Unit 1: Consumer Health

I. Introduction
• Where did you last spend your money? What item
did you buy? Why?
• What kind of service did you last avail? Who
recently shared with you a new health
information?
• These are only a few of the things that concern
you as adolescents. Decision-making is an
important skill that you must learn in order to live
a healthy and normal life. This module will help
you understand the basics of consumer health.
Consumer health aims to develop a person’s
ability to evaluate and utilize health information,
products, and services wisely and effectively.
All of us are consumers. We acquire health
information, purchase health products, and avail of
health services to appraise, improve, and maintain
our health. Health information is any idea that we
hear from people around us, read from books and
other printed materials, or from the media that
influence our health. Health products are items that
we consume to improve our well-being, like
medicine, food, clothes, furniture, electronics, etc.
Health services are programs we avail from various
providers such as physicians, nurses, therapists,
health workers, hospitals, clinics, and the
government. Some examples of these health
services are insurance, treatment and cure,
complementary and alternative medicine.
• Consumer health has three components:
health information, health products, and
health services. What you have gathered from
your classmates is health information. Health
information plays a big role in the life of
individuals. “It is information that people
require to make wise choices and decisions
about their health or the health of [other
people]’
Health information is any concept, step, or advice
that various sources give to aid the health status
of an individual. The type of information varies
depending on "diseases, sexual health, weight
loss/gain, drugs and alcohol, depression/mental
illness, violence, smoking, eating disorders,
acne/skin care, local clinics, and sexual assault”.
The information is critical as it may alter
the health conditions of a person. Another
important characteristic of health
information is that it is continuously and
rapidly changing. Thus, it "should be
timely, relevant, culturally appropriate,
accessible, and delivered in a relevant
format”. There is a great need to update
oneself regarding current research and
evidence available in the field
Aside from health
information, people also
consume health products.
Health products are food,
drugs, cosmetics, devices,
biological, vaccines, in-vitro
diagnostic reagents, and
household/urban hazardous
substances and/or a
combination of and/or a
derivative thereof (FDA Act,
2009). These products may
be purchased from various
places like supermarkets,
pharmacies, and hospitals.
People acquire health information and
products from various sources like people,
media, and technology. It is important to
identify the reliability of these sources.

Reliable sources of health information and

products are licensed professionals who took
up specialized and intensive studies in the
field. They are the ones who have the
qualified educational background and can give
scientific explanation to validate information.
We can also find reliable health
information from health books, and
accredited online sources. On the
other hand, unreliable sources of
information and products are those
from people who are not experts in
this field.
Aside from health information and products, people also avail
of various health services from different providers.

Health services are often connected to healthcare. These

programs aim to appraise the health conditions of individuals
through screening and examinations, cure and treat
disorders, prevent and control the spread of diseases, provide
safety, emergency care, and first aid, and ensure a follow-up
program for individuals who have undergone treatments.
Health services are usually offered by healthcare
providers. “A healthcare provider is a trained
professional who provides people with healthcare’’.
There are different types of healthcare providers, such
as:

I. Health Professionals
Individuals who are licensed to practice medicine and
other allied health programs. An example of a health
professional is a physician. A physician records the
medical history of individuals, provides diagnoses,
performs medical examinations, and prescribes
medications. There are different types of physicians
based on their area of specialization.
• a. cardiologist - is a doctor with special training and skill in
finding, treating and preventing diseases of the heart
and blood vessels.
• b. dermatologist - is the medical expert you should consult
if you have any significant problem with your skin.
• c. gastroenterologist - A physician who specializes in the
diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive system.
• d .geriatrician - a doctor who specializes in the care and
treatment of old people who are ill.
• e. gynecologist - A physician who specializes in treating
diseases of the female reproductive organs and providing
well-woman health care that focuses primarily on the
reproductive organs.
• f. neurologist - A doctor who specializes in treating diseases
of the nervous system.
• g. orthopedist - An orthopedic surgeon, a
physician who corrects congenital or functional
abnormalities of the bones with surgery, casting,
and bracing. Orthopedists also treat injuries to
the bones.
• h. ophthalmologist - a specialist in medical and
surgical eye problems. Since ophthalmologists
perform operations on eyes, they are both
surgical and medical specialists.
• i. pediatrician - a medical practitioner specializing
in children and their diseases.
• j. pulmonologist - or pulmonary disease
specialist, is a physician who possesses
specialized knowledge and skill in the
diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary
(lung) conditions and diseases.
• k. urologist - a physician who has
specialized knowledge and skill regarding
problems of the male and female
urinary tract and the male reproductive
organs.
DO YOU KNOW?

