Therapeuticalization and preemptive dilemmas within individualized public health

Abstract

This essay aims to address the preemptive approach in the field of preventive health practices, especially regarding the idea of anticipatory attack in dealing with risks that threaten us. There is a concern that purports that the concept of "medicalization" is af fected by lack of theoretical precision. Even being an arguable point of view, we propose the term "thera peuticalization" to describe such practices, with special emphasis on health self-tracking technolo gies, that collect data that allow people to perform a constant follow-up of biological functions as a somatic self-enterprise. There seems to be a gradual expansion of the use of self-monitoring that tends to grow, as an increasing number of organizations and authorities realize the potential of the data gathered from these practices. Self-monitoring can be seen as an utilitarian biopolitical strategy that put the liberal self as a responsible citizen, willing and able to take care of himself/herself, his/her happiness, his/her self-interests.