The Nature of Health : How America Lost, and Can Regain, a Basic Human Value

This pioneering work addresses a key issue that confronts all industrialised nations: How do we organise healthcare services in accordance with fundamental human rights, whilst competing with scientific and technological advances, powerful commercial interests and widespread public ignorance? "The Nature of Health" presents a coherent, affordable and logical way to build a healthcare system. It argues against a health system fixated on the pursuit of longevity and suggests an alternative where the ability of an individual to function in worthwhile relationships is a better, more human goal. By reviewing the etymology, sociology and anthropology of health, this controversial guide examines the meaning of health, and proves how a community-centred healthcare system improves local economy, creates social capital and is affordable, rational, personal, and just. "This is badly needed nourishment for a medical system glutted on technology, individualism, profit and the pursuit of longevity. Read and be fed." - Christopher Koller, Health Insurance Commissioner, The State of Rhode Island, USA. "Unique. Surprising. A real eye-opener. Just about everyone who doesn't have a vested financial interest in maintaining the status quo will agree that U.S. healthcare is badly broken. [This book] is making it possible for us to refocus from how to provide healthcare to how to achieve health. Their description of health as successful functioning in community, rather than as a measure of longevity is a definition that can make a reader feel healthier as they take gradually appreciate the power of the concept. On this foundation, it is not as hard as one might think to outline a healthcare system that is equitable, affordable and achievable." - Alexander Blount EdD, Professor of Family Medicine, University of Massacusetts Medical Center. Front Cover 1 Contents 6 Foreword by Robert S. Lawrence 8 Michael Fine’s preface 12 Jim Peters’ preface 14 About the authors 17 Introduction 18 PART ONE: WHAT HEALTH IS NOT 22 1. The health we have 30 2. The health we buy 36 3. What we measure is not health 42 4. Medications are not health 50 5. Medicine is not health either 58 6. Science is business, not health 64 PART TWO: WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHY 74 7. The human tsunami 80 8. The reductive trap 96 9. The trap is sprung 104 10. How longevity kidnapped health 112 11. Medical services and communities 118 12. The zero-sum game 124 PART THREE: WHAT HEALTH IS 146 13. What Webster thinks 152 14. Old villages, new lives 162 15. Toward a social definition of health 166 16. Health and community together 172 17. Health and fairness 186 PART FOUR: WHAT’S NEXT? 194 18. Who gets what? 196 19. How should it look? 208 20. How should we pay for it? 220 21. Which doctors? 234 References 246 Bibliography 258 Back Cover 264 Content: Front Cover Contents Foreword by Robert S. Lawrence Michael Fine's preface Jim Peters' preface About the authors Introduction PART ONE: WHAT HEALTH IS NOT 1. The health we have 2. The health we buy 3. What we measure is not health 4. Medications are not health 5. Medicine is not health either 6. Science is business, not health PART TWO: WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHY 7. The human tsunami 8. The reductive trap 9. The trap is sprung 10. How longevity kidnapped health 11. Medical services and communities 12. The zero-sum game PART THREE: WHAT HEALTH IS 13. What Webster thinks. 14. Old villages, new lives15. Toward a social definition of health 16. Health and community together 17. Health and fairness PART FOUR: WHAT'S NEXT? 18. Who gets what? 19. How should it look? 20. How should we pay for it? 21. Which doctors? References Bibliography Back Cover. This book presents a coherent, affordable and logical way to build a healthcare system. It refocuses from how to provide healthcare to how to achieve health. The book argues against a health system fixated on the pursuit of longevity and suggests an alternative, more human goal.