Health science

Health science is a medical discipline of applied science which deals with human or animal health. There are two parts to health science: the study, research, and knowledge of health and the application of that knowledge to improve health, cure infectious diseases, and to understand how humans and animals function. Health science research builds on the pure sciences of biology, chemistry, and physics and also social sciences (for example medical sociology).

There are a wide range of traditional areas of health science. The most common areas are: medicine, nursing, midwifery, and various forms of therapy to supplement the healing process and restore proper activity (e.g. recreational, physical occupational, speech, and respiratory). Health science includes both the study and application of preventing and curing human diseases and disorders. Medical doctors include physicians and surgeons. There are many different branches of medicine; the other health care professions also have specialties or focus on specific populations or settings of care. Other less common medical areas include first aid and triage.

Dental health has grown in importance in recent decades making dentistry a major field of health sciences. Counselling, hospice care, home care, nutrition, medical social work, alternative medicine, pharmacology, and toxicology are all considered part of health science. Veterinary science is the health science dedicated exclusively to the care of animals.

Because health science deals with human life, issues of medical ethics, an important area of ethics, arise frequently. Medical ethics includes questions on topics such as a patient's right to privacy. Euthanasia, abortion, human cloning and genetic engineering are especially controversial issues directly related to health science.

Health science fields are as old as the human race. Humans have always been in need of solutions to various health related issues, such as childbirth. With modern technology and the backing of the pure sciences, the scientific accuracy of these fields has greatly improved. Nevertheless, many cultures have and continue to use various herbs and other culturally specific solutions to help solve health problems. These solutions may or may not be backed by any scientific support.

There are a large number of health professions. The terms medicine or biomedicine, and medical doctor or M.D. refer to dominant conventional practices in the West.

Health practices

Conventional Western practices

Complementary and alternative medicine

Spiritually-based healing

Folk medicine and related traditions

Health practices of historical interest

Related topics

External links and references



In the News

Acute Sleep Deprivation Leads To Changes In Nighttime Urine Production
Researchers have examined the urinary patterns of sleep-deprived volunteers and have found that a lack of sleep leads to increased urinary output and more salt in urine. The findings were found to be more prevalent in males than females.

The Price of Freedom: Americans at War
"Americans have gone to war to win their independence, expand their national boundaries, define their freedoms, and defend their interests around the globe. This exhibition examines how wars have shaped the nation's history and transformed American society."Features annotated images of hundreds of artifacts. Searchable, or browsable by conflict or by category of object. Also includes an exhibition guide and teaching materials. From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Texas Police, Border Agents Using Labs' Sniffer To Nab Drug Trafficker
On a South Texas highway local police and border agents are using a hand-held sniffer developed at Sandia National Laboratories to help stem the flow of illegal drugs northward into the U.S. Sandia loaned the South Texas Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force one of its prototype Hound systems as part of a field trial to evaluate the system for drug detection.

Depression Can Foreshadow Intellectual Decline In Older People
Depression in the elderly increases the risk of subsequent mental impairment and can act as a predictor of future intellectual decline psychiatrists have found. The researchers looked at loss of so-called executive functions that involve high-level mental processes, such a making decisions, organizing, planning and doing a series of things in sequence.

The Problem With Treating Spondylarthritis With Anti-TNF Strategies
Researchers tested the effectiveness of etanercept, an established TNF receptor, on animal models of arthritis. Their cast doubts on the feasibility of preventing joint and spine ankylosis with anti-TNF strategies while shedding light on the process of SpA.

Three-quarters Of Adults WIll Be Overweight In 15-20 Years, Report Pre
The problem of obesity will take at least 30 years to reverse, according to a recent government report on tackling obesity in the UK over the next 40 years. If current trends continue, at least half the population will be obese by 2032. In less than 15 years, 86 per cent of men will be overweight, and 70 per cent of women will reach the same level of obesity in 20 years time.

Fungal Contamination In Breast Implant Surgery: A Rare, Preventable Co
Although apparently uncommon, fungal contamination of saline-filled breast implants is readily preventable, according to a study in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. The key steps are to use closed systems for filling the devices and to adhere to the strict moisture control and operating room ventilation standards in forceat major hospitals.

[Ironic] LONDON: A jailed cocaine dealer is working as Santa Claus on
John Tams, who dons beard, boots and red suit to work in a cafe's Christmas grotto, said he wanted to give something back to the community...

Desert Pathfinder At Work: Sub-millimetre APEX Telescope Inaugurated
The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) project celebrates the inauguration of its outstanding 12-m telescope, located on the 5100 m high Chajnantor plateau in the Atacama Desert (Chile). The APEX telescope, designed to work at sub-millimetre wavelengths, in the 0.2 to 1.5 mm range, passed successfully its Science Verification phase in July, and since then is performing regular science observations. This new front-line facility provides access to the "Cold Universe"with unprecedented sensitivity and image quality.

Antibiotic That Appears To Control Phobias May Also Be Useful In Treat
Scientists now provide further evidence that a drug known as D-cycloserine could play a role in helping to extinguish the craving behaviors associated with drug addiction. Their study found that mice treated with D-cycloserine were less likely to spend time in an environment where they had previously been trained to expect cocaine than mice treated with a placebo.




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