Clinical medicine, public health and ecological health: a new basis for education and prevention?

In contrast to public health and the resolution to further increase the health care of the whole community in regions worldwide, current clinical medicine has its limits. Further improvement in public health – rather than individual diseases – can only be achieved by integrating new views into treatment. Some years ago, the concept of biopsychosocial medicine was integrated into patient treatment and is now generally accepted. Therefore the author describes here a new dimension to treatment and presents substantial evidence to include ecological health in this already existing concept. The problem of community education is discussed.