Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Herbal Supplements Essay

One of the most heavily debated topics in pharmaceuticals is the regulation of prescription drugs versus over the counter herbal supplements. The Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, studies prescription drugs for years before releasing and allowing them to be prescribed to the public. Up until 2010, the FDA was able to regulate herbal supplements (1). The information I came across was new and shocking to me for I am guilty of taking a few herbal supplements, and my parents take multiple on a daily basis. I did not know that products can claim a nutrient deficiency, support health, or are linked to specific body functions without the FDA’s approval (1). Even though these botanical and all natural herbal supplements are almost everywhere, they do not mean that they are safe for anyone’s use! Many of these supplements contain strong ingredients that could potentially harm ones body. The FDA only controls an herbal supplements strength, purity, and composition before releasing it onto the market (1). In 2004 the FDA banned ephedra, an herbal supplement used to treat asthma, hay fever, and the common cold (2). The herbal supplement was causing extreme side effects in many users including heart attacks and some deaths. I found that Kava has led to liver problems and resulting in some users having to go as far as to geting a liver transplant (3). The supplement Comfrey was found to be linked to ulcers and Pennyroyal was found to be linked to kidney and liver damage (3). It makes one wonder how these supplements were allowed to be sold in the first place with all this lack of testing and all these extreme side effects. Webmd.com said that almost all supplements contain contaminents (3)! I was not aware that I was putting my health into risk from buying products said to be â€Å"natural† and â€Å"herbal†, but actually and are easily sold at almost every local convenience store. It has been said that â€Å"herbal supplements should be regulated the same way as prescription drugs†. I agree with this statement for there has proven to be risk in taking herbal supplements. Almost all herbal supplements are released to the public whereas a series of tests have to be done before a drug in the pharmaceutical industry is approved and released, leaving only a small ending percentage of the originally tested drugs to be released. Both  herbal supplements and prescription drugs influence ones body through chemical procedures and, therefore, should be treated and regulated equally. Both drugs could potentially cause harm to someone. I believe that the government should form new policies regulating herbal supplements I was not aware of the potential dangers and lack of regulation in these â€Å"natural† medicines. I will definitely be a lot more careful and do more research before blindly purchasing one again. Webmd.com shows ways to research and test these herbal supplements before using them for they are very risky (3). I think everyone should be knowledgeable on this topic for this is just new information to me. SOURCES CITED (1)http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/herbal-supplements/SA00044 (2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra (3)http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/features/risky-herbal-supplements

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Morality of Management Earnings Essay

The term â€Å"Earnings Management† is a form of â€Å"number smoothing† used by a company’s management to manipulate or influence the company’s earnings to match a pre-determined dollar amount. This is done in an attempt to keep financials stable, as opposed to showing financial fluctuations. When a company appears to be stable it has a greater chance of attracting investors, which in turn demands higher share prices. When a company is able to have higher share prices, the more likely they are to draw new investors. Likewise, a company that has low share prices is often a reflection of a company that is not doing well financially (Investopedia, 2009, para 2). Often, companies perform abusive earnings management practices in an effort to â€Å"make the numbers† (Inevestopedia, 2009, para 4). In order to do this, management may be tempted to â€Å"make up† numbers as a means of drawing investors or to make their company appear financially stro nger than what it actually is. The methods used in earnings management can be varied, and may be done through manipulation of financial numbers or operating procedures (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 84). In a study conducted by the National Association of Accountants, a questionnaire was prepared which described 13 observed earnings management situations (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 83). Below are five listed generalizations that can be made by the study findings regarding short-term earnings management practices. 1. Respondents of the survey felt that earnings management practices utilizing accounting methods to be less acceptable than methods of operating procedure manipulation (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 84). Manipulation of operations can include something as simple as pushing shipping to the last day of the fiscal quarter or asking customers to take early delivery of goods (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). Another example is when companies make â€Å"Unusually  attractive terms to customers† or â€Å"Deferring necessary expenditures to a subsequent year† (Rosenzweig ; Fischer, 1994, para 5). According to survey responses, practitioners had fewer ethical dilemmas when using operational earnings management tactics compared to those involving accounting methods (Rosenzweig ; Fischer, 1994, para 7). 2. When it came to accounting, survey respondents felt that increasing earnings reports to be less acceptable than the decreasing of earnings reports (As quoted by Gibson, pg. 84). Managers appear to be more comfortable in reducing the overall company profit when reserves show elevated numbers (As cited by Gibson, p. 85). It would seem that management might assume that if their reserve numbers are high, then reducing them to show lessor profitability acceptable. If the money is genuinely there, then what is the harm in reducing the profit amount to meet a designated number? However, when it came to reporting profit increases, managers were hesitant in determining what earnings management methods would be ethical and which would not. 3. Generalization #3 is similar to generalization number two where ethics are concerned. Respondents felt that if earnings management tactics were kept small that it was more acceptable than if the effects were large (As cited by Gibson, p. 84). When manipulations of numbers or operating procedures are kept to smaller changes, managers seem to feel it more justifiable and acceptable. For instance, if management were asked to show an increase of sales by $12,000.00, such manipulations would be more ethical than if asked to increase sales by $120,000.00. Likewise, if production costs were delayed for advertising to meet a quarterly budget it would be more acceptable than if production costs for advertising were delayed to meet the end of year fiscal budget. This also ties in to generalization #4, the time period of the end effect. 4. Time periods play a large part in determining how ethical earnings management practices are. As described above, when asked to alter numbers or operating procedures in an effort to make quarterly forecasts, managers seemed to feel this practice to be more acceptable. When asked to alter numbers or operating procedures for annual reports, however, the line between ethical and questionable is blurred. 47% of respondents to the survey felt that earnings management practices that were made to meet an interim quarterly budget to be ethical, while only 41% felt that such manipulations in order to make an annual budget to be ethically sound (As  cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). 5. When asked whether it was acceptable to offer special extended credit terms to customers in an attempt to increase profits, only 43% of survey respondents felt the practice to be ethical. However, when asked if the same end result would be ethical if achieved through ordering overtime to ship as much product as possible at years-end, 74% of respondents felt this manipulation to be ethical (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). A staggering 80% of survey respondents felt that selling excess assets as a means of realizing a profit to be ethical, while only 16% felt it would be questionable (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). Short-term earnings management procedures, while questionable, are often legal. The alteration of financial information in an attempt to meet budgets or as a way to show profitability is often alluring and an â€Å"easy† way to draw investors. Managers who use earnings management tactics must take into consideration the impact such actions may have with key stakeholders (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 86). When numbers are skewed favorably, it gives stakeholders a false sense of security in their investments. Companies who engage in short-term earnings management practices often set themselves up for losses over time. When numbers are adjusted to make a quarterly or yearly dollar amount, chances are the following quarter will find the company in the negative. Such practices are rarely foolproof and care must be taken when making earnings management practice decisions. Focusing on long-term earnings management practices are ultimately more favorable, but in order to be effective management must remain committed to consistent operational procedures. Forecasting the product needs of customers and looking ahead are key strategies for keeping sales income at a consistent level. Waiting until the last minute to offer customers generous credit terms in an effort to boost end of year or quarterly sales is a short-term answer at best. Looking at the purchase history of customers and integrating theses sales number into future budgets should help alleviate the need to resort to last minute scrambling to make budget targets.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Cross-Cultural Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cross-Cultural Management - Assignment Example Mr. Keat also urged those who are interested in art and crafts and those who can write to engage the government for grants to fund their projects aimed at promoting the Chinese culture. He pointed out that art is one of the major avenues of promoting a culture (Zengkun, 2013). The Singaporean Chinese Teachers’ Union president, Madam Lian Hwee Eng, implored the stakeholders to lower the restrictions barring a huge number of students from pursuing Higher Chinese studies. She opined that it is chiefly through education that people can be able to fully understand their own culture and that of others and that teachers play a central role and should be lauded for their efforts (Zengkun, 2013). Looking back at the event, I cannot help but get puzzled by the sentiments of the leaders addressing that forum advocating for the promotion of a single culture without a show of neutrality. Singapore is a multi-cultured country which is in transition to develop a single national identity like the majority of other countries (Lee, 2010). This is largely due to the fact that most of the people occupying it are not the natives. The majority of the population had their ancestors immigrate to Singapore from elsewhere in the world. According toYoursingapore.com (2014), the Malays are the natives yet they comprise only 13.3% of the population. Typically, the Singaporean population is comprised of 74.2% Chinese, 13.3% Malays, 9.2% Indians and the rest 3.3% is made up of Eurasians (Lee, 2010). This cultural diversity is further compounded by the presence of many expatriates in the country, most of whom are workers. It is alleged that 42% of the current population is made up of expatriates ( Tamney, 1996). Given this complex cultural mix, in my opinion, it is only fair that nature be allowed to take its course. It is not right to promote one culture at the expense of others especially if the culture is a dominant one. Of

