Importance of Health and medicine
Introduction
The topic area of health and medicine is wide. In general, health and medicine are two areas which are vital for the survival and well-being of human beings. It is through this topic that a number of areas have been explored by experts and helped in improving the life expectancy of human being. For the last century, there has been a number of advancement in medical field. These advancements have been motivated by the urge to promote health and have health individuals (Hughes, Joshi, and Wareham). The advancement ranges from how the diseases are treated to coming up of new sophisticated medical equipment’s. A number of health researchers have also been conducted. These researches have provided new information which has been very useful in terms of medical advancements. This clearly indicates that health and medicine are two areas which work hand in hand and cannot be separated. A number of issues have come up which have lead in a deeper exploration of the two field. This paper therefore seeks to explore, analyze and argue on the merging issues pertaining health and medicine in order to establish the real importance of health and medicine.
A number of new and sophisticated technologies in the field of medicine are being developed each day. These equipment are developed with a goal of helping in the diagnosis and management of a number of medical conditions. Proper diagnosis means proper management and hence meaning that individual will be able to achieve optimal health with a short duration of time. This process gives medicine it meaning that it is considered as an act of healing. When an individual is healed that means that the individual become healthy. Considering this fact we can therefore state that we cannot achieve a state of health without medicine and also medicine cannot exist without aiming at promoting health (Cutler and McClellan).
Indeed developments of sophisticated equipment have been inspired by individuals wanting to reduce the duration with which a person takes in order to obtain optimal health. It is very vital to note that the main reasons as to why hospitals invest a lot of money in purchasing the sophisticated equipment is to be in a position of giving optimal care to their patients. Through advanced medicine, the duration taken by a person to regain healthy status is highly reduced in a great margin. The equipment have the ability to diagnosis emerging diseases which might be very fatal to the public (Gelijns, Zivin, and Nelson).
Sophisticated equipment have proved to be very essential and helpful especially in terms of developing proper treatment to the patient. Before the invention of some equipment and health devices there have been a number of health issues which could not be addressed. A number of diseased have also been able to be diagnosed with the help of the equipment. Management of some conditions has also been enhanced. Individuals have also been in a position to get a second chance in life as a result of these advancements. It is therefore a common knowledge that indeed the improved and well-coordinated field of medicine has succeeded in promoting the health of individuals. Through medicine a number of issues concerning our health status emerged. Indeed health and medicine remains united with a focus of promoting optimal health to individual patients (Bilton et al.).
Indeed technology helps improves the healthy status of individuals. A number of the organizations and individuals have been so instrumental in terms of promoting the mutual benefits that exist between medicine and health. Through technological advancement portable health monitoring devices have emerged. These health monitoring devices have the ability of recording the health parameters of an individual and also give the necessary advice required by the patient in order to promote health. According of lot of resources have been thrown in medical research. These researches are done with an aim of promoting health. Through medical research new methods of dealing with diseases are adopted. When individual diseases are dealt with in a proper way, then the health of individuals will be promoted (Ringsted, Hodges, and Scherpbier).
Through medicine a number of methods for diagnosing, curing diseases as well as protecting the human life. A number of ways have since been developed. One such developed was the X-ray technology which was developed in the twentieth century. X-ray has since provided a number of new techniques which are very definitive in diagnosing diseases. Coming of x-ray ignited the human life to do more and more researches in the field of medicine and diagnosis. The discovery of x-ray led to more discoveries of a number of conditions as well as disorders which could not have been discovered (Börjesson and Mattsson).
As a result of the consistent efforts by the doctors and the researchers in the field of medicine, a number of equipment has emerged. Some of the latest medical equipment includes the ECG machine, EEG, CT Scan machine , as well as the high quality medicine packaging machines , computerized blood testing machine, digital diabetic testing machine, digital pressure testing machine and a number of others (Börjesson and Mattsson).
The development of communication technology led to the invention of a mobile phone. Mobile phones have been advancing each day a number of the re used in solving health related issues. This has been made possible with the coming of smart phones and iPhones. Through thee mobile devices an individual can take blood pressures, take temperature as well as pulse and analyze the data to give status of one health status. Most of the people are using mobile phones even to know more about their ailments and diagnoses as well as be able to know the proper management of those ailments (Börjesson and Mattsson).
