The Health of Populations: Beyond Medicine

The Health of Populations: Beyond Medicine uses current research and in-depth analysis to provide insights into the issues and challenges of population health; a subject of increasing concern, due largely to rapid population growth, population aging, rising costs and diminishing resources, health inequality, and the global rise in noncommunicable diseases. Reducing the global burden of disease requires prevention of disease incidence, which is achievable through reduction of exposure to primary (behavioral) and secondary (biomedical) risk factors. The 15 chapters of the book are divided into three sections that focus on the science of health, the harm of medicine, and how to achieve optimal health. By highlighting the benefits of preventing incidence of disease, this book illustrates how biomedicine needs to be repositioned form being the dominant approach in healthcare to being an adjunct to behavioral, legislative, social, and other preventive means for optimizing population health.

Heavily evidence-based and thoroughly referenced with hundreds of scientific citationsContains a glossary, as well as valuable tables, illustrations, and information boxes to further explain core contentProvides fresh perspectives on issues related to rapid population growth, population aging, rising costs, diminishing resources, health inequality, and moreCarefully distils extensive tracts of information, clarifies misunderstandings, and rebuts myths with the ultimate goal of encouraging better understanding of the action needed to promote optimal health for all

Part 1: The Science of Health 1. The Origins of Health 2. Current Patterns of Death and Disease 3. Twelve Millennia of Changing Human Habits and Habitats 4. Biomedicine and Common Causes of Mortality and Morbidity

Part 2: The Harm of Medicine 5. Medical Harm: What Is It and What Is the Extent? 6. Prescription Drugs, Surgery, and Infections 7. The Commercial Culture of Medicine 8. Pharmaceutical Industry Entanglement with Biomedical Science 9. The Charms and Harms of Personalized Medicine

Part 3: Achieving Optimal Health Sustainability 10. Healing Practices and Evidence-based Medicine 11. Placebo and the Therapeutic Process 12. Prevention and Control of Disease 13. Associated Prevention Concepts and Models 14. Optimal Health: Risk Factor Reduction and Adjunctive Biomedical Intervention 15. Mental Health