Sunday, July 28, 2019

The contribution of partnerships in the promotion of global health Essay

The contribution of partnerships in the promotion of global health equality - Essay Example 3). This paper is therefore geared to discuss how partnerships have impacted global health equality by analysing the effective constituents of the partnerships and key strategic and policy drivers. In order for partnerships the health sector to work, there must be development of policies and strategies which govern most of their aspects. These policies are crafted for adoption at all levels of the organization and integrated within the strategic goals. When two partners come into an agreement or understanding, their cooperation of working together should be under the auspice of common goals and objectives. Alignment of goals and vision also requires have employees that have similar set of skills in order to address their common objectives. All these agreements between partners in partnerships should be carefully delineated under the strategies and policies that guide the working of healthcare organizations (Labontà © and Gagnon 2010, p. 8). Like in all organizations and companies that work within the public sphere, leadership and governance is an important aspect of partnerships. In matters pertaining to health equality strategies, there should be governance and leadership structures which enable accountability to be entrenched leading to compliance. Governance in this case alludes to the agreed modalities of decision making and sharing of authority or power is to be configured and organized. This should not only be left to the low levels of employees but also at the top so that concerns of health equality may be integrated within policies. This ensures that effective performance and management of activities within the health care system are streamlined and implemented easily. Both governance and leadership structures put in place should have the capabilities of mobilizing resources and stakeholders at the grass root levels. Such

The Marketing Strategies of Mall of America Coursework

The Marketing Strategies of Mall of America - Coursework Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the target markets for the Mall of America comprised of locals and visitors. Different marketing strategies will be used so as to reach these target markets. The locals include the local families and population residing near the Mall of America. The local target market can be placing the product in strategic positions where the people can easily access. Close range marketing can be used using technologies, such as Wifi and Bluetooth for the customers at close proximity. About promotion, the enterprise can use advertising as its core source of increasing local consumer awareness. Mainly, it can post numerous advertisements both in print and electronic media. Price is the main competing factor in business. The business can use discount and allowance pricing. The firm can provide allowances and discounts on their basic price so as to reward the consumers’ specific response. On the other hand, the visitors include tourists from the Up per Midwest, across the nation, and from other nations. The products and services being offered at the Mall of America can be posted on the internet so as to reach a wider global audience. The other strategy which the Mall of America can use to reach the visitors include telemarketing. The clients can be convinced via mobile phones to come and visit Mall of America. The venture may also use promotional pricing as a strategy to attract national and international visitors. The promotional pricing will assist the Mall of America to attract more customers in a very short time. The other strategy which the firm can use is diversity marketing since visitors come from diverse backgrounds.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Nonverbal behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nonverbal behavior - Essay Example According to the taxonomy of different types of touching, Heslin and Alper (1983) have provided individuals with explanations as to what touch behavior entails. Based on the taxonomy, the messages communicated carry different meanings, which extend from less personal touch to touch that is more personal (Knapp and Horgan 238). In this case, I will emphasize on the warmth/friendship type of touch behavior. From my experience with this type of touch behavior, I have understand the need to extend my closeness to other people. Nonetheless, other people may misunderstand this type of touch behavior increasing discomfort. Understanding the different kinds of touch behavior has the potential of boosting an individual’s knowledge to interpret the messages portrayed. The taxonomy by Heslin and Alper (1983) explains how touch behavior is understood based on personal interactions. For instance, as Arabs living in the U.S., we practice our own unique touch behavior. When we meet with our colleagues, we fancy handshakes and chest kissing. On the contrary, non-Arabs misunderstand this practice by considering it as inappropriate and aggressive when practiced towards them. Furthermore, it may indicate intimate relationship, which is annoying for the Arabs. In my case, I have started feeling uncomfortable with this practice, as I do not want my non-Arab colleagues to misunderstand me based on the relationship I have developed with people of my

