Chinese medicine

Chinese medicine or better known as Traditional chinesische medizin (TCM) is a complete medical system which has been put to use in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of illnesses for over 5,000 years. An important thing to note is the level of treatment of TCM; that is to diagnose, treat and prevent illness. Though we don’t have any record about the history of plant use in medicinal purposes for the first time but we have the first generally accepted use of plants as healing agents that have been depicted in the cave paintings discovered in the Lascaux caves in France. To one’s astonishment, its Radiocarbon dating gave the period 13,000 – 25,000 BC.

The main focus of traditional Chinese medicine is to maintain the balance and prevent illness of the body. The uniqueness lies in the basic beliefs that it is rooted in. As for an example, TCM is believed to be based on a belief in yin and yang which is said to be of opposing energies. Opposing energies are the energies, such as energies between earth and heaven, between winter and summer, and between happiness and sadness. When these energies i.e yin and yang are in balance, then you feel relaxed and energized and experience only occasional highs and lows. But if this of balance gets disturbed between yin and yang then, however, it does negatively affect your health.

Chinese medicine in its own is a complete, holistic medical system that treats the whole person and not only the disease. It bases its treatment on your whereabouts such as who you are, where you are, how you are, and when you are. Thus the authentic practitioner will take into account all your genetic heritage and makeup that includes your geographical location, current physical, emotional and spiritual condition, as well as your age into consideration during your treatment.

Amino Acids

Brief hiatus

I’ve not been getting enough sleep lately, so I’m going to spend a couple of days shirking my responsibilities and going to bed early. I’ll have something interesting to say again in a little while, hopefully including a review of the Boffoonery show I’m going to tomorrow in support of Bletchley Park.

In the meantime, watch a video that Crispian Jago put together about the Jenny McCarthy body count site:

Promoting health literacy

I’ve just spent five days—yes, five days—talking about health literacy. Before my five day conversation I’d never thought much about health literacy, but now I see myself as an expert. Pick a small enough subject and you can be a world expert in about 20 minutes. But health literacy is actually a big subject and increasing it could potentially make a huge difference to beleaguered patients and health care systems.

Our marathon conversation took place in Frankfurt and included lots of grand and smart people, all of them grander and smarter than me. As in many conversations, we spent a lot of time talking across each other because we had different ideas of what we were talking about.

The Institute of Medicine has defined health literacy as “The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.”

The “individuals” are patients and citizens, but in our conversation we talked as well about health care professionals, including doctors. If we think of health literacy as knowing the treatment for atrial fibrillation or whether to go to the doctor with a sore throat, then doctors are a lot more literate than patients.

If, however, we consider, as many do, health literacy to be the ability to derive and understand the statistical risk of various treatments versus no treatment of a condition from randomized trials and systematic reviews, then doctors are not much more literate than patients. Indeed, when it comes to sorting out sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and the like then almost everybody is illiterate apart from those trained in epidemiology and statistics and using the concepts regularly.

Another source of confusion was whether to think about health literacy as simply a function of individuals. The Institute of Medicine’s definition suggests that it is, but a few lines after offering the definition the institute’s report recognises that it may be too narrow and says that literacy is “a shared function of cultural, social, and individual factors.” It is, in other words, a property of a system not just individuals.

So if we want to raise health literacy should we concentrate on individuals or systems? The two approaches are not mutually exclusive, but when resources are short, as they always are, what should be our priority? Some would emphasise teaching statistics and uncertainty to the school children, especially as statistical literacy can be useful not just in working out whether to have a mammogram but also whether to bet on Ben’s Red Nag in the 4.40 at Wincanton.

But others, including me, were skeptical that much would be gained unless we also thought about systems. We discussed, for example, the strong evidence from Jack Wennberg and others in the US that the amount of health care that people receive is strongly determined by the supply of health care institutions—what is called “supplier induced demand.” For example, people in Los Angeles receive twice as much health care as people in Minneapolis—simply because there are twice as many health care providers in Los Angeles. Far from producing benefit this leads to poorer outcomes among the people in Los Angeles, which may be explained by them being more likely to suffer from medical errors because they have more contact with the health system.

Improving health literacy among the people of Los Angeles seems unlikely to reduce the amount of care they receive. Yet providing this compelling data to those who organize and find health care could at least potentially reduce health care supply in Los Angeles and encourage more care based on evidence.

So where did we get to after five days? We did agree that standard ways of presenting information on medical risk in journals, the media, patient information leaflets, and, indeed, everywhere would be a good step to raising literacy, and our recommended form will be published. But we never quite agreed on whether to concentrate on individuals or systems. Maybe we needed to talk for another five days.

