Writing Journal

  1. Final November Exam
  2. Activity 2.1.5.1: Understanding the Question
  3.  Activity 2.1.5.2: Searching for Literature
  4. Free Writing Task and Lecture Questions
  5. Course Paper 1 and 2
  6. Group contract
  7. Group Assignment 1 – 4
(please not any missing activity from here will be in their respective sessions under Weekly Activities + Weekly Reflections

Final November Exam

Activity 2.1.5.1: Understanding the Question

Part 1: Revisiting your reflective narrative describing an experience of seeking health care.

Medicine is always evolving. Every year there is a new invention. Something like the nanophotonic electron accelerator (NEA) could be developed and used to kill certain cancers in the next few years. Due to this constant change I don’t think there can ever be a definition for health that fits everything. There is a base definition to work off and that is the WHO definition. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is a fundamental human right” (WHO, 1946). This is by no chance complete and there are things to add and remove but I think this is the prefect definition to work as a base for the more correct definition that is to be remade. Huber et al. definition of health: “health as the ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges.” I think this definition works well with the changing world. So joining the two we get is my proposed definitions. Health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being . It is the ability to manage and adapt in order to be content with one’s state of physical, mental, and social well-being. It is not the absence of diseases nor infirmity but how the individual is with the disease or infirmity. This is the closest we will get to a universal definition of health for now.

PART 2: Relating your reflective narrative to core themes and topics in HSS 1

Medicine is on a constant state of change. Every year there is a new invention. Something like the nanophotonic electron accelerator (NEA) could be developed and used to kill certain cancers in the next few years. [1] Medicine keeps evolving and thus makes it challenging to find a definition that fits everyone and everything when it come to the definition of health. This essay will speak about the definition of health and attempt to provide a universal definition for the current period of time. The current world wide agreed upon definition is the WHO definition. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is a fundamental human right” (WHO, 1946). [2] This is a good definition to work from but has some flaws. The word “complete” should be removed. “Complete” in context is biased. Someone who has lost a leg can still be considered healthy. If you look at a youtuber who goes by name of Alex1Leg. [3] He is in good shape. He weighted dipped 82 Kg’s in one of his videos.[4] If you know anything about gymming, you know that it’s impressive even for a “complete” healthy person. Alex lost his leg due to cancer but now he is healthier than the average human. There were comments about the addition of spiritual and religious well-being to the definition. I wouldn’t consider that a main component of health. I consider these as symptoms that dictate health. If you aren’t spiritually or religiously content that will have an impact on all 3 (physical, mental, social well-being). Another definition I have come across from Huber et al. (2011 ) goes like this: “health as the ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges.” [5] Alex is the perfect example of this definition of health. The definition needs to incorporate both the WHO definition and Huber et al definitions. Regardless of any definition we come up with it needs to be revisited every year. It is impossible to have a universal definition for every generation. That being said I propose my definition. Health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being . It is the ability to manage and adapt in order to be content with one’s state of physical, mental, and social well-being. It is not the absence of diseases nor infirmity but how the individual is with the disease or infirmity. Medicine keeps evolving. The WHO definition is a good base but is incomplete. The definition proposed in this essay is not one size fits all generations definition but for now it is the most inclusive definition.


Citation

  1.  SAPRA, N.V., YANG, K.Y., VERCRUYSSE, D., LEEDLE, K.J., BLACK, D.S., ENGLAND, R.J., SU, L., TRIVEDI, R., MIAO, Y., SOLGAARD, O. AND BYER, R.L., 2020. ON-CHIP INTEGRATED LASER-DRIVEN PARTICLE ACCELERATOR. SCIENCE, 367(6473), PP.79-83. (LINK)
  2.  WHO (1946). PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION AS ADOPTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CONFERENCE, NEW YORK, 19–22 JUNE, 1946.
  3.  HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/@ALEX1LEG
  4.  HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/SHORTS/LCH67OGOK8Q

Activity 2.1.5.2: Searching for Literature

Universal definition of health article:

  • O’Connell, T., Rasanathan, K. and Chopra, M., 2014. What does universal health coverage mean?. The Lancet, 383(9913), pp.277-279. (link)

Definition of health in South Africa article:

  • Coovadia, H., Jewkes, R., Barron, P., Sanders, D. and McIntyre, D., 2009. The health and health system of South Africa: historical roots of current public health challenges. The lancet, 374(9692), pp.817-834.(link)

What is the difference between the two articles?

