Medical science is a field that attempts to “explain how the human body
works” (The School of Health n.d.). There have been many advancements to
aid in this progress including stem cell research, genetic coding, prosthetics,
drug therapy, and more. While technological advancements in healthcare
are great, could they actually be stunting the health of the public?
A surprising note is that while there have been many medical advancements
in recent years, healthcare and disease trends have not changed much. For
example, since the year 2000, life expectancy has only increased by two
years (National Center for Health Statistics, 2021). Some health statistics
have actually increased including cases of alzheimer’s disease and suicide.
Why is the health of the population not changing in the face of great
technological advancements?
Reliance on medicine and technology to fix everything has become a
downfall of the American people. Rather than proactively trying to solve a
problem before it starts, they may be more inclined to just find a solution
instead. This is made easier when there are many solutions being offered by
healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. There are numerous benefits to
exercise, but why do it when there could be a pill that helps you burn fat
without putting in the effort to do so (Fox, 2008)? This mentality may lead
to higher cases of disease as Americans search for solutions rather than
preventions. Putting a bandaid on a serious wound does not actually fix the
problem, it just contains the situation. Blindly putting faith into companies
wrought with greed can also lead to the public being taken advantage of as
the price of these solutions may put them into debt.
References
Fox, Stuart. (2008). This Pill Will Change Your Life. Popular Science.
Retrieved from https://www.popsci.com/stuart-fox/gallery/2008-08/pill-
will-change-your-life/
National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2019. 2019 At-
a-glance Table. Hyattsville, MD. 2021. Available from:
https://wwww.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/ataglance.htm.
The School of Health. n.d. What is Medical Science? Retrieved from
https://www.schoolofhealth.com/medical-sciences/what-is-medical-
science/