The New Kryptonite

That’s right, Vicks VapoRub will do to toenail fungus what kryptonite does to the Man of Steel. What Will Muschamp does to offenses throughout the land, but I digress…

According to this piece in the New York Times, rubbing your infected toenail(s) once or twice a day with Vicks VapoRub will em, rub Digger(below) out of your life.

That screen shot is one of the greatest moments in the history of television advertising.

IV Therapy Flash Cards

Author(s): Lynn D. Phillips
Publisher: F. A. Davis Company
Date     : 2009
Pages    : 225
Format   : PDF
OCR      : Y
Quality  :
Language : English
ISBN-10  : 0803621418

IV Therapy Flash Cards
By Lynn D. Phillips
    * Publisher:   F. A. Davis Company
    * Number Of Pages:   225
    * Publication Date:   2009-03-30
    * ISBN-10 / ASIN:   0803621418
    * ISBN-13 / EAN:   9780803621411

 

Table of Contents:
Section 1: Infection Control Related to IV Therapy 1–27
Section 2: Fluid, Electrolytes, and Parenteral Solutions 28–55
Section 3: Equipment 56–78
Section 4: Technique/Maintenance Peripheral IVs 79–100
Section 5: Technique/Maintenance Central IVs 101–113
Section 6: Complications 114–136
Section 7: Infusion Modalities 137–146
Section 8: Transfusion Therapy 147–160
Section 9: Nutritional Support 161–165
Section 10: IV Therapy Bonus Cards, Illustration Credits 166–170

 

Guide to Pronunciation:
Pronunciations are spelled phonetically; pronunciations, diacritical marks (long and short vowels), and
stressses on syllables ( ‘ for primary and ” for secondary) follow Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary.
See “Features and Their Use” in the dictionary for more information.
Getting the Most Out of Your IV Therapy Flash Cards
Purpose of Flash Cards
You’re on your way to mastering IV therapy vocabulary! Using these flash cards will develop
your ability to focus and achieve deep memory learning. They will help you not only learn
the terminology, but they will help you relate those terms to the nursing content you are
studying. It is important to make a connection between the term, its meaning, and how it
functions in the language of nursing. So I designed the flash cards to allow you to see the
word, read the word (out loud is best), use the word, and associate the word with other
related concepts.

How to Use Flash Cards
This set of flash cards is unique because it gives you opportunities to actively associate each
word or phrase with your studies. Here are some strategies I recommend to get the most out
of the time you spend with the cards. But these are not the only ways they can be used; see
if you can think of others that better suit your learning style.
1. Write the word on a separate piece of paper and recite the word out loud.
2. Work with a partner, take turns saying words out loud to each other, and recite their definitions.
Check your achievement by turning over the cards to see if you provided the
correct definitions.
3. Draw a picture of the word on a separate piece of paper if you are having trouble remembering
it. This is called concept mapping—an example is on the back of this card.
4. On the back of each card is a “notes” area that you can use to include associated
concepts from a textbook or lecture. Example:
?Notes: Phlebitis occurs frequently from mechanical or chemical irritation to the vein.
Must anchor IV securely
5. To review for a test, mix up the sections, and use these same strategies as above to test
your understanding of all the words and concepts.

Concept Mapping
Concept mapping is a thinking tool that reflects externally what is going on in your brain.
Each map is unique to the student creating the map. The steps are simple and can be
used for any nursing content.
1. Write the word on a blank piece of paper.
2. Create stems off the word using different colors, and curve the stems leading from the
central word.
Note: The brain connects better with free flowing curves rather than straight lines.
3. Write words on the stems that connect ideas to the center word. (Narrow-tip colored
marking pens work great.)
4. Write one word on each stem and make the stem the length of the word.
5. Draw smaller branches coming off each large stem, again the length of the word you
are going to write, and only one word per branch.
6. Draw pictures if you wish, adding them next to the appropriate stem. Search for images
online or create your own drawings. The brain connects to the word or term through
pictures.

DOWNLOAD LINK: 1506 KB

http://rapidshare.com/files/295750773/0803621418_Therapy_Flash.rar

What passes for science in homeopathy

From the blog Science-Based Medicine comes this charming smack-down of another branch of woo growing out of complimentary and alternative ‘medicine’ (CAM): behavioural optometry.  Ever heard of it? Neither had I. But if this is what passes for a practicing doctor from this ‘discipline’ then we’re better off in our ignorance.

