Being an active member of Rotaract Club of my college, I undertook various Dental Treatment Camps which exposed me to an array of health disparities. I saw that people developed cancer because of being illiterate as they used ‘Mishri’ to brush their teeth instead of a toothpaste which in turn increased their incidence of death. I saw that the socioeconomic status of these individuals was very poor which increased their stress level and took recourse to tobacco smoking and chewing. I practiced in rural areas and through the Talwada Dental Camp I treated the tribal population who didn’t care about their teeth and all they wanted was to get rid of pain rather than preventing it or for that matter even curing it. While treating the upper class people with a high socioeconomic status and education, I experienced that they possessed good oral hygiene. They could easily afford mouthwash, electronic toothbrush and routine check- ups at a dental office. The upper class individuals were healthier as they could easily gain access to affordable medical treatment. This relationship between wealth and health shown in the Unnatural Causes video “In Sickness and in Wealth” is proven in Whitehall Studies , by Sir Michael Marmot ,that is, how the socioeconomic status influences the health of a CEO, a sweeper, a lady …show more content…
With reduction in income and loss of jobs, it causes poverty which increases stress level. Maintenance of increased stress levels causes the body’s immune system to deteriorate which makes the body prone to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and asthma and increases the incidence of death. The Unnatural Causes video “Place Matters” illustrates the social determinants of health by showing a young man named Gwai Bookneut who has currently suffered from a heart attack and is hospitalized for it. Gwai lived in Richmond, California in an environment where petrochemical companies released tons of pollutants with no fresh food, no quality housing, tobacco, drugs and unsafe public places. Eventually his daughter is murdered and his son falls into bad company using drugs and owes people a lot of money. For instance, the other Unnatural Causes video “Not a paycheck” in which all the employees of Electrolux refrigerators company in Michigan are laid off when the company is shut down. This left a large number of employees jobless. They faced major challenges on health because of stress, depression, wanting to smoke and drink. This increased the cases of suicides and deaths. The other example is the Unnatural Causes video named “When the Bough Breaks” in which the African American women face a severe racial discrimination which causes them to give birth to low birth weight