  •  The universal article is talking about health coverage throughout the world. It talks about inequality and how third world countries do not get the health coverage that first world countries get. If they do get it, it is too expensive.
  •  South African Article speaks about how due to the inequality of health care during apartheid is still felt today. Even though health care is becoming equal the past health care effect todays generation due to many genetic and environmental factors.

Which article is more specific, relevant, and appropriate for your essay question? Why?

  •  None gave the definition of health but the second article was more relevant as it spoke about the factor of social well-being, which is a pillar in the general definition, effecting all health

Are there more words you could add onto the search term to make your search more specific, if so, list them below:

  • “Universal definition of health in humans”  adding  ‘in humans’  gave more specific searcher
  • “Universal definition of health in humans in Southern Africa”  adding  ‘in humans in Southern Africa’  gave more specific searcher

Free Writing Task

To do: write for 5 minutes completing this sentence:

“When I am sick I… and then…”

When I am sick I assess my symptoms. I see what possible medications I can take at home. I take the medications and see for how long these symptoms last. If these symptoms prolong then I go to the doctor and explain my whole process. If I have a severe headache I will take Panadol.  I will see if this headache continues for a day or two even after taking Panadol. If it does I go to the doctor. If it goes away, I take note of it and if later I have other symptoms and it does not go away with my above mentioned process I will mention the headache and the new symptoms to my doctor. 

Time taken 5 min 12 seconds 

 

Course Papers:

Course Paper 1

Medicine is in a constant state of change, from new advancements to changes in rules and ethics. The way care is provided will always change and be improved. Something like the nanophotonic electron accelerator (NEA) could be developed and used to kill certain cancers in the next few years. [Sapra et al, 2020]  Medicine keeps evolving and thus makes it challenging to find a definition that fits everyone. This essay will speak about the definition of health and attempt to provide a universal definition for the current period of time. It will share a base to be worked on in the near future.

The current worldwide agreed-upon definition is the WHO definition. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is a fundamental human right” (WHO, 1946). This is a good definition to work from but has some flaws.

The word “complete” should be removed as it introduces bias. The term implies that someone with a disability, such as the loss of a leg, is less healthy or capable. This is far from being accurate. For example, a YouTuber known as Alex1Leg (Alex1Leg, 2024), who lost his leg due to cancer, is in excellent physical condition. In one of his videos, he performed weighted dips with 82 kg  [Alex1Leg, 2024], an impressive feat by any standard. Alex is healthier than the average person, demonstrating that physical health and capability are not diminished by the loss of a limb.

The addition of themes such as spirituality and religious well-being to the definitions was suggested. Although this does include traditional healers, the addition of these themes doesn’t fit universally. Traditional healers are a big part of South Africa, and Africa as a whole. They aid in less clustering in hospitals and people and allow for more critical patients to get treatment. Although all the aforementioned are true, the themes still do not fit health. These themes are merely symptoms that dictate health. If an individual is not spiritually or religiously content that may have an impact on their physical, mental or social well-being. It is good to think about spirituality and religious well-being not as a core concept but as a symptom of the effect core concept.

“… It is a fundamental human right”. This brings about equality. Equality at its core is good but it isn’t fair. A rich man may need less health care and attention than a poor man but if they receive the same health care the poor man is significantly disadvantaged. The addition of “equity” should be included. This raises the inclusion based on the “PROGRESS-Plus” groups. This includes Place of residence,  Race, Occupation, Gender, Religion, Education, Socioeconomic status, Social capital/networks, Age, disability, and sexual orientation. [Amilcar, 2024]

When I was 7 years old I broke my ankle. We lived in a small town in Limpopo. As an Indian, I was a minority and appeared to be part of the wealthy class. This is far from the truth. My family wasn’t well off and when I broke my ankle I was rushed to a public hospital. Due to my assumed wealth, I didn’t get any type of care or treatment for a week. The nurses and doctors just assumed that I would leave and go to a private hospital. This left lasting damage and on cold nights my ankles pain. If the hospital had followed the simple addition of equity to the definition, all of this would have been avoided. I would have gotten immediate care and would not suffer from lasting symptoms.

