If you have to write an argumentative essay on medicalization as a social concept, you need a topic. There are twenty potential topics listed below which might help.
Remember though that these are only a smattering of potential topics available to you and should be viewed in relation to your instructions.
- Social Construction of Illnesses in Medical Sociology
- Social Constructionist Tradition of Medicalization Understanding
- Social Constructionism as a Counterpoint to Deterministic Illness Approaches
- The Study of Medical Sociology as Revealing Medicalization Trends
- Illnesses and Their Cultural Meanings Throughout History
- Social Construction of Illnesses Based on How Individuals Learn about Their Illnesses
- The Social Construct of Illnesses at the Experiential Level
- Social Construction of Illnesses Based on How Individuals Learn to Live With Their Illnesses
- Medical Knowledge about Illnesses Constructed by Pharmaceutical Companies
- The Medicalization of Natural Inflammation Processes in the Body
- Medical Knowledge about Illnesses Constructed by Policy Makers
- Negative Ramifications of Treating Aging Process as a Medical Issue
- Negative Ramifications of Treating Emotions as a Medical Issue
- Negative Historical Impact of Treating Homosexuality as Mental Illness
- Historical Treatment of Sexuality as Health Illness or Disease
- The Trends in Medicalization as a Social Concept
- Historical Influencers and Parties in Medicalization as a Social Concept
- The Link Elements between Pharmaceutical Profits and Medicalization as a Social Concept
- The Linking Elements Between Pharmaceutical Research for Medicalized Illnesses Compared and Other Illnesses
- The Current Growth Levels of Medicalization as a Social Concept
Sample Argumentative Essay “The Medicalization of Natural Inflammation Processes in the Body”
Comprehensive and widespread lack of education has led to the medicalization of fitness. There are many facets to this which have suddenly become a medical issue in spite of the fact that they are natural biological responses. If people truly understood the nature of their bodies and how each system within the body worked, something which could be taught in remedial educational courses, there would be no need to treat these processes medical ones. The ideas of weight gain, weight loss, muscle gain, and the natural responses of the body. Various aspects of these states have been viewed as inflammation and have brought a great deal of medicalization, especially on anti-inflammatories.
When the body and the muscles within the body are worked as they often are in regular exercise or in response to agents within the body which are not meant to be there, the natural response is inflammation. This is not a bad thing and yet many people view even the slightest bit of inflammation of something terrible. When muscles are worked in the form of exercise in order to increase the muscle mass, they the muscle fibers are literally teared which leads to inflammation and then repairs. The muscle fibers are becoming larger. But for many people the idea of any inflammation becomes a cause of great fear.
The medicalization of simple bodily processes has led to a handful of anti-inflammatory agents available from over the counter. No longer do people need a prescription or even to pay a visit to a doctor. When the slightest bit of inflammation becomes evident they would medicate it to immediately rectify the situation. That being said, inflammation is a natural response, a natural process which does take a few days to be completed. To medicalization of the muscle or any other part affected body part which can lead to improper repairs. With medicalization, people are socially brought to believe that they should get rid of inflammation because it is bad. Today people take diet pills that help reduce inflammation. These pill simply contains foods that reduce inflammation. But rather than removing these foods from their diet people turn to pills.
Rather than allowing the body to go through its natural repair face and to work the magic it has to bring about improved health, people will stop the process in its tracks by taking medicines that they don’t need. Because it is now the established social concept many people are socially brought up to believe that inflammation is bad in any form. Unfortunately the exact opposite is true. As mentioned, inflammation is a natural response of the immune system and it is something which has to be allowed to run through its course. When people use the medicalization of such elements to their advantage the only ones benefiting are the companies producing the anti-inflammatories. On rare occasions are anti-inflammatory medications necessary due to the fact that the body systems are no longer responding properly to a situation and the current level of inflammation could lead to permanent damage. But this is not something which would ever happen to individuals who are taking the anti-inflammatory medications.
Simple headaches, simple growing pains, are simple muscular reactions to pools or tears or heavy exercises are just that. They are nothing more and they are nothing detrimental to the health of people’s bodies and yet the medicalization such facets has led to regular use of anti-inflammatories by citizens around the United States. It is imperative that changes be made to the current understanding of the bodily systems and body responses such as inflammation.
References:
Inderbitzin, Michelle Lee, Kristin Ann Bates, and Randy R Gainey. Deviance And Social Control. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2013. Print.
Miah, Andy, and Emma Rich. The Medicalization Of Cyberspace. London: Routledge, 2008. Print.
Mukherjea, Ananya. Understanding Emerging Epidemics. Bingley: Emerald, 2010. Print.
Rubington, Earl, and Martin S Weinberg. The Study Of Social Problems. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Print.
Szasz, Thomas. The Medicalization Of Everyday Life. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 2007. Print.
Yip, Lorraine Hor Kar. Transgender Jurisprudence, Identity And The Law: An Equality And Categorical Analysis. 2009. Print.
Zardini, Mirko, Giovanna Borasi, and Margaret Campbell. Imperfect Health. Montréal: Canadian Centre for Architecture, 2012. Print.