Friday, July 26, 2019

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - Essay Example While in college, they found that the inefficiencies of the existing infrastructure led to great difficulties in being compatible with the numerous mail clients in operation and served to go from there. They took their idea with them when left the campus and Cisco Systems was born. Cisco grew rapidly and to cater to the company and product information distribution, launched an official website in 1991. It had a 50% share of the networking market and struggled to keep up with the calls it was receiving. By 1993, Cisco boasted a growth of an astounding 270%, but its IT department was sorely lacking to cope with a half billion-dollar company growing by 50% each year. The initial budget was for funding IT was 0.75% of sales and this was inadequate. CIO Pete Slovik and Senior Executive, Doug Allred, brought a revolutionary concept that entailed that the IT spending was linked to the business units that in turn necessitated close alignment to the company goals. Cisco's internal network would play a strategic role in providing the connectivity needed for the business units to build applications creatively. This new concept signified that a major upgrade to the existing infrastructure was needed if Cisco managers were to meet the customer satisfaction goals. Because it was a major decision that would cost millions, cash-strapped Cisco will find it quite complex. In 1994, Cisco's systems broke down unable to cope and Cisco was forced to close down for two days. There were other several minor troubles on the way. The Solution The board went ahead and approved the proposal for a $15 million Oracle ERP system. This would entail a 2.5 percent of the 1993 revenues, thrice the IT budget of the previous year. The total cost of completing the ERP was $100million. It is not an overstatement to say that the Oracle ERP system became the backbone of the Cisco E-Business. It unified all of the Unix Servers and became a source of centralized information. (Complete case study details available from website ). Why ERP Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a system that integrates a number of the back office functions of planning, manufacture, distribution, accounting and human resources etc. into a single system ERP is a method of serving each individualized department with minimal redundancies and hence has several customized software applications integrated by a single interface. Being vast and comprehensive, an ERP implementation can cost millions of dollars to create, and may take several years to complete. The advantages of the ERP system when properly implemented are tremendous. The integration of information of the departments allows easy sharing of information. Typical Benefits would include reductions in inventory, material costs, and labor and overhead costs, as well as improvements in customer service and sales, improved customer service and sales and improved accounting controls. It can speed up the manufacturing process by automating processes and workflow, and as a result, it reduces the need to carry large inventories. If implemented properly it will provide the company a major advantage in the competitive market. Contributing Factors to Successful

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Project management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Project management - Coursework Example That is, business would go on as usual without interruption. Renovating such an old building considering the extent of the damage while at the same time worrying about the safety of millions of passengers passing by, posed a great challenge (Badiru 2009, pp. 71-78) Second, it was challenging to install sustainable resource utilization systems like new water systems considering that the building was constructed using old and outdated materials. Third, the project’s size and scale made it difficult to manage the suppliers effectively due to communication breakdown. The project had more than dozen employees and 11 suppliers reporting to the project manager. As a result, effective communication was compromised. Fourth, it was challenging to replace the network system in the terminal since the systems currently used by the passengers and flight systems would be shut down during the process. As mentioned the renovation was to take place without interrupting the usual activities. The network system replacement process was also a challenge (Larson, Gray, Danlin, Honig & Bacarini 2013, pp. 77-100). Despite the above mentioned and other challenges, strategies were formulated to ensure effective utilization of resources. The strategies comprise of the following: first, the project manager was strict on gauging the performance of different stakeholders with the standards set by BAA Airport Ltd. The strategy enhanced the performance of the suppliers, workers, and the contractor. Second, even though it was impossible to overhaul the water system, the contractors were able to replace lights and heaters with those that economically consume electricity. Third, the network system was improved without disrupting the usual activities at the terminal by use of â€Å"Online change control† software built by IT specialists. The strategies facilitated the delivery of project

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Vulnerable Population in the workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Vulnerable Population in the workplace - Essay Example On the other hand, in their service delivery, psychiatrist nurses experiences some barriers which hinder their services delivery to Alzheimer’s diseases patients. The available barriers in mental healthcare settings magnifies the disorder complications to patients, it hinders access to nurses and other mental health specialists by most patients, increases overreliance on caregivers for assistance and transport, over dependant on entitlement initiatives as well as increasing cognitive impairment (Lyketsos, Toone and Tschanz, 2010). The essay below will focus on the barriers encountered by psychiatrist nurses in their daily activities in psychiatric hospital. The essay will also offer some strategies to decrease or if possible eliminate these barriers. To start with, structural barriers constitute the main hindrance to psychiatric nurses’ quality service delivery. Structural setbacks in most cases influence nurses’ ability to efficiently diagnoses and treat neurops ychiatric complications brought about by Alzheimer’s diseases. Some of the main structural barriers that hamper with service delivery among psychiatric nurses include lack of the required psychiatric and geriatric skills and training as well as inadequate number of trained neuropsychologist and psychiatrist in healthcare systems. The structural barriers are in most cases known to compromise and complicate the care and treatment of Alzheimer’s diseases. Structural barriers in hospital setting have also amplified the burden in families that provide home care services to vulnerable and elderly patients in (Lyketsos, Toone and Tschanz, 2010). Secondly, lack of adequate time, resources, treatment options, and nurses’ abilities to offer comprehensive care to patients has significant negative impact to nurses’ service delivery in mental healthcare systems. The health care system has very limited trained and qualified professionals in psychiatry and referral serv ices. Limited access to qualified psychiatrist nurses and practitioners means that, the available nurses are forced to offer medical care to complicated disorders which are beyond their professional training. Lack of adequate qualified practitioners has also lowered greatly the quality of services offered to patients in healthcare systems. Additionally, patients care is compromised by healthcare setbacks presented in offering the required treatment. Delays in offering apposite services are brought about by inadequate mental healthcare centers which led to delayed access to mental health services. Owing to inadequate number of trained psychiatrists, nurse in most cases are left with no option rather than to offer care to patient before consultation with mental specialist. Other nurses are forced to delay their services to patient which results to complication of the problem (Lyketsos, Toone and Tschanz, 2010). Due to limited available treatment services, nurses also experience brunt of families’ worries and frustration concerning poor services offered by inexperienced practitioners. Limited referral services to intricate disorders have also complicated access to quality services among severely infected patients. Moreover, family perception towards Alzheimer’s diseases symptoms also complicates nurses’ efforts to offer care to Alzheimer’s diseases patients. Access to referral services for medical assistance is extremely a complicated process especially for low income

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Do the facial features of a child with Down Syndrome impact on their Assignment

