This inspirational book provides the philosophical backbone tocountless courses for health professionals. It poses twofundamental questions - "What is health?" and "How can more healthbe achieved?" - and answers them at a depth unmatched by any othertext in this field. David Seedhouse shows that these questions lieat the heart of health practice, and explains why all healthworkers should ponder them deeply. This second edition retains the freshness and enthusiasm of thefirst, while making the foundations theory and its practicalapplications clearer and (...) more accessible than ever. The bookincludes additional material and discussion, new case studies andrevised illustrations. * Describes and explores competing theories of health * Establishes a practical and ethical foundation for healthpromotion and education * Explains the foundations theory - a novel and comprehensive wayto understand health * Shows how the foundations theory might be used to create morehumane health services. (shrink)

Physical health is continually affected by the mind. Positive thinking, learning to deal with anger and malice, and being a part of creative social networks can extend life and lessen our chances of becoming ill. But despite overwhelming scientific evidence that mind and body are integrally related, health promotion is split into separate specialisms: mental health promotion, exercise and nutrition, social health promotion, health education and many other categories.

Chapter 1 Who this book is for and who it is not for1 There are already too many books offering solutions to the problems of the health service. ...