Towards a new science of health

Scientific paradigms & health ; Towards the foundation of a new science of health: possibilities challenges & pitfalls ; The historical perspective ; Human health & philosophies of life ; Developments in different scientific fields ; Frontiers of biology in relation to health ; Relations between a science of health & physics from microphysics to cosmology ; Health in medical science: from determinism towards autonomy ; Health at social crossroads: theories of human interaction & a science of health ; The impact of non-orthodox medicine on our concepts of health ; Epidemiology & the criticism of the risk-factor approach ; A theoretical model for healing processes: rediscovering the dynamic nature of health & disease ; Health within an ecological perspective ; Methodology ; Whose health? re-examining public health policy ; Integrative transdisciplinary research methodology: principles & application strategies ; Can health be a quantitative criterion? a multi-facet approach to health assessment ; Revealing the self: biographical research as a method of enquiry into health ; The meaning of personal experience for a science of health ; Conclusions ; Bibliography

Provides an alternative to current biomedical thinking by providing a framework drawn from a range of approaches, such as systems theory & social relations, with the aim of bridging the gap between personal experience & hard knowledge.