Do the facial features of a child with Down Syndrome impact on their inclusion in society - Assignment Example For many years, disabled people have faced stigma and discrimination. Shildrick (2009) denotes that during the ancient eras, a child born with any defect was either killed, or left in the wild. Shildrick observes that the Down syndrome phenomenon causes disability among children (2009). This problem makes children to feel inferior and this result to their exclusion from the various social affairs within the community (Shildrick, 2009). DePoy et al (2011) denotes that the Down syndrome phenomenon disfigures the face of a child. This condition has a direct influence on a child’s perception in the society (DePoy et al, 2011).This condition leads to the notion of social identity, which is a perception or attitude an individual or a group has towards another person or group. On this note, children with this condition place themselves within a specific social group that identifies with their needs and problems (DePoy et al, 2011). The social identity theory, developed by John Turner and Henri Tajfel best explains this problem (Tajfel, 1982). The social identity theory denotes that socialization is a process, and social identity is a process within socialization (Frances, 2004).According to Frances, for an individual to gain acceptance by a particular group, the same individual must portray similar characteristics with the particular group (2004). Frances further denotes that these shared characteristics provide a legitimate reason for the individual to gain acceptance within the particular group under consideration (2004). The social identity theory, as advocated by Henri Tajfel and John Turner denotes that a disabled person withdraws from the various activities within a society, because of the social environment in which they operate on. According to Giddens (2009), this withdrawal emanates from their inability to engage effectively with other social groups that operate within a community. Giddens introduces an aspect of the gaze theory in explaining the prob lems of the disabled within a community. Giddens (2009) denotes that the gaze theory measures the level of interaction between a child with disability, and a normal child. He further observes that the theory provides a solution that will address the various difficulties that disabled children suffer from, but this depends on the acceptance by the disabled person that he or she needs the help of a society (2009). The social identity theory emphasizes on limiting certain freedoms of these people, such as of movement and association (Oliver, 1990). Bluhm (2009) observes that the theory groups these people into a social group, this for purposes of identifying their needs and effectively satisfying them. This precipitates the construction of a social group, because the disabled are grouped according to their characteristics. This construed identity increases the level of discrimination and stigma in the society (Tremain, 2006). Raiser denotes that the social identity theory places people into groups, basing on their physical and social characteristics (1995). Bluhm et al (2009) introduces the notion of the gaze theory. He denotes that the theory observes the image of a person, and makes its comparison with a visual text (Bluhm et al, 2009). After analyzing the results of the comparisons, an individual is placed within a

Monday, July 22, 2019

Bystander Behavior and Concepts Essay Example for Free

Bystander Behavior and Concepts Essay Research reveals that the feeling of guilt can spur on the behaviour of helping. For instance, a survivor of a terrorist attack may be guilty of going to assist others. Lack of Personal Relationship Ideally, bystanders are more likely to assist when the know the person. In the case of emergency, people in the problem people may make personalized response even if strangers are keeping a distance. The bystanders’ presence in the scene of emergency limits the likelihood of any person will display any response to assist in violence. Schouml;llnberger, Mitchel, Redpath, Crawford-Brown Hofmann, (2007) notes that contrary to common sense, there is no safety in bystander in the presence of the bystander because they see and assume someone else will take responsibility. Both social norm and diffusion explanations predict a reduction in helping behaviour when a bystander is present. Pro-Social BehaviourThe psychological foundations of the pro-social behaviour are beneficial for doing my further research in my field of study. Besides, it can also assist me achieve my educational, criminal justice and social work in line of profession. More importantly, the theoretical understanding with practical implications can assist me in improving my health and philanthropy. The concept teaches the principles of help, sharing and giving that are all important for social relationships and assisting and being of benefit for one another in the society and finally feel good. Social Norms The principle of the social norm argues that people use other people’s actions to decide on when to help. Learning and understanding the social norms in the society will help me develop moral behaviour and learn how to make curate decisions. Making wiser choices is important for life developments and benefits of decisions. Humanism Humanistic psychology refers to a psychological perspective that major on the study of a person referred to as holism. The approach argues that the behavior of an individual is connected to his inner self-image and feelings. According to the humanistic perspective, every individual is unique and individual and is at liberty to change his or her lives at any moment. Because of the center view of the person or her or his personal, subjective perception and experiences of the world, the humanists argue that the scientific methods are inappropriate to study the behaviour. The most influential theory of holism is the cognitive theory (Schouml;llnberger, Mitchel, Redpath, Crawford-Brown Hofmann, 2007). The theory is relevant to my current and future life. Besides, the theory revolves around the studying of the mental process of acquiring knowledge. Since it deals with the perception attention and memory, it will help me achieve and maintain general healthy lifestyle. The theory can be use d to analyze mental illness hence providing healthy lifestyle. Behaviorist Perspective Behaviorists view people as controlled by the environment. Besides, it mentions that we are the result of what we have learnt in our environment. The perspective is important for learning how stimuli affect observable behaviour. The perspective highlights operant conditioning in which people learn from consequences and classical conditioning in which people learn by association. The perspective is beneficial for getting better academic and life grades. Understanding the concepts of learning will assist me achieve better learning procedures for justifying better grades. Reference Schouml;llnberger, H., Mitchel, R. E. J., Redpath, J. L., Crawford-Brown, D. J., Hofmann, W. (November 01, 2007). Detrimental and Protective Bystander Effects: A Model Approach. Radiation Research, 168, 5, 614-626. Source document