Another definition from Huber et al. (2011 ) proposed the definition of health as, “the is the ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges.” [Huber et al, 2011] Alex is the perfect example of this definition of health. Despite the challenges of losing a leg, he appears to be healthier than average. He is able to perform tasks more efficiently than the average human. Although this includes a lot of people, it is also incomplete and needs modification.

A good definition needs to look at both the biomedical model and the biopsychosocial model. Although there are some biopsychosocial elements to Huber et al’s definition, his definition focuses more on the biomedical model. It focuses on how one can physically adapt to change rather than psychosocially. The WHO definition better incorporates both the biomedical model and the biopsychosocial model.

Regardless of any definition one may come up with it needs to be revisited every year. It is impossible to have a universal definition for every generation. With new innovations come new solutions. With new solutions come new problems and thus new definitions. As Socrates once said, “The more you learn, the less you know,”

Although it is impossible to have a universal definition for health it can be built on every generation. This essay suggests the joining of both WHO and Huber et al’s definitions with minor modifications. It will include and be fair to everyone. This new definition will include people like alex1Leg and view him as healthy. It will also include everyone from the PROGRESS-Plus group and include both the biomedical model and the biopsychosocial model

The definition proposed goes as follows: Health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being. It is the ability to manage and adapt in order to be content with one’s state of physical, mental, and social well-being. It is not the absence of diseases or infirmity but how the individual is with the disease or infirmity. It is a fundamental right, in equity.

Medicine and health care will keep evolving and a clear definition for every generation is impossible. It is important to keep working off the basis of the previous definition and modifying it to best suit generations. A good definition includes equity, and both the biomedical model and the biopsychosocial model. The definition suggested by this essay is not a one-size-fits-generation definition but for now, it is the most inclusive definition.

 

Word count:1007

Citation

  1. SAPRA, N.V., YANG, K.Y., VERCRUYSSE, D., LEEDLE, K.J., BLACK, D.S., ENGLAND, R.J., SU, L., TRIVEDI, R., MIAO, Y., SOLGAARD, O. AND BYER, R.L., 2020. ON-CHIP INTEGRATED LASER-DRIVEN PARTICLE ACCELERATOR. SCIENCE, 367(6473), PP.79-83. (LINK) [ACCESSED 15 AUGUST]
  2. WHO (1946). PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION AS ADOPTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CONFERENCE, NEW YORK, 19–22 JUNE, 1946. [ACCESSED 15 AUGUST]
  3. WWW.YOUTUBE.COM. (N.D.). ALEX1LEG – YOUTUBE. [ONLINE] AVAILABLE AT: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lcH67oGOk8Q [ACCESSED 15 AUGUST]
  4. WWW.YOUTUBE.COM. (N.D.). ALEX1LEG – YOUTUBE. [ONLINE] AVAILABLE AT: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lcH67oGOk8Q [ACCESSED 15 AUGUST]
  5. HUBER, M., KNOTTNERUS, J.A., GREEN, L., VAN DER HORST, H., JADAD, A.R., KROMHOUT, D., LEONARD, B., LORIG, K., LOUREIRO, M.I., VAN DER MEER, J.W. AND SCHNABEL, P., 2011. HOW SHOULD WE DEFINE HEALTH?. [ACCESSED 15 AUGUST]
  6. Amilcar Juggernath, BACHELOR OF HEALTH SCIENCE PUBLIC HEALTH BLOCK EQUITY AND HEALTH (2),2024, P4, [ACCESSED 15 AUGUST]
 

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