HEALTH AND MEDICINE

UNDERSTANDING HOW SOCIAL FORCES IMPACT WELL-BEING HEALTH –A STATE OF COMPLETE PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE… –HEALTH IS AS MUCH A SOCIAL AS A BIOLOGICAL ISSUE FOR SOCIOLOGISTS THINK IN TERMS OF THE ORGANIZATION OF SOCIETY WHAT’S MY SOCIAL CLASS GOT TO DO WITH MY ILLNESS?

PEOPLE JUDGE THEIR HEALTH IN RELATIVE TERMS PEOPLE PRONOUNCE AS “HEALTHY” WHAT THEY HOLD TO BE MORALLY GOOD CULTURAL STANDARDS OF HEALTH CHANGE OVER TIME HEALTH RELATES TO A SOCIETY’S TECHNOLOGY HEALTH RELATES TO SOCIAL INEQUALITY

A GLOBAL PEEK AT HEATH ISSUES LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES –SEVERE POVERTY CUTS INTO LIFE EXPECTANCY WHEN COMPARED TO RICH COUNTRIES ONE IN SIX PERSONS IN THE WORLD SUFFER FROM ILLNESSES DUE TO POVERTY –A LACK OF TRAINING MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL ALSO ADDS TO THE PROBLEM HIGH-INCOME COUNTRIES –INFECTIOUS DISEASES ARE LESS OF A THREAT, BUT CHRONIC CONDITIONS HAVE TAKEN THEIR PLACE HEART DISEASE, CANCERS, AND STROKE

INFLUEZA AND PNEUMONIA TUBERCULOSIS STOMACH/INTESTINAL DISEASES HEART DISEASE CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE KIDNEY DISEASE ACCIDENTS CANCER DISEASE OF INFANCY DIPTHERIA HEART ATTACK CANCER STROKE LUNG DISEASE (NONCANCEROUS) PNEUMONIA AND INFLUENZA ACCIDENTS DIABETES SUICIDE KIDNEY DISEASE CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE AND CIRRHOSIS LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN THE EARLY 1900sIN THE LATE 1990s

HEALTH IN AMERICA SOCIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY –HOW HEALTH AND DISEASE ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT A SOCIETY’S POPULATION LET’S EXAMINE ISSUES OF HEALTH AS THEY ARE RELATED TO VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE

DEATH IS SELDOM VISITED UPON THE YOUNG THESE DAYS –ACCIDENTS AND HIV/AIDS ARE TWO EXCEPTIONS ACROSS THE LIFE CYCLE –WOMEN FARE BETTER THAN MEN GENDER AS A HEALTH THREE –MASCULINITY LINKED WITH CORONARY PRONE BEHAVIOR TYPE “A” PERSONALITY TRAITS

INFANT MORTALITY RATES ARE TWICE AS HIGH FOR DISADVANTAGED GROUPS AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE POOR COMPARED TO WHITES WHITES CAN EXPECT TO LIVE LONGER AND BE IN BETTER HEALTH POVERTY ALSO BREEDS STRESS AND VIOLENCE

SMOKING MOST PREVENTABLE HAZZARD TO HEALTH SMOKING IS NOW DEFINED AS A MILD FORM OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR PEOPLE WITH LESS EDUCATION TEND TO BE SMOKERS LUNG CANCER IS NOW THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG WOMEN 430,000 MEN AND WOMEN DIE PREMATURELY EACH YEAR FROM TOBACCO RELATED DISEASES

IMPACT OF THE BEAUTY MYTH EATING DISORDERS –AN INTENSE INVOLVEMENT IN DIETING AND OTHER FORMS OF WEIGHT CONTROL IN ORDER TO BECOME VERY THIN 95% OF THOSE SUFFERING FROM ANOREXIA AND BULIMIA ARE WOMEN THE BEAUTY MYTH TELLS WOMEN TO EXAGGERATE THE IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS PRESSURES COME FROM SOCIETY, PARENTS, THE MEDIA, AS WELL AS WOMEN THEMSELVES

GONORRHEA AND SYPHILIS –356,000 CASES OF GONORRHEA ANNUALLY –38,000 CASES OF SYPHILIS ANNUALLY GENITAL HERPES –20-30 MILLION ADULTS INFECTED –THAT’S ONE IN SEVEN ADULTS! HIV/AIDS –THE MOST DEADLY OF ALL STD’S –TRANSMISSION IS THROUGH BLOOD, SEMEN, AND BREAST MILK, AND NOT THROUGH CASUAL CONTACT –EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE OF VITAL IMPORTANCE SINCE PREVENTION IS THE ONLY SAFEGUARD AGAINST HIV/AIDS

WHEN IS A PERSON DEAD? –WHEN AN IRREVERSIBLE STATE INVOLVING NO RESPONSE TO STIMULATION NO MOVEMENT OR BREATHING NO REFLEXES, AND NO INDICATION OF BRAIN ACTIVITY –DO PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DIE? 10,000 PEOPLE IN THE U.S.A. ARE IN A PERMANENT “VEGETATIVE STATE” THOUSANDS FACE TERMINAL ILLNESSES THAT WILL CAUSE HORRIBLE SUFFERING THE PERSONAL WISHES CONTAINED IN LIVING WILLS ARE NOW ADHERED TO MORE OFTEN