Understanding Spesific Needs in Health and Social Care Essay Example for Free

Understanding Spesific Needs in Health and Social Care Essay The aim of this essay is to analyse the concepts of health, disability, illness and behaviour and also investigate how health and social care services and systems support individuals with specific needs and look at different approaches and intervention strategies available to support individuals with specific needs, lastly will explain what challenging behaviour is and explain strategies available for those working with people with specific needs LO1. 1 Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 1974). During the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion in 1986, the World Health Organisation said that health is â€Å"a source for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities†. Health is traditionally equated to the absence of disease. A lack of fundamental pathology was thought to define ones health as good, whereas biological driven pathogens and conditions would render an individual with poor health and labelled diseased. However, Aggleton amp; Homans (1897), Ewles amp; Simnett (1999) argue that health is holistic and includes different dimensions and all needs to be considered. Bilingham (2010) explains health in two models which are the biomedical model and the socio-medical model. She said biomedical model is an approach to health and illness that identifies healthy as the ‘absence of disease’ and focuses on diagnosing and curing individuals with specific illnesses , the socio medial model is an approach to health and illness that focuses on the social and environmental factors that influence our health, including the impact of poverty and poor housing. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines a disabled person as anyone with a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect upon his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities. Disability can affect someone’s mobility, learning or understanding, and lack of understanding when it comes to danger. Disability covers a lot of impairments which include physical impairments, sensory impairments and communication difficulties. There are three models of disability which are the personal tragedy model, the medical model and the social model. In the past people with disabilities were discriminated by the families and the society. The language and terminology used were words such as imbeciles, handicapped and mental retarded. People with disabilities were called dangerous and scary and they were seen as not equal citizens, in need of special care. They were not seen as normal people. Behaviour is anything that a person does or does not do which has a negative effect on their lives or the lives of others. The negative effects can be emotional, physical and social. Also, one’s behaviour pleases and other’s infuriates. Some behaviour are socially acceptable here in the western world but not socially acceptable in African communities, for example kissing in public is not totally acceptable where I come from nevertheless, here in London (Europe) people can kiss in the public without any problem, people accept such behaviours in Europe . Illness is the partial experience of loss of health (Naidoo and Wills, 2000 p7). Illness is having poor health and is considered a synonym for disease; some have described it as a perception by a patient to define a disease. Illness indicates a condition causing harm and pain. Social constructionists argue that the following concepts illness, health, disease and behaviour are all relative concepts not universal but particular. Social concepts are learned and shared. Concepts often tell us more about the societies out of which they came than about the thing they are actually describing. LO1. 2 People’s perceptions on specific needs vary from cultures and societies. People’s perceptions Are also culturally and historically specific. Epilepsy in the Middle Ages was viewed as a violent possession by malevolent or even divine forces. Early part of the 20th century epilepsy was linked with insanity; people believed that the Holy Spirit was working them. In Third World cultures epilepsy continue to be defined in super natural terms. Recently a community study in Nigeria found that after heredity, witch craft was the cause of epilepsy amongst the lay populace (Awaritefe et al, 1985). Danesi (1984) has revealed that most Nigerians with epilepsy experience it as highly stigmatizing and something to be hidden from others but through medical discoveries and medical advances we know that epilepsy is caused by abnormal neurological activity that occurs as a result of damage or result to the brain. Epilepsy is now controlled by carbamazepine tablets and sodium valproate which controls the seizures however, what we all know is subject to reinterpretation. At any time new technological advances, new medical discoveries, new ways of looking at the structure and functioning of the body or brain could replace the current orthodoxy and epilepsy could come to be seen in a completely different light. Department of Health (1999) launched a strategy to ensure that doctors and nurses have the skills they need to use to make the best use of new technology introduced into the NHS. The right to freedom from discriminations for people with a range of disabilities, including those with a learning disability, has been enshrined in the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act which says employers should make reasonable adjustments to allow an individual with disability to gain employment and ramps to be provided so that wheel chair users can access t facilities in the facilities in the community. Also there is the Valuing People 2001 which state that support should be given to people with learning disabilities and their families and that people with disabilities should have control over their lives as much as possible (Department of Health, 2009). I have also done a small scale research and investigated the perceptions of people with specific needs which I carried at Shining Star Residential Care Home . LO1. 3 Social policy is the only one way of encouraging and promoting ethical practice. The functions of a regulatory body go much further than disseminating policies and code of ethics. Legislation acts have helped to set and enforce educational standards, which meet the needs of people, e. g. the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination (Rogers and Pilgrim, 1991). Legislation plays an important role in ways that services are made available for individuals with specific needs. Legislation modifies attitudes and practices. From the mid 1980’s some western countries e. g. Australia have enacted legislation which embraces a right based discourse rather than a custodial discourse and which seeks to address issue s of social justice and discrimination. The legislation also embraces the conceptual shift form disability being seen as individualised medical problem to rather being about community membership and participation and access to regular societal activities such as employment, education and recreation. Where access is inappropriate, inadequate, difficult or ignored, advocacy processes have been initiated to address situations and promote the people rights. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 an individual has the right to get the information about health services in a format that is accessible to them where it is reasonable for the service provider to provide in the format, a hospital will have to provide forms and any literature in braille or large print to assist any blind person or anyone who have a visual impairment. Most of The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has been replaced by the Equality act, this was changed on the 1st of October 2010 and is aimed to protect disabled people and prevent disability discrimination. Disabled people are protected in areas of employment, education, access to goods, service and facilities including larger private clubs and land based transport services buying and renting land. The Data Protection Act 1998 is the key legislation that governs the protection of data , when records for service users are kept for the purpose of sharing information to provide a well informed care service the details are kept in the individual service user file , they will have access to it but the information will not be shared with others The Valuing People 2001 was designed to improve support for people with learning disabilities and their families; to make sure people with disabilities are in control of their lives and that they have the job they want. The Mental Capacity Act aims to protect people with learning disabilities and metal health conditions. It provides clear guidelines for carers and professional about who can take decisions in which situations. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 established the Care Quality Commission as the regulator of all health and adult social care services. It is a single Act of Parliament that contains the commission’s powers and duties, and represents the modernisation and integration of health and social care. It contains some new powers of enforcement that were not held by any of the predecessor organisations. LO2. 