Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Rodale.
Moving away from top down controls, a likely center for regeneration, compatible with national tradition, is the local civic entity: village, town and city. A model of the Prevention Council is proposed to capture energies from the various social strata in shaping a healthier community.
Only a few decades ago, people who exhibited a strong interest in following a healthful lifestyle were considered odd and out of the mainstream. Today, almost the reverse is true. No one event or specific education program can be identified as a cause. The continuous flow of health information, particularly through the print media, is probably a major factor. There is a growing understanding that health is more than the absence of disease and that the conventional medical system offers primarily disease control. Rodale Press has capitalized on these trends by providing strong company support for healthful living. Specific programs, such as the People's Medical Society, have been devised to encourage the transition from doctor-patient relationships to person-doctor partnerships.
The careful selection of a physician or hospital is important to the quality of health care received. Unfortunately, our present medical/health system does not provide laypeople with the opportunity to take active, informed roles in choosing their own medical care. In order to make such decisions, laypeople need to have more useful information concerning the quality of their medical providers. Nonprofessional users of the system should become more actively involved in the evaluation of hospitals and physicians. In doing so, people will not only improve their health, but also help to restructure the medical system into one that is more efficient and responsive to their needs.