The biomedical model of medicine, has been around since the mid-nineteenth century as the model used by physicians when diagnosing a disease. This model focuses on the physical processes, of the disease. It does not take into account the role of social factors or individual subjectivity. The model also overlooks the fact that the diagnosis is a result of negotiation between doctor and patient. This model is at recognizing and treating most diseases. It has to be said that the biomedical model has been very useful at recognizing diseases, treating diseases and the reasons of the disease.
Social Model: Public health has been measured to the base of the social model and has mostly been contributed to the decline on mortality. To improve health you must address the origin of the ill health also behavioral, structural, material and cultural factors have an impact on health, but most people often have their own views about their own health which can differ quite a lot from professional views. One government initiative I have chosen (Choosing Health) is Smoking.
I am going to discuss campaigns associated with stopping smoking and the implications smoking has on our health.Most people know the dangers and what smoking can do to our health, but still people smoke why? Smoking kills around 114,000 people in the UK each year. About 42,800 are from smoking-related cancers, 30,600 from cardiovascular disease and 29,100 die slowly from emphysema and other lung diseases. Many other risks of smoking are, Smoking raises blood pressure, which can be a risk factor for heart attacks and stroke.
Couples who smoke are more likely to have fertility problems than couples who are non-smokers. Smoking worsens asthma. The blood vessels in the eye are sensitive and can be easily damaged by smoke, causing a bloodshot appearance and itchiness. Heavy smokers are twice as likely to get macular degeneration, resulting in the gradual loss of eyesight. Smokers run an increased risk of cataracts. Smokers take 25 per cent sicker day’s year than non-smokers. Smoking stains your teeth and gums. Smoking increases your risk of periodontal disease, which causes swollen gums, bad breath and teeth to fall out. Smoking causes an acid taste in the mouth and contributes to the development of ulcers.
Smoking also affects your looks: smokers have paler skin and more wrinkles. This is because smoking reduces the blood supply to the skin and lowers levels of vitamin A. As well as all of these health implications another reason to quit smoking is to protect others around you, from passive smoking. Passive smoking is where the smoke from your cigarette is breathed in by others around you. It is said that children who grow up in a home where either one of your parents smoke the child has twice the risk of developing asthma, infants under two years old are more likely to die from infections or cot death, for adults passive smoking increases the risk of lung cancer.
The products that are most damaging in the cigarette are, tar a substance causing cancer, nicotine is addictive and increases cholesterol levels in your body, carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in the body. Smoking also affects your life expectancy. Smoking is proving to reduce your life span by 7-8 years. As well as reducing your risk of getting a smoking-related illness, there are many other benefits on quitting smoking. When quit smoking your general health improves. Your sense of taste and smell improve. Your heart will be less strained and work more efficiently.
I researched that on average it takes four to five tries to give up, and there are a variety of things to help you and encourage you to give up smoking there are, Nicotine replacement treatment in the form of gum, skin patches or nasal spray, behavior modification programmers and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and hypnosis. There are many stop smoking campaigns. One which was launched earlier this year was The Big QUIT.
It was said that “NHS Smoke free joins forces with local radio stations to launch a nationwide campaign encouraging people to quit smoking for good, radio stations will be encouraging listeners to sign up to The Big Quit Club, and give up smoking through daily competitions, motivational emails, and pod casts from the voice of ‘Big Brother’ Marcus Bentley. There will also be NHS stop smoking advisors regularly appearing on air.” There are so many stop smoking campaigns (Smokefree,British Heart Foundation Give up smoking, quit now National Tobacco Campaign, Cancer Research UK Stop smoking etc) around today, each one has different methods of quitting and one of them could be to suit you.