1 A Care plan is a document that articulates a plan of care for and individual with specific need or disability. It helps individuals achieve valued fulfilling lifestyles, because it is build around the needs of the person rather than expecting them to fit into existing provision (Ritchel et al, 2003). The care plan is for Mr RN , who has autism and has learning disabilities. He is Jewish and is non verbal and he understands little English and uses makaton, sign language and pictures as a mode of communication. To analyse his care needs I will use the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. See figure 1 for Maslow hierarchy of needs Figure 1 : Maslow hierarchy of needs Mr. RN had stroke and is unable to walk properly. He uses a walking stick to move around in the house and a wheel chair when out in the community. He does not hear properly and uses hearings aids. At the care home staff always checks if it is working properly, by changing the butteries and cleaning it for him. He also uses glasses to improve his vision. Mr RN’s care plan is person-centred to meet all his care needs at the same time he makes his own choices. His holistic needs are met according to his choice through assessment. He is from a Jewish background and sticks to his religious beliefs and culture seriously. RN is always supported to the synagogue every Friday to attend to his spiritual wellbeing. I respect his beliefs to avoid abuse, discrimination, oppression or prejudice. He is also provided with kosher meals. The organisation I work for has a Jewish calendar that recognises all the facts and festivals to highlight his religious rights. I relate this to Abraham Maslow’s (1908-1980) hierarchy of needs, ‘a theory of human Motivation’. It has five levels to it with the most basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid. I prepare meals for RN according to his cultural and religious needs. I ask him what he would like to eat from the variety of his kosher meal. I make sure RN’s safety and security or protection from harm and abuse according to Health and Safety Act 1974. I have to ensure that the environment around the care home is safe and welcoming for family members visiting. Socially, I support RN to visit family and friends. This gives him sense of belonging, love, friendship and trust. During the key working I encourage RN by reassuring him everything is fine. This builds his confidence thus leading to self actualisation growth. When these needs are successfully met chances are the service users feels more valued and respected, it also promotes independence. LO2. 2 At my workplace we have a set of policies and procedures that we use when we work with clients with specific needs. Looking at Mr RN’s care plan I follow the Data Protection Act 1998 in maintaining his confidentiality and that only necessary people access his care plan. He has little awareness when it comes to safety and I follow the Health and Safety at Work 1974 to meet his safety needs, Mr RN cannot walk for long distance, he uses a wheelchair when out in the community and the wheel chair is checked every day before use to see if it’s not damaged. We have the dial a ride that comes to pick him up and take him to the day centre and he has the blue badge scheme that allows him to have free parking he goes to shopping malls. We use the visual communication systems such as Picture Exchange Communication to help him plan for activities; he is able to choose what he wants to eat with no problems. By doing this we are promoting independence as he is able to do things on his own. LO2. 3 The organisation I work for is located in the Redbridge Borough. The borough offers the Community Toilet Scheme which provides clean, safe and accessible public toilets in more convenient locations for residents. Disabled people can use the toilet free of charge during normal working hours. There is a Redbridge Institute of Adult Education that provides a range of courses for people with specific needs and offers pottery lesson, arts and crafts, music and dance lesson for people with learning disabilities . he college provides a range of specialised equipment or learning resources to meet specific needs for people with disability, this includes hearing loops and large print keyboards. Day care services provide  support  for  people living in the community, social inclusion and respite care  for carers. It offers  practical and emotional support by providing  a range of activities and facilities to  help  stay as independent as possible and improve and maintain  quality of life. Dial a ride provides offers door-to-door service for disabled people who cant use buses, trains or the London underground. It can be used for all sorts of journeys, making it easier to go shopping, visit friends and attend doctors appointments. Furthermore, there is London Taxi card, which provides subsidised door-to-door transport in taxis and private-hire vehicles for people who have serious mobility or visual impairment doo The Borough provides ambulances in case of emergencies. There is also Occupational Therapy Service which works with rehabilitation care workers to ensure carers practice safe manual handling. They carry our risk assessments and provide carers with specialised training to use a range of equipment. STAAR (supporting those with autism and Aspergers Redbridge) offers swimming for people with special needs. They organise activities to raise awareness and highlight the needs of children and adults with specific needs. LO3. 1 Autism has no cure and therefore there are a number of approaches and interventions available to help people with various difficulties they may have. Approaches vary in costs and availability in different areas. It also depends what suits an individual, the family, the multi –disciplinary team will decide what best intervention or approach is suitable for an individual. There are ten approaches /interventions for people to choose from, these are: the behavioural intervention, complementary therapies, diet and supplements, medical interventions, physiological intervention, relationship based intervention, service based intervention, and skills based intervention, standard therapies and technology. I will explain the two service based interventions and one standard therapy intervention because we use these at my workplace. TEACCH is a service based intervention/programme and stands for Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communications Handicapped Children/Adults. TEACCH is not a technique or a method. It is a complete programme based on the principle that the person with autism is the priority. It provides services for children and adults with autism and related developmental disorders. TEACCH works with people from all parts of the autistic spectrum and offers continuing support with the primary aim of enabling them to live as members of the community. TEACCH programme helps alleviate some possible frustrations associated with challenging behaviour for people who are non verbal or verbal and also assist in communication (Clements and Zarkowska 2000, Cumine at al 2000, Jordan and Jones 1999, Jordan and Powell 1998, Powell and Jordan 1997) SPELL approach is also a service based intervention and stands for : Structure: people with autism find change very frightening and they struggle to cope in new or unfamiliar situations. This safe, predictable and reassuring environments and activities give people with autism the opportunity to increase their independence, develop their communication skills and reduce their anxiety. Positive expectations and approaches: barriers of each person are identified and in this approach people work tom overcome these and achieve their goal and potential Empathy: people see and understand the world in the same way that a person with autism experiences it. They focus on individual interests and preferences, understanding what motivate distresses or preoccupies each person . sing these insights to help people deliver the best possible care and support. Low arousal: in this approach people respond to people’s sensory needs by providing surroundings and activities that are calm, focused and free from clutter and distraction. This approach helps to increase independence in all aspects of life Links: this is linking the family and the wider community and other support services and reducing the difficulties faced by people with autism, it is aimed to help them move together towards a world where they have the same opportunities Lastly the speech and language therapy is a standard intervention. It is aimed to understand the nature and extent of child/adults difficulties and facilitate better communication where possible. Through the speech and language therapy the service users I work with are able to have a say in the things they like to do. LO3. 2 The TEACCH approach has been very effective to the service users I work with. It has enhanced their lives and we have seen an increased improvement in self help skills, social skills and there is reduction in appropriate behaviour. Through skill enhancement one of the TEACCH seven key principles, CA one of the service users can make tea on his own and all staff encourage him to keep on doing that on a daily basis, the risk assessment also highlighted the risk associated with him making the tea and the benefit of him making the tea, the benefit are increased independency. Also a research conducted by Ulster University has shown that communication, concentration and independence has improved by 80% for people with autism. TEACCH has helped our service users to introduce routine and stability in cases where they are hyper sensitive and confused (Cumine et al 2000). The SPELL approach is also effective. , we have a sensory room (it is a quite simple room, for a person with special needs, it is a pleasant environment where the distractions of the outside world are completely absent, present them with, music and attention grabbing moving colours and shapes and then add the ability for the person to actually make things happen that are so dramatic that they cannot be missed and you have the building blocks of real progress. This is a low arousal technique and it really works as the service users have gained a lot of independence. The Speech and Language Therapy is the key part of the autism treatment. This therapy has been effective to the service users I work with because the speech therapist has assisted us in working with the service users through the speech therapy technique. We use makaton, signs, and pictures boards with words to communicate with the service users. This approach is effective because now we are able to communicate with them both verbally and non verbal. Service users are able to make choices and preferences about their day to day lives. JW is able to ask who is sleeping over by showing us this sign (it means sleep). Without the intervention of the speech therapist JW was only saying few words and never learned any news words, this was also said by (Koegel and Koegel 1998) However, some of the approaches cost a lot of money and there has been many service dilemmas and polices. It a service user’s right that they get support to meet their communication needs and we had to wait a long time before a speech language therapist was assigned to our home. Our priority is to make sure service users get the right support they need at all times. In addition, it is costly for Social Services because they have to pay professionals who support families with autistic members. To support residential and day care cost extremely high, for adults who require ongoing support. There is cost of education for individuals with autism who require more level of support. More hours and attention is need for carers who have to go through national training strategy for Autism, to meet the needs of service users. LO3. 