The first model of health and healing is the medical model. It was developed during the age of enlightenment in the 18th century. It was during this time that science began to dominate academia and medical practice (CDHN, n.d.). The core element or belief of modern health is that science must cure all diseases. The medical model of health appears easy to understand since it makes health an attribute that can be measured simply by determining if an illness is present or not. However, over-dependence on the influence of medical science and the emphasis on the absence of disease in health ignores the power of other important influences.
Another model of health and healing is the biopsychosocial model, also called the body, mind, spirit model. It was developed by psychiatrist George Engel in 1977. The model acknowledges the fact that many factors affect health and gives absolute attention to humanness. The biopsychosocial model perceives health as a scientific construct and a social phenomenon (CDHN, n.d.). The model often looks at the biological factors that affect health including age, gender, disease, and others. It also examines psychological factors such as individual beliefs and perceptions. Additionally, the model looks into social factors influencing health such as the presence or absence of relationships, the community, and others.
The third model of health promotion is the body-mind model. The body-mind model is consistent with the non-Cartesian framework, which suggested that the mind and body are not viewed as separate and opposite entities. The main premise of this approach is that processes of the mind (thinking and feeling) are embedded in one’s sensory and motor experiences. The body-mind model is developmental and epigenetic in nature: each core therapeutic process evolves from those that precede it and earlier developmental processes are revisited cyclically.
Some Models in Public Health
The tiered Model of Public Health is commonly used in addressing public health issues, including in approaches to countering violent extremism (NAP, 2017). This model is applied in the public health sector to implement the task of prevention. The four-tiered Model of Public Health Prevention has four levels of prevention such as primordial prevention, primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention. Primordial prevention focuses on social and economic policies affecting health. The primary prevention targets risk factors leading to disease and injury. Secondary prevention prevents injury or disease once exposed to risk factors at an early stage (NAP, 2017). Tertiary prevention (at the top) involves rehabilitating individuals with disease or injury to improve health.
Another model specifically used in public health is the CDC’s 10 Essential Functions of Public Health. The model was developed to guide how the public health system, approach, and workforce can contribute to improving community health. these 10 essential functions are widely accepted as forming the foundation for all public health activities (NAP, 2017). It explains in detail how each of the 10 essential functions can be applied to improve the health of many people