Searching for Health by
An insider's guide to searching online, communicating with your physician, and maximizing your health from a doctor who works at Google. We've all been there. Late at night, staring into the glow of a phone trying to make sense of some health-related issue that we know nothing about. In Searching for Health, Dr. Kapil Parakh, with Anna Dirksen, brings to life knowledge he gained from working at Google and practicing medicine. Helping readers avoid common pitfalls, get the information they need, and partner effectively with their health team to figure out a path to good health together, the book distills decades of scientific research into a set of easy-to-follow tips. It also incorporates * firsthand accounts of common challenges on the path to good health; * an inside look at how doctors approach and assess health-related information; * techniques that consumers can use to locate evidence-based information online, whether in blogs, social media postings, forums, or news stories; * guidance on how individuals can make the best use of new technologies, such as health trackers and other applications; * recommendations to help patients assess health information for themselves and make decisions based on what they find; * brief summaries of the scientific studies underpinning the recommendations; and * online and offline resources--including handy checklists and worksheets--to help readers prepare for appointments, discuss tough topics with their doctors, and take control of their health. In addition to helping readers find evidence-based information online, the book provides insights into what you can expect from a visit to a doctor or hospital, how to make a decision about surgery or other treatment, what tests doctors will order, which symptom trackers are really effective, and what questions to ask about medications, supplements, and more. Searching for Health is a valuable resource for charting a healthier path through life.
Contemporary Public Health by
"Public health" refers to the management and prevention of disease within a population by promoting healthy behaviors and environments in an effort to create a higher standard of living. In this comprehensive volume, editors James W. Holsinger Jr. and F. Douglas Scutchfield and an esteemed group of scholars and practitioners offer a concise overview of this burgeoning field, emphasizing that the need for effective services has never been greater. Designed as a supplemental text for introductory courses in public health practice at the undergraduate and graduate levels, Contemporary Public Health provides historical background that contextualizes the current state of the field and explores the major issues practitioners face today. It addresses essential topics such as the social and ecological determinants of health and their impact on practice, marginalized populations, the role of community-oriented primary care, accreditation, and the organizational landscape of the American public health system. Finally, it examines the opioid epidemic, the impact of pandemics including COVID-19, and international public health and explores the potential of systems based on multilevel partnerships of government, academic, and nonprofit organizations. With fresh historical and methodological analyses conducted by an impressive group of distinguished authors, Contemporary Public Health is an essential resource for practitioners, health advocates, students, legislators, and informed citizens.
The United States Healthcare System by
The complexity of the United States healthcare system is well known, as are its challenges and shortcomings. A vital task in the years ahead will be to transition the system toward a new paradigm - one that more effectively balances quality, costs, and access to support the overall well-being of the American people. The United States Healthcare System: Overview, Driving Forces, and Outlook for the Future is intended for the healthcare professionals who will lead the transformation to optimized health and healthcare solutions. The book presents a broad overview of the system's numerous components, assesses the historical influences that brought us to our present state, and examines the trends and emerging opportunities through which we can attain a better future. Over the course of 14 chapters, the book examines such topics as the following: The system's origins and development The nature of health and well-being Categories of health services delivery The roles of organizations and providers Financing mechanisms, past and present Comparisons with other countries Quality and safety improvement The impact of technology The politicization of healthcare Ongoing reform efforts The book's chapters establish a firm knowledge base for each topic while also inviting deeper discussion and further exploration. Collectively, they aim to foster a thorough, multidimensional understanding of how the healthcare system functions, how it has evolved, and how it can be improved.
The first component of health literacy is knowledge of health, health care, and health systems. In this context, "knowledge" refers to understanding factual information about health. This can be further broken down into 4 types of health knowledge.
Skills for evaluating resources can be used everyday. Below are two methods for quickly assessing your sources.
Lateral reading is a process for vetting information where you check your source of information using a third party. When using lateral reading in your research, you will find manipulation and biases quickly and efficiently. Watch this brief video for examples and elaboration.
The Four Moves of SIFT were developed by Mike Caufield, Director of Blended & Networked Learning at Washington State University. They are an extensive and thorough process for evaluating information. View the following series of videos by Mike Caufield for training in the SIFT moves.
Critical thinking skills have a significant impact on how you process information and share it with others. Below are suggestions for developing these types of skills in health-related situations.
Many clinicians and patients fall into "one thing" thinking. See if this sounds familiar: if we change one thing about our lifestyles, it will make us healthier people with longer lives. Analytically, we know that there are multiple factors that lead to disease and/or illness, but it is easy to be persuaded by someone who says they know the one thing that will make your life better.
Here are some examples of "one thing" suggested to help with a common condition: arthritis.
None of these home remedies have shown promise after being researched, but we all know someone who swears by a diet that excludes one nutritional component (no carb, no fat, no processed sugar) or includes a secret ingredient (chili peppers, vinegar, local honey). We like these answers because changing one thing is much easier than changing an entire lifestyle.
When combined with motivated reasoning, "one thing" thinking can cause someone to believe experts are hiding information from them. That experts know about this "one thing" and they don't want anyone else to have that power.
Problems are rarely solved by one thing, and health is much more than home remedies. Pharmaceutical companies love "one thing" thinking. With stakes this high, we can't fall into this habit. Consider contributing factors and prove your findings through rigorous testing using the scientific method.
Dr. F. Perry Wilson, author of How Medicine Works and When it Doesn't, labels motivated reasoning as "the most devastating public health crisis." Motivated reasoning is our brain's process of molding and shaping the facts we are given to fit what we believe should be true. This effects both clinicians and patients. Medical professionals want their patients to be well and patients don't want to change. Being aware of these biases will help us to evaluate ourselves while we evaluate information we are given.
Four Ways to Demotivate Your Reasoning
You have probably heard the phrase "correlation doesn't equal causation." That is to say, just because two facts exist doesn't mean one caused the other. Confounding variables appear to be linked to outcomes, so they create the illusion of causing that outcome.
Medical tests have shown that people with low vitamin D are more likely to experience cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. If low vitamin D caused these poor health outcomes, then increasing vitamin D through supplements could be a cheap and easy way to prevent poor health. A randomized trial published in 2019 examined how increasing Vitamin D effects cancer. With nearly 26,000 participants, they found no association between vitamin D and cancer prevention (Manson et. al). Similar experiments looking into diabetes, fall prevention, and prolonged life found similar results - increasing vitamin D had no effect on these indicators of poor health.
Regardless, it is true that lower levels of vitamin D are more prevalent in people with poor health. Instead of viewing vitamin D as a cause, let's view it as a result of lifestyle choices. Vitamin D is increased when people go outside, eat a diet rich in fish, and exercise. In this example, lifestyle choices are leading to better health, and vitamin D production is another side effect.
Now, let's look at vitamin D as a social factor. People with darker complexions synthesize less vitamin D and are more likely to face health inequities because of their race. Again, this confounds the idea that vitamin D impacts health. Socio-economic factors are a stronger determinate of health than vitamin D levels.