Foucault and the medicalisation critique

Abstract

The Sunday Times in association with PPP Healthcare and the publishers Dorling Kindersley published, in early 1996, a series of six pamphlets entitled Change Your Life: A Six-part Guide to Health and Diet . John Witherow, the editor of the Sunday Times , prefaced the first edition: It is time to take action. To change your life. The new year is the perfect moment to make the most important resolution of your life – to be healthier in mind and body. This week The Sunday Times launches an essential six-part guide to living better and living longer. Over the next six weeks, our experts will advise you on all aspects of healthy eating and living. We do not offer food fads or instant solutions, but simple, sensible ways to take control of your life. We will not preach about the improbable and the impossible, but talk about the probable and the possible. It’s you who can make a difference. Learn how to adopt a realistic eating plan; find out which ‘power foods’ can help prevent some illnesses; work out how to get the most from a fitness regime, whether you are a signed-up jogger or a self-declared exercise phobe; understand the techniques that can help you beat stress before it becomes a problem…. It is time to change your life for the better and the good. The Sunday Times has joined forces with PPP Healthcare and Dorling Kindersley, the leading publisher of health books, to bring you this indispensable six-part series – specially designed so that you can take control of your most valuable resource. Your health. ( Witherow 1996 : 1)