Recently I was reintroduced to the concept of medicalisation. To be honest, after my first exposure to the topic in 2011, it never really left me. I was lucky to have a combination of an inspiring lecturer in Peter Kennedy, and being able to make a strong connection outwith the biomedical perspective of health and illness for the first time during my bachelor studies. Now nearly 3 years later I was in Copenhagen and I had the pleasure of having a lecture with the fervent Peter Gøtzsche. I have got to admit, I found it hard at first, to digest the passion which Gøtzsche clearly portrayed during his two hour talk, but it left quite a formidable impression. I am once again drawn elusively towards this controversial and sobering topic.
Thursday 27 February 2014
Thursday 13 February 2014
mHealth’s Mounting Case to Combat Chronic Diseases
Like many people in the world, I can’t live without mobile technology in my life. Every minute of each day, I am one button away from calling, messaging, emailing, blogging, Facebook-ing and tweeting to a global audience. However with statistics such as 67.6% of adults worldwide have access to a mobile phone, and of the 5 billion wireless subscribers world wide, 70% are from low to middle income countries, mobile health (mHealth) might just be a key element in tackling and managing chronic diseases worldwide.
Thursday 6 February 2014
A Grand Reflection
When speaking to my soon to be 80 year old grandmother after Christmas, the penny finally dropped. After informing her of my possible travels to Tanzania and Sri Lanka in 2014, she inadvertently said something which I thought was quite profound. During her travels in her younger years, she recalled flying over Africa. She described how she looked out of the aeroplane window, to witness a sunrise which had colours and depth to which she had never witnessed in her life.
This made me ponder that 6.9 billion people on planet earth live in a world where the sunrises and falls every day. One individual’s sunrise may be mundane and grey, while another’s may be breathtakingly stunning. However the variation of this event is only truly appreciated and understood when it is seen first hand. I believe this is also the case for a multitude of aspects for health around the world.
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