The Western Care model, including American and European care models, reflects the holistic, humanistic image of the man. Such image derives from Christianity, which serves as the basis for defining the specifics of human nature, which unites soul and body.
While the mentioned care models pay much attention to the microcosm of a human body, they lack precision in reflecting the specifics of the macrocosm of the environment.
Such approach can be considered to lack comprehensiveness, as appropriate caring about the human body is impossible without caring about the external environmental factors. The analysis of the concepts of micro and macro-cosmos in medicine helps to reveal the important components of effective care models for such common diseases as Diabetes.
The theory of micro and macro-cosmos originates from ancient Greek philosophical concepts. According to this theory, a man (micro-cosmos) is a representation of a universe (macro-cosmos). Such thought is based on the assumption that many of the characteristics of human body reflect the structure of the universe. Therefore, a human body is a reflection of a harmonious organization of the world.
Pythagoras was one of the first scientists and philosophers identifying the continuity between the universe and a human while Plato described the “soul of cosmos in its anthropomorphic representation” in more details (“Microcosm and Macrocosm” par.7). Cosmos has a perfect structure that includes the elements that are related to each other and present a harmonious unity.
The human body has the same structure, as all organs and body systems are interrelated with each other and can function properly only as a healthy unity.
As a result of accepting the discussed theory, medicine ensures that treatment of health problems is holistic and takes into account the functioning of all body systems. Such concept is reflected in care models that emphasize the importance of taking care of the whole organism while treating a disease of a distinct organ or system.
While the described approach to medicine has its clear advantages, it usually lacks the attention paid to the macro-cosmos – the world where we live. However, the environment can be considered one of the main factors impacting the microcosm of the human body. The specifics of the world surrounding us influence the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, etc.
Therefore, the holistic care model should include not only care about all of the body systems but also care about nature systems. One of the most common chronic diseases, Diabetes, is directly related to the impact of environmental factors.
The importance of having a healthy diet consisting of organic products to prevent and lessen the manifestations of diabetes reflects the significance of environmental factors, as they impact the food we eat. The number of scientific studies has disclosed the relation between such dietary factors as the duration of breastfeeding and the quality of products and the elevated chances of getting Diabetes 1(Knip and Simell 6; Deed et al. 288).
Another environmental factor contributing to the prevalence of Diabetes is air pollution, which is considered responsible for triggering Diabetes 2 (Pasala, Rao, and Sridhar 63) and Diabetes 1 (Hathout et al. 86). Water pollution has also been recognized as the factor that influences the onset of Diabetes (Sofi et al. 632).
The knowledge about the external factors serving as triggers for Diabetes 1 and Diabetes 2 should become the basis of Diabetes prevention used in modern care models. Such prevention should be based on the assumption that the quality of our environment is directly related to the chances of the onset of Diabetes in children and adults.
The methods of preventing Diabetes through adjusting care model to the external factors should include the actions that make the general environmental situation healthier. For example, organizing efforts aimed at improving the quality of the grains, vegetables, and fruits raised in the country can benefit the diet of the population, and, therefore, decrease Diabetes incidence.
Moreover, such dietary recommendations to Diabetic people as lowering the consumption of red meat is directly related to the improvement of nature, as the massive production of meat is one of the main factors contributing to air pollution worldwide.
This example illustrates the strong relation between a microcosm of a human being and a macrocosm of the universe, as even the smallest everyday habits have an impact on the world.
Other efforts that should be included in care model aimed at preventing Diabetes should include avoiding water and air pollution caused by heavy industries, transport, etc. The discussed guidelines can significantly decrease the prevalence of Diabetes and are already used by many environmentally-conscious people.
The analysis of the concept of micro and macro-cosmos in medicine and the influence of environmental factors on the prevalence of Diabetes reveals that including care about such element of macro-cosmos as environment is one of the powerful keys to ensuring the harmonious functioning of the microcosm of a human being and preventing the growing rates of incidence of Diabetes.
Works Cited
Deed, Gary, John Barlow, Dev Kawol, Gary Kilov, Anita Sharma, and Liew Yu Hwa. “Diet and Diabetes.” Australian Family Physician 44.5 (2015): 288-292. Print.
Hathout, Eba, Lawrence Beeson, Mariam Ischander, Ravindra Rao, and John Mace. “Air Pollution and Type 1 Diabetes in Children.” Pediatric Diabetes 7 (2006): 81-87. Print.
Knip, Mikael, and Olli Simell. “Environmental Triggers of Type 1 Diabetes.” Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine 2 (2012): 1-15. Print.
Microcosm and Macrocosm. n.d. Web.
Pasala, Sudhir, Allam Rao, and Gary Sridhar. “Built Environment and Diabetes.” International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries 30.2 (2010): 63-68. Print.
Sofi, Hanief, Radhika Gudi, Subha Karumuthil-Melethil, Nicolas Perez, Benjamin Johnson, and Chenthamarakshan Vasu. “PH of Drinking Water Influences the Composition of Gut Microbiome and Type 1 Diabetes Incidence.” Diabetes 63 (2014): 632-644. Print.