis of the health of that body.
Over the last century the most influencing model in health has been the traditional biomedical model. It began in the Renaissance, when the major division between religion and science occurred. Rene Descartes, a philosopher of the Renaissance, put forward the concept of dualism, a mind free from external forces and able to think logically and independently. With this the body and the mind could be viewed separately, the body was seen as a machine. If there were a problem the body was broken down into components, the problem would be found and rectified. Biomedical models of health see the body as a biological machine made up of many parts. Cells which make tissues, which then make organs and then finally systems. These systems then interact and communicate to create harmony and balance, a state called biological homeostasis. This is seen as health. This approach is known as the reductionist approach, when only a small part and not the whole person is taken into account. It has been invaluable in gaining scientific knowledge about the body but ruled out the mind. This approach did not take into account what affects could be had upon the body by psychological, social and physical dimensions. Although it is seen to be of great importance that we are physically well, there is now more acceptance that these other dimensions influence our health, so when this is taken into account the biomedical model of health somewhat fulfils the WHO definition.
Both of the models of health that we have looked at view the body as being entire and understand that one part will not function correctly without the other.
Yet the biomedical model, which is the orthodox, traditional model treats the parts that cause the problem, without further analysing psychological or social disorders which may also be present. To achieve complete harmony and balance, we need to firstly achieve a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, this can only be done by viewing the body as a whole in its entirety.