Importance of health research
Individuals are meant to be free from diseases. Eradication of these diseases will be possible through research. A number of researches have been seen to be drive just by the motivation of making money. Although money might play a particular role in the development of these researches it should be noted that a number of these health researches end up being influenced by money. Human being are working very hard to promote their health, it is therefore important to note that they are ready to use any form of technology with an aim of getting of getting better health outcomes (Miriovsky, Shulman, and Abernethy).
The huge market in the field of medicine has provided a number of business opportunities especially in regard to health research. Several business groups have emerged with a focus of coming to bridge the gap being created by the need to have sophisticated medical device in order to promote the health of the citizens. This has become a win model for the business individuals (Miriovsky, Shulman, and Abernethy).
Technological development in medicine is something that should been applauded. The development of these medical devices would have not taken place were it not for the health research. Therefore health researchers are very vital especially in ensuring that there is advancement in and progress in the field of medicine. It is worth noting that with every development of new medical devices, there are a number of individual who volunteer in order to make it happen. Therefore it is very important to appreciate them. These advancements have led to an increase in our life expectancy. At the moment individuals are able to live for over 10 years as opposed to 1960 when we did not have these equipment and the life expectancy was short. These equipment have helped a lot in promoting good health (Viergever et al.).
Without proper research, a number of diseases which are now comfortably being treated would not have been possible to treat them or even come up with medicine. Research provides new drugs as well as new ways of handling the diseases. These news ways can only are achieved through intensive research. Before the coming of the health research, doctors would be seen making diagnoses by guessing and in most cases they were wrong about the diagnoses. At the moment health research is able to take guesses out of health care setting since more sophisticated equipment are able to provide definitive diagnoses.
It is a requirement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that each and every medicine that is being introduced be fully tested before it can be prescribed to the patients. A number of things which have not been taken seriously and only taken for granted have come about as a result of health researches and advancement in the field of medicine. Some of the things which are evidence are the blood pressure pills, vaccines used in the treatment of diseases as well as in the prevention of the occurrence of these diseases, a number of surgeries as well as chemotherapy are used to treat cancers.
Emerging disorders in health and medicine
With improved medical technology and health researches, there has been an improvement on how diseases are diagnosed. This has led to emergence of new form of diseases classes and disorder among the people. These disorders might have been known as a result of improved medical devices as well as the new knowledge obtained from the health researches done. Considering their nature, we can comfortably say that eating disorders which are common disorders at the moment might not have been successfully diagnosed without the aid of recent technology as well as new knowledge from health researches (Treasure, Claudino, and Zucker).
There has been globalization of eating disorders with the culprit being the media. Areas in which eating disorders were unheard off are having increases of the disorder among their populations. With media depicting the slim physique as the anything many young girls are developing anorexia nervosa as they struggle to be like their heroines.
Anorexia nervosa usually results from body image distortion syndrome in which mostly young girls perceive themselves as being bigger than they actually are in reality. They become obsessed with their body size craving for smaller and smaller physiques and take extreme measure to shed the excess weight that they don’t have in the first place. A look in the mirror makes them only see an ugly bigger version of their real self.
The body image distortion syndrome has been globalized with the help of the many media outlets that can be accessed from anywhere in the world this being the age of internet and satelites. The television shows, lifestyle magazines and movies peddle the image of the perfect lady as being of a small physique or just outright skinny (Treasure, Claudino, and Zucker).
It shows how society just takes information given to them by the media hook line and sinker. Why does the young girl accept what she is seeing without question? Why is she is ready to take the media position on what is the perfect body ignoring the norm reference point for a healthy body such as the body mass index and triceps skin fold. What does it say about society? Who is responsible for imparting values to the young girls?
Usually the young girls will try as much as possible to be like the image that is being portrayed by the media not minding about the movies special effects or air brushing features. It has been wisely said that even the model on the magazine does not look like the model on the magazine (Woodside et al.). A case in example was Beyoncé’s non air brushed picture that found its way on social media sparking uproar.
