LOCAL HEALTH GOVERNMENT

Local government and public health focuses on the leadership role of local government in developing local public health systems that are capable of addressing the wider determinants of health. It maps available evidence and highlights some options for local decision makers.

Local government is the leading local democratic institution and as such is responsible for shaping the way that citizens are involved in their own wellbeing, can improve wellbeing in their communities, and hold local health and wellbeing services to account.

As part of local government’s place-shaping role, health needs to be brought into local policies and strategies, such as spatial planning or transport.

The scope for action is wide and the review has highlighted a range of approaches across different levels and sectors of local government activity. While an evidence base exists for some approaches, for newer ones the local government role has yet to be fully realised and evaluated.

Public health is best viewed as a system comprising interrelated networks and structures with many organisations and people having a part to play. Partnership working is necessary to develop coordinated action on public health and there exists a sizeable evidence base on the factors which make for success and failure; however, the evidence on outcomes is weak.

Prior to the return of public health to local government, research suggests that it was hard to maintain a focus on the social determinants of health; this was in part a consequence of tensions between national and local priorities pushing and pulling in different directions but also a consequence of the NHS’s focus on acute hospital care and treating individuals.

There is some evidence on the role of health scrutiny and on citizen participation in area based initiatives, but generally there is a lack of research on local democracy and public health, including the health role of mayors and elected members.

Evidence needs to feed into local government planning and decision making, but what is understood by evidence and the different types of evidence are hotly debated issues in public health. The review provides a guide to some of the major sources of evidence and highlights research gaps.

International research can provide some useful pointers to alternative models of local government action.

PROPER ILLNESS MANAGEMENT

The term self-management is often misunderstood by patient, carers and psychiatrist. The terms ‘self’ and ‘manage’ suggest that the patient has ownership of their condition, and will be responsible for managing their condition in isolation and without assistance. This is not the case. Self-management is the patient working in partnership with others, including health providers and carers to promote their health, manage their signs and symptoms, monitor behaviors and manage the impact of their condition. A good self-manager knows about their condition and is able to access resources and services to improve their everyday quality of life.

How can self-management help a person who has a chronic illness? Once you’ve decided to take an active role in managing your illness, you and your doctor can work together to set goals that will lead to better health. These goals will be part of an overall treatment plan.

Pick a problem. Take an honest look at the unhealthy aspects of your lifestyle. Start with a particular behavior that you’d like to change in order to have better control of your illness. For example, you might decide that you don’t eat enough vegetables, get enough exercise or take your medicines as your doctor tells you to.

 Get specific. Once you’ve identified a problem, state a specific goal for dealing with it. The more specific your goal is, the more likely you are to succeed. For example, instead of saying, “I’m going to exercise more,” decide what kind of exercise you’ll do. Be specific about what days of the week you’ll exercise and what times you’ll exercise on those days. Your new goal might be: “During my lunch hour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I’m going to walk 1 mile in the park.” Plan ahead. After you’ve stated your goal, think of things that could go wrong and plan how you’ll deal with them. For example, if it rains and you can’t go to the park, where will you go to walk? If you plan how to handle problems in advance, they won’t prevent you from meeting your goals. Check your confidence level. Ask yourself, “How confident am I that I’ll be able to meet this goal?” If the answer is “Not very confident,” you may need to start with a more realistic goal.

Follow up. As you’re working toward your goal, check in regularly with your doctor to let him or her know how you’re doing. If you’re having trouble following the plan, talk to your doctor to figure out why. Your setbacks can be learning experiences that help you make a new plan for success. One of the most important things to remember is that you can change your behavior. Even though your illness makes you feel helpless at times, if you work with your doctor to set goals and you take responsibility for following through with them, you can make changes that will lead to better health.

HELLO DRUGS!!!!

                      HELLO DRUGS!!!

Drugs???Is it really good or bad?When we say drugs, some people will automatically think of prohibited drugs but let`s just try to explain to them that there are different types of drugs. Sad to say but there are so many drug abusers, or even drug addicts. Believe it or not, but, not only the prohibited drugs could have bad effects on our body, but all kinds of drugs when used improperly.