3 There are a lot of developments emerging in today’s world to support people with specific needs. As I work with people with autism, there is an Autism Awareness Card and this card is used to educate the general public in challenging moments while in the community. One side of the card contains information specific to the individual and strategies that are helpful to use. The other side of the card is the general information about autism, the card are developed using the person centred approach so that specific information about the individual is used. There are approaches available to help treat autism and organisations that offer advice to parents and organisations. There are services offered to organisations and people working with, or supporting someone who has an autistic spectrum disorder there organisation provide autism specific expertise to advise/help with future service planning and people on mailing list so that they are kept informed of developments or training in the area, they help key people access to resources for people with autism . There are training available for staff to enable them to work with people with specific needs. LO4. 1 Emerson (1995) defines challenging behaviour as â€Å"culturally abnormal behaviour(s) of such intensity , frequency or duration that the physical safety of that person or others is likely to be placed in serious jeopardy , or behaviour which is likely to seriously limit use of, or result in the person being denied access to , ordinary community facilities. Challenging behaviour is a social label and a person is not a challenge, the behaviour may challenge us in terms of our understanding and response Challenging behaviour can ‘result in the person being denied to access, to ordinary community facilities’ (Emerson, 1995). At my workplace service user TB has been banned from five pubs because he was spitting on other customers and urinating on the floor. Customers complained about his behaviour and pub managers had to ban him. Research has shown that males are more likely to display challenging behaviour than females and their behaviours tend to be more aggressive. Challenging behaviour tends to reach a peak between the ages of 15 and 34 years of age and is particularly over represented in the 14-24 year old age group. The service users I work with have autism and present a lot of challenging behaviour. They present a lot of challenging behaviour as an act of communication, environmental factors sometimes causes challenging behaviour for example JW exhibits challenging behaviour when we go to crowded noisy places. Also JW cry when he listens to certain music this is contributed by historical / emotional factors. Some service users self harm by lip and hand biting. Furthermore, challenging behaviour is caused by mental health factors for example a service user with dual diagnosis (Down syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder); they develop repetitive behaviour and don’t like to be touched and loud noises. 4. 2. When dealing with challenging behaviour health care organisations need intervention plans, policies and procedures to follow as this is best practice. At my workplace we follow the BILD (British Institute of Learning Disabilities) policy framework for physical interventions which sets out three broad categories of physical intervention and the DoH Dfes guidance on restrictive physical intervention. My manager makes sure staff get proper induction when they start their employment and clear guidelines are written in the employees handbook, all staff attend training to deal with challenging behaviour and this include training challenging behaviour, managing violence and aggression, self harm and Caring for People on the Autistic Spectrum. Also the manager makes sure that policies and procedures are written and all times followed under the BILD policy framework. As professionals in the health care sector we have a duty of care towards the vulnerable people we look after, we need to avoid action that will or may harm others and we should always work in the best interest of the service user. At my workplace we follow the General Social Care Council, Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers (Code 4) which states that as a social worker you must respect the rights of service users while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or other people. This includes: * Recognising that service users have the right to take risks and helping them to identify and manage potential and actual risks to themselves and others * Following risks assessments , policies and procedures to access whether the behaviour of service users presents a risk of harm to themselves or others * Taking necessary steps to minimise the risks of service user from doing actual or potential harm to themselves or others and * Ensuring that relevant colleagues and agencies are informed about the outcomes and implications of risk assessment. My organisation’s policy is to make sure all staffs are trained in managing challenging behaviours without causing any harm to individuals. This is done in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which states that: someone is using restraint if they: use force – or threaten to use force – to make someone do something they are resisting, or restrict a person’s freedom of movement, whether they are resisting or not’. At my care home we use safe practices like the team teach training. LO4. 3 â€Å"Each person is different and each behaviour needs to be considered in its own right. In addition the reasons behind one’s behaviour may not be the same as the reasons behind another behaviour which the person shows. A person may shout because this makes others do as he asks. He may hit because this makes others leave him alone. There is therefore a need to build a detailed understanding of why a particular person is engaging in a particular behaviour and why he is likely to engage in that behaviour more under some circumstances than under others. † (Clement and Zarkowska 2000) p. 38 The NICE (2006) states that non-phamalogical interventions should be used first before medication in cases of challenging behaviours. Some of the challenging behaviours are caused when service users are expressing their unmet needs . At my workplace all staff have been trained in communication as effective communication plays important role managing behaviours. We use body language, signs and pictures to communicate with service users who are non verbal. At my workplace we use different strategies to deal with challenging behaviour for service users. We try to use positive, preventative, calming, defusing and problems solving skills instead of holding, restraining and breakaway when dealing with challenging behaviour and in most cases it works well. For example service user JW likes to know who is sleeping over at the end of the shift, when he is presenting challenging behaviour staff calm him down by saying ‘JW do you want me to do sleep over tonight,’ he answers yes and staff will tell him that what he is doing in not nice and because of that no one is sleeping over ,we encourage him to do something like emptying the dishwasher , and remind him that someone will sleep over if he continues to be good, JW calms downs apologises to staff and the other service user for his behaviour . He continues to sign sleep in makaton to show that he is happy. Also we always try to remind JW of his behaviour at calm moments of the day (Attwood 1998, Clements and Zarkowska 2000, Gray 1995). Also we have a change in setting strategy to manage DC’s challenging behaviour. DC has Autistic Spectrum Disorder and finds any change difficult to tolerate. We support DC to the day centre every Monday we do group activities and DC is disruptive at all times. An assessment was done and it showed that DC did not like crowds and noisy environment. He is encouraged to work in a small quiet room with few other people and once she is settled we give her a small task which means she only visits the larger room for a short time and return. After sometime we reintroduced her to the larger group but we seated her at a table near the door with only two people near her. To manage her behaviour she is asked to deliver things to different rooms. This strategy has worked well and it means DC does not have to spend the whole day in the larger room and the gradual reintroduction resulted in significant reduction of disruptive behaviour.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Critically review recent public health policy developments