Whereas people may rush to blame the media for having such a negative impact on young girls but the society is to blame too in propagating this notion that the slimmer you are the more beautiful and attractive you are. Usually in a class the slimmer ladies will be the most popular in the group this only serves to strengthen this notion in the other non-popular girls mind (Treasure, Claudino, and Zucker).
With a distorted body image the young girl will eventually develop low self-esteem because she feels she is not the best version of herself. Seeing this in the mirror after watching her favorite celebrity everyday on serves to damage her already fragile self-esteem even further. The resultant effect is that she will be ready to do anything to look like her favorite model including not eating or eating scantly a condition termed as anorexia nervosa (Walsh).
If she try’s this hard and fails she end up depressed. This self-defeating vicious cycle continues because her goals on the onset are technically impossible to attain. The girl may end up hating herself and feeling ashamed as she chases after the unrealistic image of herself. There are many other acute and chronic effects of anorexia nervosa. This range from digestive issues to psychological and even interpersonal problems. In its severest from anorexia nervosa has resulted in deaths of many young girls who didn’t deserve to die the way they had. For this reason it has to be fought with all the available resources to stem its spread (Treasure, Claudino, and Zucker).
Secondly passing laws against meat eating can only work if the carnivores cooperate with the Zebras. Though this is a tall order we need the media content producers to be made aware of the negative impact of their content and their cooperation sought on production of content that won’t have deleterious effects on society. It’s a difficult option given this companies are driven by their profits but if it works it will be the silver bullet for containing the eating disorder pandemic (Bordo).
It is said that television induced a trance like state by stimulating the alpha waves that makes it difficult for humans to critique its content. To tackle this issue it would be wise for young girls to be encouraged to choose edifying content rather than that which glorifies goals that can’t be achieved in a healthy fashion something akin to the carrot and the horse story (Bordo).
Parents too have a role of teaching their children to scrutinize media critically. They need to teach them to ask questions on what is being fed to them by the media companies. Parents should also teach their children healthy attitudes about food and nutrition focusing on the benefits of a balanced nutrition rather than on weight. It wouldn’t hurt for them to also teach them the characteristics of a well-nourished body with the help of a nutritionist who is not skinny (Bordo).
For African and many other societies since time in memorial the fuller rounder body was considered the image of health and beauty. Going back to their cultural roots by offering health education based in ancient ways that were healthy may be the way to combat this onslaught of the media on body images of our young girls who cannot seem to able to differentiate between the real and the surreal (Bordo).
The young girls who are naturally endowed with tiny physiques also need to be taught on the part they have to play in controlling this problem. It is my view that the whole society needs to rise up and tackle this problem head on before it gets any worse.
Conclusion
Medicine has been considered as one of the necessity for our life. Health and medicine are two distinct areas yet they depend on each other. Medicine covers both the knowledge, science as well as the systems of our bodies and diseases affecting those systems. Medicine simply deals with the treatment of diseases by the drugs, use of proper diet, exercising as well as through nonsurgical means. There are different types of medicine which exist. Even though medicines are made to improve our health status, some of the medicines simply causes problem in our body. Medicine should therefore be taken with a lot of caution in order to avoid any incidences of the medicines posing some danger to our body.
Medicine and health are two fields which are inseparable. They cannot be separated from each other. Advancement in medicine solely depends on a number of things which are required to be achieved. These achievement ranges from achieving optimal health, being able to diagnose ne diseases as well as new approaches for diagnosing diseases. Therefore, I conquer with the fact that health and medicine cannot be separated from each other.
In conclusion, medical research might seem to resemble the medical care but in real essence these two are not similar but very distinct. Medical care is basically the procedures instituted by the medical care team in the treatment of medical conditions that one is suffering from. On the part of the medical research, these are just studies which are instituted in order to learn more about new treatment regime and develop new knowledge in terms of diseases management. Medical knowledge generated from the research benefit each and every individual. It is through this knowledge that new drugs are developed as well as vaccines and medical devices. Therefore, health research medical technologies as well as the emerging disorders need not to be separated. Research knowledge will guide on the development of sophisticated technologies which are able to handle the emerging disorders effectively.
Work Cited
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