Steve Novella writes:

Charlene Werner is getting a lot of attention she probably did not anticipate or desire. She is the star of a YouTube video in which she explains the scientific basis of homeopathy. Before you watch it, make sure you are sitting down, relax, and brace yourself for an onslaught of profound scientific illiteracy combined with stunning arrogance. For those with more delicate constitutions I will give you the quick summary:

Einstein taught us that energy equals matter and light, but because matter can be condensed down to a very small space if you remove all the empty space between the elementary particles (I am paraphrasing to make her statements minimally coherent), we can mostly ignore matter. Therefore energy is light, and we are all made of energy – not matter (or at least so little matter, you can ignore it). Stephen Hawking then came up with string theory, which tells us that all matter (which we can ignore) is made of vibrating strings. Therefore we are made of vibrating energy. All diseases are therefore caused by unhealthy vibrational states, and all disease can be treated by returning the body to a previous healthy vibrational state. This can be done with homeopathy, which extracts the vibrational energy out of stuff and places it in a small pill that can be used at any time.

Supernatural beliefs contradict our smug sophistication

Supernatural — of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil (Merriam-Webster)

New Gilroy Dispatch columnist Erika Mailman (welcome to the club!) recently wrote about her 17th-century ancestor who was twice accused and acquitted of being a witch. With our 21st-century sophistication, we smugly scorn the ignorance and gullibility that allowed our forebears to accept supernatural explanations for mysterious phenomena.

Mailman correctly notes that witch hunts aren’t confined to history. She cites present-day witch hunts in Africa, India and Papua New Guinea and looks for motivations, concluding that witch hunts often result from “desperation, as war-torn families found themselves with limited food supplies. If one person is pushed out of the house, there is more food for those doing the accusing.”

Her assessment might be correct in some cases, but it misses the bigger picture: Tolerance of supernatural beliefs allows witch hunters to successfully persecute innocent victims.

If enough people reject supernatural explanations as the utter nonsense that they are, if they demand evidence for assertions, identify and reject fallacies, and think critically, witch hunts will disappear like dodo birds and dinosaurs.

Unfortunately, that’s hard work, so it’s not the way most people operate, even in the savvy 21st century.

Even today, because so many people hold supernatural beliefs and so few are willing to challenge them, we see parents who reject medical care for their children, instead relying on prayer and faith healing.

In a recent case, Wisconsin parents received six-month jail sentences and ten years of probation after their 11-year-old daughter died from untreated diabetes. Insulin, a discovery of rational, science-based western medicine, could have saved her, but these Christians chose their supernatural beliefs at the cost of their daughter’s life. The New York Times reports that 50 similar convictions have occurred in the United States since 1982.

Even today, because so many people hold supernatural beliefs and so few are willing to challenge them, we see people remaining in a sweat lodge to the point of physical illness, coma and death in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment promised by a New Age guru.

Even today, because so many people hold supernatural beliefs and so few are willing to challenge them, millions suffer and die from AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases due to pronouncements from the Pope, acting as the allegedly infallible spokesperson for his religion’s supernatural being, that forbid condom use.

I’ve long argued that religion (that is, belief in the supernatural) must not be exempt from rational criticism. You’re welcome to guide your own behavior by whatever beliefs you want, but you are not welcome to affect my behavior, the health and safety of others, or public policy based on your faith.

If your supernatural belief (that is, religion) demands that you shun physician-assisted suicide, by all means, comply. But if you want to ban physician-assisted suicide for others, you need rational, logical, non-faith-based arguments to support your position.

If your supernatural belief tells you that same-sex marriage is wrong, then, please, don’t ever marry someone of the same gender. But if you want to ban same-sex marriage for others, you need rational, logical, non-faith-based arguments to support your position.

If your supernatural belief tells you to shun medical care and rely instead on prayer and faith, you’re welcome to make that decision for yourself. But if you prevent your sick children from seeing doctors, be prepared to face criminal prosecution and loss of custody when your prayers and faith fail to heal them.

If your supernatural belief tells you to abide by the ten commandments or the tenets of Shariah law, feel free to subject yourself to them. But if you want to post them in taxpayer-funded facilities, think again. Our Founding Fathers wisely put the concept (yes, not the words, but most definitely the concept) of separation of church and state in the First Amendment so that no one’s supernatural beliefs can trump our constitutional rights and responsibilities.

Until we get to the place where supernatural beliefs — whether they’re held by members of mainstream organized religions or fringe sects — are only tolerated in private, and where behaviors that affect others and public policies are guided by reason, logic and critical thinking, we’re not as far removed from our witch-hunting ancestors as we might think.

That’s the truly frightening realization that the pretend supernatural beings — the ghosts, zombies, vampires and witches — who ring your doorbell this weekend should trigger.