Are we an over-medicalized society?

Our society is over medicalized.

Minor coughs, teasing, sex (too little or too much), and shyness have all become reasons to seek medical intervention. Procedures have to be evasive- advise will no longer do. Drugs to injections to operations are preferred by patients rather than hearing that a 'cold will just have to run it's course', 'juice, water and rest is good enough'.

Enter influenza.

There is nothing novel about the influenza strain. Just like every year it has continued to evolve with mutations seperating it from the preceding strain(s). However, what is different about this strain is that it is the first 'H'1 'N'1 combination ('H' has 16 different varieties and 'N' 9). This new combination means that the virus' characteristics are not known as it has never been identified and studied before. It also means that the interaction with the host isn't understood nor is it known, implying that plotting a correct course of action cannot be definative nor carefully proposed.

Key yet, is that the Avian Flu, the H5N1 strain, is the most lethal influenza strain to humans, and if contracted can lead to effects of greater magnitude than that of H1N1. To date, the World Health Organization, WHO, has confirmed 2 more cases of the Avain flu in Egypt, Cairo as of September 2009 of two 10- and 14- year old girls. Recall, influenza affects 20% of the total population. Of this group, 80% have gone on to contract H1N1 (accorinding to the University of Ottawa panel discussion, September 2009). The question begs: why is the H1N1 influenza strain, which is less viral and isn't affecting the entire population as once H5N1 did, leading to hysteria out of proportion to its potential effects?

Our society lives in a setting of heightened medical surveillance. Meaning, patients not only rely on health care professionals for diagnosis, but now rely on each other to identify- in us- symptoms of potential medical diagnosis. We watch each other, and report our findings to either the individual or a third party.

H1N1 is an emerging and recently unknown strain of influenza. Its entry into the host can be mitigated using less evasive tecniques, such as washing your hands, or coughing into a sleeve. Still, the general public prefers to treat H1N1 as a deadly pathogen, which it is not, and provide evasive tratment, injections, which it does not need.

Less evasive procedures will help deter the H1N1. Common sense, knowleedge, clean hands and moderate levels of sanitation will keep us safer than any level of an evasive medical procedure.

Sadly, the proportion of the H1N1 Flu is being over valued leading to its over medicalization.