Drugs are chemical substances that affect the processes of the mind or body. There are different kinds of drugs according to use; the regulated drugs which are used to cure illness, safe if properly used and can be bought over the counter without physician`s prescription, the other kind is the prescriptive drugs that can be obtained only by means of a physician`s prescription, and the third kind is the prohibited drugs that alters the state if mind from what is perceived as actual reality, it is also known as illegal drugs.

There are also classifications of drugs according to its effect; the opiates which are derived from opium and tending to induce sleep and relieve pain, the inhalants which are taken by inhaling, the hallucinogen that causes hallucination, the stimulant that can temporarily increase the functional activity of the brain, the depressant which is the opposite of stimulant. Alcohol is one example of both stimulant and depressant. At the first phase, it is a stimulant but when we already get drunk, our energy will subside until we fall asleep.

Philippines is one of the countries in which almost all criminal cases are caused by drug dependency or drug addiction. Most of the times, teenagers are the suspects of those cases. I think most of the times peer pressure, curiosity, trying to escape from problems at home, to prove their guts, and to relive tension or nervousness are the reasons why they intake prohibited drugs which a lot of times, causes criminal cases.

For the parents out there, try to conduct some evaluation on your children. Try to know who their friends are, and show your love to them. Do everything in order for them not to become delinquents. Let`s say, “Hello drugs.” It doesn`t mean that we have to use illegal drugs. It just means that we have to be aware on the different kinds of drugs, their effects, and causes of abuse.

Source:   

https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/studentlife/health/promotion/goto/resources         

/drugclassifications.html

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/takeaction/parent.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/talk_about_drugs.html

GET ON HIGH EXERCISE

   There are so many ways on developing habits to have a healthy body. Just like those who are using prohibited drugs, they have a term “high”. Let`s use that word in a positive manner, let`s be “high” on exercising. It simply means that it`s okay to be addicted in doing exercise at least once a day.          

                              GET HIGH ON EXERCISE...

       

  There are lots of reasons why we should do exercise at least once a day. It has so many positive effects to our health. Lack of regular exercise can lead to weight gain and increase the risk of having high blood cholesterol. Some people will need to take medicines prescribed by their doctor to lower their cholesterol in addition to eating a low saturated fat diet to reduce the risk of having a heart attack caused by hardening of the arteries. But if at the first place, they had a habit of having regular exercise, they will not need to spend money to buy their medicines and also, their lives will not be endangered.

   It is important for all of us to have a habit of exercising especially for the women before they get pregnant because every illness she have may be passed on to her baby, so if she had a high blood cholesterol, there is a big possibility that her baby will also have it as time pass by. Fix yourself first. Try to be fit before entering that stage, having a baby need not to be rushed, especially when the life of that offspring of yours will be endangered in the future.

       Some people takes exercising for granted, they just do it to impress someone, to look tough and to be presentable. It`s okay if they want to look nice but they must think of the best reason why they are exercising, their health.Our lifestyles have changed dramatically. With ever-increasing advances in technology we have become physically less active. The most prevalent diseases we suffer from today, i.e. heart disease, stroke, cancer, are related to our lifestyles, of which physical activity is a major part. Physical activity should be part of our daily and weekly routine. It is as essential as sleep and nourishment. Although many of us know that exercising will reduce the risk of disease and illness, the thought of exercise can still be overwhelming. Myths that contribute to an inactive lifestyle are that exercise has to be difficult, it has to hurt and you have to do lots of it to be beneficial. These are all false. Exercise is about enjoying a physically active lifestyle (e.g. walking or cycling to the shops rather than driving) that includes increasing your heart rate (such as brisk walking) a few times a week.

 Having a regular exercise is the best way to have a healthy body, but even though you are exercising almost every hour, if you can`t control your eating habits, you will have a hard time regulating your weight and lowering your cholesterol. Self-discipline is the most important thing a person should have in order for him or her to achieve his or her goals. Think of the positive effects of exercising before it`s too late for you. “Prevention is better than cure."

                                                                                                                                                                     Source:
 http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/hliving/startoex.html 

 http://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise

 http://www.webmd.com/baby/exercise-during-pregnancy