PASSIVE EUTHANASIA –ACTIVELY SUPPORTING THE RIGHT TO DIE ACTIVE EUTHANASIA –ASSISTING A PERSON TO DIE THE NETHERLANDS HAVE THE MOST LIBERAL LAWS STATE AND FEDERAL LAW –IN 1997, OREGON VOTERS ENDORSED LEGISLATION THAT ALLOWS DOCTORS TO ASSIST PATIENTS IN TERMINAL CASES –IN 1999, CONGRESS BEGAN DEBATING THE PASSAGE OF A LAW THAT WOULD PROHIBIT STATES FROM ADOPTING ALWS SIMILAR TO OREGON’S STATE LAW

MEDICINE IT IS THE SOCIAL INSTITUTION THAT FORCUES ON COMBATING DISEASE AND IMPROVING HEALTH THE RISE OF SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE –THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION WAS FOUNED IN 1847 THE AMA IS A STRONG BODY WHEN IT COMES TO LOBBYING AND PRESSURING GROUIPS TO CONFORM TO ITS STANDARDS –SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE BEGAN AS A VERY CLASS-ORIENTED CAREER WOMEN AND RACIAL MINORITIES WERE OFTEN EXCLUDED FROM MEDICAL SCHOOLS ONLY RECENTLY HAVE SCHOOLS GRADUATED MORE WOMEN AND OTHER MINORITIES

PRACTICING MEDICINE PATIENTS ARE PEOPLE –CONCERN FOR THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THE PERSON LIVES RESPONSIBILITY, NOT DEPENDENCY –FAVORING AN ACTIVE PATIENT ROLE RATHER THAN A REACTIVE ROLE PERSONAL TREATMENT –FAVORING A MORE PERSONAL ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH TO PRACTICE THE ART OF HEALING, SUCH AS THE PERSON’S DWELLING THE HOLISTIC APPROACH TO MEDICINE

PAYMENT FOR SERVICES A GLOBAL COMPARISON CHINA –GOVERNMENT CONTROLS MOST HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS RECENT CLAIMS OVER GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN SELLING ORGANS TAKEN FROM PRISON POPULATIONS RUSSIAN FEDERATION –MEDICAL CARE IS IN TRANSITION, BUT IT IS HELD THE ALL CITIZENS HAVE A RIGHT TO MEDICAL CARE SWEDEN –COMPULSORY GOVERNMENT MEDICAL CARE OFFERED TO ALL GREAT BRITAIN –MIXTURE OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES CANADA –A SINGLE-PAYER GOVERNMENT PROGRAM, BUT, LIKE BRITAIN, IT HAS A TWO-TIERED SYSTEM JAPAN –DOCTORS OPERATE PRIVATELY, BUT THERE IS A COMBINATION OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS

MEDICINE IN THE UNITED STATES DIRECT FEE SYSTEM –THE PATIENT PAYS DIRECTLY FOR SERVICES PROVIDED BY DOCTOR PRIVATE INSURANCE –IN 1997, 61% OF AMERICANS HAD ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE BENEFITS PUBLIC INSURANCE PROGRAMS –MEDICARE FOR THOSE OVER 65 –MEDICAID FOR THOSE IN POVERTY –IN TOTAL, 36% OF AMERICANS RECEIVE MEDICAL ATTENTION VIA SOME FORM OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAM, INCLUDING SOME WITH PRIVATE CARE INSURANCE HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS –AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL CARE TO SUBSCRIBERS FOR A FIXED FEE –BUT, WHO MAKES DECISIONS IN SUCH ORGANIZATIONS, DOCTORS OR ACCOUNTANTS? SINGLE-PAYER PROGRAM IN THE FUTURE? –INSURANCE WILL PROBABLY LOBBY AGAINST SUCH CHANGES DUE TO SELF-INTERESTS

HOW TO MAKE SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE OF HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS –THE SICK ROLE AND THE PHYSICIAN’S ROLE ILLNESS SUSPENDS ROUTINE DUTIES ILLNESS IS NOT DELIBERATE A SICK PERSON MUST WANT TO GET WELL A SICK PERSON MUST SEEK COMPETENT HELP SYMBOLIC-INTERACTION ANALSYIS –WE SOCIALLY CONSTRUCT ILLNESS AS WE CONTINUE TO INTERACT A DRAMATURLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE GYNECOLOGICAL EXAMINATION CLEARLY SHOWS THE PROCESSES INVOLVED SOCIAL-CONFLICT ANALYSIS –ISSUES OF: ACCESS, THE PROFIT MOTIVE, AND THE POLITICS OF MEDICINE INTERESTS OF ONE GROUP VERSUS OTHERS

THE FUTURE MOST PEOPLE ARE IN GOOD HEALTH IN AMERICA –MANY DISEASES THAT WERE PROBLEMATIC HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT –PEOPLE ARE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND TAKING MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN HEALTH CONCERNS MARGINAL PEOPLE –STILL NEED TO CARE MORE ABOUT THOSE GROUPS ON THE ECONOMIC FRINGE IMPROVING HEALTH WORLD-WIDE –INCREASING LIFE EXPECTANCY IS A MAJOR CHALLENGE TO GLOBAL HEATLH ORGANIZATIONS –COMBATING AND CONTROLING VIRUSES AND OTHER DISEASE THAT ARE “OUT THERE”