The Pursuit of Health
Erasmus Kamugisha, Wikimedia Commons
What Are the Determinants of Health?
Some 95% of the trillions of dollars the US spends on health care goes to direct medical services and just 5% to population-wide approaches to health improvement. How well does that investment align with what we know about the true determinants of health?
The Importance of Self-Care
While we tend to think of medical professionals as the providers of health care, in reality the vast majority of all care is provided by people for themselves and their families. Increasing our competence for and confidence in self-care may well be the most important function of any healthcare system.
Self-Managing Chronic Disease
Nearly 95% of those 65 and older have at least one chronic condition, and nearly 80% of have two or more. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and chronic lung disease account for most illnesses, deaths, and healthcare dollars.
Mind and Health
The focus of modern Western medicine has been largely on intervening in the body’s machinery with drugs and surgery. But psychosocial factors play a major role in who gets sick, the course of their illness, as well as recovery.
What Are the Determinants of Health?
Some 95% of the trillions of dollars the US spends on health care goes to direct medical services and just 5% to population-wide approaches to health improvement. How well does that investment align with what we know about the true determinants of health?
The Importance of Self-Care
While we tend to think of medical professionals as the providers of health care, in reality the vast majority of all care is provided by people for themselves and their families. Increasing our competence for and confidence in self-care may well be the most important function of any healthcare system.
Self-Managing Chronic Disease
Nearly 95% of those 65 and older have at least one chronic condition, and nearly 80% of have two or more. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and chronic lung disease account for most illnesses, deaths, and healthcare dollars.
Mind and Health
The focus of modern Western medicine has been largely on intervening in the body’s machinery with drugs and surgery. But psychosocial factors play a major role in who gets sick, the course of their illness, as well as recovery.
