The Biomedical Model of Health Essay

Biomedical model of health is an approach which eliminates psychological and social factors (environment) but only comprises biological issues in trying to recognize or understand an individual`s medical illness/disorder. The biomedical model of health looks upon treatment in expression of changing the body by medical intervention forms. Also this model seeks to look at what is wrong and fix that part of individual as it focuses on illness rather than health as well as diagnosing an individual`s illness.

Models of illness are used to analyse how illness arises and to predict what treatment might be effective.; Most models are implicit and not formally described.In the context of health and illness, a model will specify what factors are of importance in determining whether a person is ill, (and conversely, by implication, what factors are not relevant). It will also specify the nature of the interrelationships between these factors and being ill

I have chosen to compare the postmodern perspective on health and the biomedical model. The biomedical model view of the body is mechanistic. This point was argued by Engels, who said that the body was a machine and the breakdown of this machine was disease. he also beleived that the the doctor was the only one who could fix the machine. this point leads to many biomedical views. Firstly, it shows the way that doctors view the body as a set of individual parts, diagnose and treat them as such. This non-holistic view of the body is often criticised because it fails to cnsider the person as a whole and entire building. Secondly it shows the importance of the doctor in the

While religion can be used to rationalize superstitions that are counterproductive to good health outcomes, religious organizations provided the primary source of healthcare for people throughout much of history. In Europe medical care was closely tied to Christianity. During the fourth century, St. Basil opened a hospital for lepers that was emulated throughout the middle ages by monasteries throughout the continent (Jonson, 1999, p. 15). The idea of medical equity was presented in part through this lens: in a passage from Christian texts inspired by the Hippocratic treatises, it was written, “The physician should not heal for the sake of gain, nor give more consideration to the rich than to the poor, or to the noble than the ignoble” (Jonson, p. 18). Within the Indian tradition, analogues to the Hippocratic treatises arose in the form of the Samhitas, which were written by physicians with Hindu perspectives. One passage reads “Day and night, you shall strive for the relief of the patient with all your heart and soul. You shall not desert or injure your patient even for the sake of life or living” (Jonson, p. 30). Buddhist monasteries served purposes similar to those of Christian monasteries in the West. In contrast to taboos imposed on Hindu physicians, Buddhist monks were not as limited in their care by a system of caste discrimination (Jonson, p. 31). Sometimes, however, the religious roots of medicine brought the risk of moralizing’s impact upon patient care; Cotton Mather, an American preacher, wrote of patients stricken with the sexually contracted syphilis “As for any remedies under this foul disease,-You are so foul to me, I’ll do nothing for you” (p.

In the past, diseases were based on religion, superstition, and belief but not on science. People used to think that disease is caused by the decision of God. Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, attempts to think about the disease and found to be caused by environmental factors like climate, pollution, lifestyle, and poor nutrition. In the middle ages, quarantine was the only method to keep away from the

In the medieval western Europe times medical knowledge was ascribe to faith and religion. A physician was not a medical practitioner that was highly respected in this particular time era. Contrary, to the knowledge that some physician might have accumulated, some disease could not be cure by the practitioner; therefore, leaving the patients having to reach out to the hagiographical leader for advice and a cure. Using spiritual remedies as medicine was often prescribed for the sick The hagiographical leader was not just a spiritual doctor in medieval times, they were also medical practitioners that perform miracles with the help of Jesus Christ. Although, society in those times did not have a clear perception of health, they knew that a spiritual existence was involve in the inevitable decision of life and death.