Healthcare practitioners and allied health professionals

are also considered health care providers.

"A healthcare practitioner is an independent healthcare

provider who is licensed to practice on a specific area of
the body. Some examples of healthcare practitioners
are podiatrists (who specialize in the problems of the
feet), dentists, and optometrists.
On the other hand, "an
allied health professional is
a trained healthcare
provider who practices
under the supervision of a
physician or healthcare
practitioner”. Nurses,
dieticians, pharmacists, and
physical therapists are
examples of allied health
professionals.
II. Healthcare Facilities
Healthcare facilities are places or institutions that offer
healthcare services. There are different types of healthcare
facilities.

• Hospital
It is an institution where people undergo medical diagnosis,
care and treatment. A hospital offers different types of
medical care like inpatient and outpatient care. Inpatient care
refers to care given to individuals who need to stay inside the
hospital to receive proper treatment, monitoring and care.
On the other hand, outpatient care refers to treatment that
does not require an individual to stay inside the hospital.
Different kinds of hospitals: private, voluntary,
government, and teaching.

• Private hospital is operated by individuals

to gain profit.
• Voluntary hospital does not require profit
because it is owned by a community or an
organization.
• Government or public hospital is being run
by the state and the treatment fees are
subsidized.
• Teaching hospital includes a school for
medical students.
In the Philippines, there are two classifications of
hospitals: general and specialty.
• General hospitals have complete medical,
surgical, and maternal care facilities. Some
examples are the Philippine General Hospital,
Baguio General Hospital, Cebu General Hospital,
and Davao Medical Center.
• Specialty hospitals handle
a particular disease or
condition or deal with only
one type of patient. Some
examples are the Philippine
Heart Center, Lung Center
of the Philippines, and
National Kidney Transplant
Institute.
Walk-In Surgery Center
• It is a facility that offers surgery
without the patient being
admitted in the hospital.

c. Health Center
• The services in a health center
cater to a specific population
with various health needs.