Throughout time, medical personnel intertwine science with religion to comprehend the unexplainable and the incomprehensible. The basis of medical knowledge of the ancient Greek period included observation of a disease and attributing it to religion. However, The Sacred Disease takes the first step to start to value science and rationality over religion and superstition in medicine, but there is not a definitive mark that separates science from religious beliefs. The author addresses the issue of superstition and religion within the medical world and attempts to debunk it by humanizing the religious association of the term ‘divine.’ Even through the primeval medical information during the writings of the ‘sacred disease,’ the author bases

During the early modern period, hospitals in Europe's urban centers […] came under the control of nonreligious groups[…] At the same time, more positive ideas of keeping a person's good health and being cured of sickness suggested that illness was

Before the years of the Medieval or Dark Ages, medicine and the study of human anatomy was at an all time high with physicians like Galen who discovered much about what the human body was and what diseases were. By 750 AD, the progress in the medical field came to almost a complete stand-still due to the lack of ideas going around and no way of learning. During the Dark Ages, no one knew exactly who illnesses happened, or why, and it was like that for over three hundred years, no fresh ideas coming up until the Renaissance took over. The Church heavily influenced the way medical care was taken, and most scholars depended on Galen and a few famous physicians’ work.

The biomedical model focuses on the physical or biological aspects of disease and illness. It is more common in western countries of how health care professionals diagnosis and treat patients.The bio-medical use scientific and technological advances to make a cure for many diseases. The issue with the biomedical model is the lack of emphasis on the social, cultural, and other factors that can influence health. There is research supporting the idea that poverty, ethnicity, age, gender, and disability can impact healthcare treatments.However. since the biomedical model ignores this, it causes many people not to have a health care intervention that is relevant to them. The biomedical model use of controlled trials and biomedical evidence give u the best information on the cause of illness or disease. For a medical professional this can be very helpful when working with people with different diseases. Having a better understanding how a disease progress, and how it can affect someone can be useful when coming up with prevention treatments. The information from these controlled trials will be implied to make the best plan of care for a patient. Without the bio-medical model, the advancement in medical treatment will be very slow. The bio-medical model helps to support the professionals with the tools, and information they need to give better treatment to their patient, leading to a better health.However, the biomedical model may not always be beneficial for the patient. This

In this unit, illness and health are approached as social construct wich provides a new perspective towards the common outlook on medicine. Conrad and Baker argued that culture of illness, the experience of the disease and the medical practices are shaped by society. In accordance with this view, much of our attitude towards illnesses are derived from our own social values rather than empirical science. This is reflected in my own understanding of illnesses. when I get ill, I seek medical help by taking medication or by following conventional method of healing. For instance, with a cold, I take pills, drink plenty of fluid and consume chicken noodle soup. This western remedy that I have adopted would differ from my Chinese parents, who have

As the pace of social change quickens, children are faced with new social and environmental risks to their growth and development. Of these changes, childhood poverty poses the greatest threat to children 's well-being. One in four American children under the age of 3 years lives in poverty; (Haggerty 1999) a higher percentage of children live in poverty than any other age group. As pediatricians, we know that children in poverty experience a double jeopardy. First, they are more frequently exposed to risks to their health and development (such as lead poisoning, malnutrition, and family dysfunction). Second, children suffer more negative consequences (such as developmental delay and school dysfunction) from such exposure than do children

Throughout many readings, methods of study and findings criticism of sick role theory was visible or even implied. However it’s impossible for us to talk about the sick role without seeing the important contribution it has had in helping form a link between physiological, psychological and social processes. From my previous chapters I intended to illustrate Parsons functional study of social system. Here the attempt to understand broader concepts of his theory and criticisms by looking deeper into my questions of sick role application, role of doctors and the social control of deviance.

The biomedical model holds the belief that “disease either comes from outside the body, invade the body and cause physical changes within the body, or originates as internal involuntary physical changes” caused by bacteria, chemical imbalances, genetics and viruses (Ogden, 2007). This is seen as beyond the individual’s control, where individuals are seen as “victims” (Ogden, 2007), where responsibility for treatment lies with the medical profession and people should be treated with external medicines or methods such as surgery to change “the physical state of the body” (Ogden,

According to Kielhofner (2009), “The medical model is clearly the most influential and successful force in modern health care” p (238). The medical model is the method use by the physician to evaluate and treat patients. The medical model allows physicians to recognize diseases based on the signs, symptoms, etiology, and Prognosis. The physician has a lot of power over the patient. Kielhofner (2009) states that, “The medical model can thus be defined as the beliefs and knowledge that defined physicians as authoritative healers and that enable them to cure, ameliorate, or arrest disease through recognition and alternation of its