d. Extended Healthcare Facility

• A facility that provides
treatment, nursing care, and
residential services to patients,
often the elderly.
• Health Insurance
'"Health insurance is a financial agreement between
an insurance company and an individual or group for
the payment of healthcare costs”. This also may
pertain to a "protection that provides benefits for
sickness and injury”.
It offers various types of coverage: "medical
insurance, major medical insurance, hospitalization
insurance, surgical insurance, and disability
insurance”.
Medical insurance pays for the fees of the health
professionals, laboratory tests, and prescription
drugs.
Major medical insurance offers payment for long-
term or chronic diseases such as AIDS and cancer.
Hospitalization insurance pays for the stay of the
patient inside the hospital.
Surgical insurance pays for surgery fees.
Disability insurance provides financing for
members who meet accidents or suffer from
illnesses.
Health insurance may be sourced from both public and
private companies. An example of public health
insurance is PhilHealth. As mandated by law in the
country, employees of both public and private
companies avail of PhilHealth. It requires a small
monthly contribution from its members. These
contributions are saved and used for the medical care
needed by a PhilHealth member.
A health maintenance organization (HMO) is a
healthcare provider that offers medical services that
are availed through a prepaid amount of money. It is a
business that requires a relatively reduced monthly fee
for subscribers. The difference of an HMO with other
insurance companies is that it hires or trains its own
health professionals and healthcare practitioners.
"Consumers today face an amazing array of
choices when they consider taking action to
improve their health or seek care for a health
problem”. In addition to health professionals,
there are also many other forms of healthcare
that offer alternatives. These complementary
and alternative healthcare modalities are often
taken because some individuals believe that
traditional medical care may not be enough to
treat a particular health condition. A
complementary medicine is availed and
integrated together with traditional medicine.
On the other hand, alternative medicine is
offered in place of traditional medicine.
There are four major domains of complementary and
alternative medicine: biology-based practices, energy
medicine, manipulative and body-based practices, and
mind-body medicine.
o Biologically-based practices are taking herbal
medicine and availing of special diets and vitamins
o Energy medicine uses magnetic fields or biofields in
belief that energy fields may enter various points in
the body.
o Manipulative and body-based practices are bodily-
kinesthetic in nature and are concerned with
movement therapy.
o Mind-body medicine uses mental exercises in belief
that the brain is central to the health of an individual.
In our country, Republic Act No. 8423 or the Traditional
and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997 provisioned the
creation of the Philippine Institute of Traditional and
Alternative Healthcare (PITAHC), which works closely
with the Department of Health. The PITAHC is also the
law-making body with regards to the effective use of
traditional and alternative medicine. Here are examples
of the PITAHC-approved alternative modalities.

Naturopathy
“Naturopathic medicine views diseases as a
manifestation of an alteration in the processes by which
the body naturally heals itself. Naturopathy offers a
wide range of natural practices including herbal
medicine acupuncture, acupressure, nutritional therapy,
and ventosa cupping massage therapy.
Herbal medicine
There are 10 herbs that are proven and tested to have medicinal
value and approved by the Department of Health”.
EXAMPLES OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
Acupuncture – it is a form of
energy medicine where long thin
needles are inserted to specific
parts of the body to affect the
energy flow. Acupuncture is
believed to treat musculoskeletal
dysfunctions
.Ventosa cupping massage
therapy – this procedure is done
by placing glasses that have
flames from burning cotton, on
specific points in the body. It is
believed to relieved muscle and
joint pains.
• Reflexology – similar
to acupuncture
reflexology focuses
on treating disorder
through massaging of
the soles of the feet

• Acupressure – uses
the same technique
as that of
acupuncture. The
only difference is that
acupressure does not
use needle but hands
to apply pressure on
certain points of the
body
• Nutrition Therapy. Nutrition therapy approaches
treatment of a medical condition by providing a
tailored diet for the patient.
Consumers receive health information, products, and
services from various sources, thus individuals may be prone
to frauds. An example of which is quackery.

Quackery, a form of a health fraud, is any advertisement,

promotion, or sale of products and services that have not
been scientifically proven safe and effective. It is being
operated by a quack. A quack is an individual that has little or
no professional qualifications to practice medicine. He / She
also pretentiously use meaningless medical jargon and rely
on scare tactics, paranoid accusations, and quick fixes.
• There are three major characteristics
of health quackery. First, it is a big
business. A huge amount of money is
spent on fraudulent health products
and services. Second, it multiplies
and spreads fast. Lastly, it thrives on
individuals who are diagnosed with
illnesses that are known to have no
cure.
The three forms of quackery are:
a. Medical quackery
Medical quackery includes cures, treatments, and
remedies of various health conditions that are drugless
or bloodless in nature.

b. Nutrition quackery
Nutrition quackery involves promotion of food fads and
other nutritional practices that claim to be all-natural.
These are believed to have beneficial properties of
multiple plants in one product.

c. Device quackery
Device quackery makes use of miraculous gadgets (such
as dials, gauges, electrodes, magnets, and blinkers) that
are believed to cure certain health conditions.
Im on the top of the world and looking
Down on the creation and the only explanation I
can find
It’s the love that I found ever since you’ve been
around
your love put me at the top od the world