Critically review recent public health policy developments This assignment will critically review recent public health policy developments in the field of Cancer in England also it will evaluate its effectiveness and implications for public health and health promotion practice. This assignment will first briefly review the recent public health policies of England starting from Health of the Nation white paper (1992), Saving lives white paper (1999), Cancer Plan (2000) Choosing health white paper (2004) and the most recent public health policy for Cancer Cancer Reform Strategy (2007). After reviewing the recent public health policy developments for cancer in England, evaluation and implications of these policies will be discussed. From 1992 to 1997, the Health of the Nation (HOTN) strategy was the central plank of health policy in England and formed the context for the planning of services provided by the National Health Services (NHS). The HOTN policy focused on five key areas: coronary heart disease and stroke; cancer; mental illness; HIV/AIDS and sexual health; and accidents. Each area had a statement of main objectives attached to it, together with twenty seven targets across the areas. Cancer targets of the HOTN policy were to, reduce death rate for breast cancer in women invited for screening by more than 25% by 2000, reduce incidence of invasive cervical cancer by 20% by 2000, reduce death rate for lung cancer in those aged less than 75 by 30% (men) and 15% (women) by 2010, halt year on year increase in incidence of skin cancer by 2005 (Department of Health 1992). Health of the Nation white papers importance lay in the fact that it represented the first explicit attempt by government to provide a strategic approach to improve the overall health of the population. But according to the review of the HOTNs policy commissioned by Department of Health 2000, HOTNs policy failed over its five year lifespan to recognize its full potential and was handicapped from the outset by numerous flaws of both a conceptual and process type nature. Its impact on policy documents peaked as early as 1993; and, by 1997, its impact on local health policy making was negligible. The HOTNs policy was regarded as a Department of Health initiative which lacked cross-departmental commitment and ownership. At local level, it was seen as principally a health service document and lacked local government ownership. (The Health of the Nation a policy assessed 2000). The White Paper Saving Lives Our Healthier Nation was published on 6 July 1999 together with Reducing Health Inequalities: an Action Report. These two documents set out the Governments strategy for health for the next 10 years. They brought a new and important focus to the promotion of health and the prevention of ill-health. The health strategy set out in the White Paper was centred on four priority areas (cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke, accidents and mental health). Action to tackle these important areas of ill-health was set in the context of both a Government-wide agenda to address the underlying causes (through, for example, measures to combat poverty, to improve education and work opportunities, and to improve the environment including the quality of the housing stock); also through the wider public health agenda, specifically action to tackle smoking (DH 2000) The NHS Cancer Plan (2000) was the first comprehensive National cancer programme for England. It had four aims: to save more lives, to ensure people with cancer get the right professional support and care as well as the best treatments, to tackle the inequalities in health that mean unskilled workers are, twice as likely to die from cancer as professionals, to build for the future through investment in the cancer workforce, through strong research and through preparation for the genetics, revolution, so that the NHS never falls behind in cancer care again (NHS Cancer Plan 2000) . According to Department of Health (2000), for the first time this plan provided a comprehensive strategy for bringing together prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and care for cancer and the investment needed to deliver these services in terms of improved staffing, equipment, drugs, treatments and information systems. At the heart of the Plan there were three new commitments. 1) In addition to the ex isting (Smoking Kills white paper 1998) target of reducing smoking in adults from 28% to 24% by 2010, new national and local targets to address the gap between socio-economic groups in smoking rates and the resulting risks of cancer and heart disease. 2) New goals and targets was set to reduce waiting times for diagnosis and treatment of cancer so that no one should wait longer than one month from an urgent referral for suspected cancer to the beginning of treatment except for a good clinical reason or through patient choice. 3) An extra  £50 million NHS investment a year by 2004 in hospices and specialist palliative care, to improve access to these services across the country. For the first time ever, NHS investment in specialist palliative care services will match that of the voluntary sector (Cancer Plan DH 2000). There were enormous achievements since the NHS Cancer Plan 2000, like action on tobacco and the smoking ban had led to a fall in smoking rates (from 28% of the population in 1998 to 24% in 2005), amounting to 1.6 million fewer smokers. More cancers were detected through screening by National Cancer Screening Programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancers. New screening programmes were introduced as and when they were proven to be both clinically and cost effective. Waiting times for cancer care have reduced dramatically. There had been a major increase in the use of drugs approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), to treat cancer with less variation between cancer networks. Since April 1 2009, patients undergoing treatment for cancer, including the effects of past cancer treatment, have been able to apply for a medical exemption certificate. It is expected that the new scheme will benefit up to 150,000 people already diagnosed with cancer, who might pay  £100 or more each year in prescription charges (NHS Cancer Plan DH, 2010) Although there are tremendous improvements of NHS Cancer Plan according to Department of health but according to the The Lancet Oncology editorial 2009 the NHS cancer plan for England was set up, at least in part, in reaction to data from the EUROCARE project, which showed that England cancer survival rates was lagging behind the rest of the Europe. The stated aim of the plan was: By 2010, Englands five year survival rates for cancer will compare with the best in Europe. Despite all the caveats that must be borne in mind when extrapolating from available data, and when comparing across European countries, the evidence available suggests that England is at best keeping track with improvements elsewhere, rather than closing the gap, and that the 2010 cancer target looks optimistic. Solutions to the problems of cancer are not easy, but perhaps the time has come to consider rather more fundamental changes to the NHS than are offered in the cancer plan if England is to truly offer world c lass healthcare (The Lancet Oncology 2009). According to Bosanquet et al (2008) huge amounts of money have been thrown at cancer in NHS cancer plan. The exact sum is opaque but the investment in cancer care has more than tripled over the past decade and now have approached European levels but improvements in cancer survival rates is not comparable with other European countries (Bosanquet et al, 2008). The Choosing Health White Paper was published in November 2004.   Choosing Health identified six key priority areas: tackling health inequalities, reducing the numbers of people who smoke, tackling obesity, improving sexual health, improving mental health and well-being, reducing harm and encouraging sensible drinking (Choosing Health, Department of Health 2004). Choosing health policy was particularly successful in banning the smoking in public places (Department of Health 2010). Before reviewing the most recent public health policy development for Cancer in England it is important to look at the current and past statistics of Cancer in the England. Also according to the Parkin (2006) accurate statistics on cancer occurrence and outcome are essential both for the purposes of research (into causes, prevention and treatment of cancer) and for the planning and evaluation of programmes for cancer control. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2010 UK the four most common cancers, breast, lung, colorectal and prostate accounted for more than half of the 245,300 new cases of malignant cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) registered in England in 2007. Of the total number of new cases in 2007 in England, 123,100 were in males and 122,200 in females, breast cancer accounted for 31 per cent of all cases of cancers in England among women and prostate cancer accounted for 25 per cent of all cases of cancers in England among men. Cancer is predomin antly a disease of older people as only 0.5 per cent of cases registered in 2007 in England were in children (age under 15) and 25 per cent were in people aged under 60. Between 1971 and 2007, the age-standardised incidence of cancer increased by around 21 per cent in males and 45 per cent in females in England. In each year in England over one in four people die from cancer. In England cancer accounts for 30 per cent of all deaths in males and 25 per cent of all deaths in females (ONS UK, 2010). Survival rates of cancer patients in England varies by type of cancer and, for each cancer, by a number of factors including sex, age and socio-economic status. Five-year relative survival is very low (in the range 3-16 per cent) for cancers of the pancreas, lung, oesophagus, stomach and brain for patients diagnosed in England in 2001-06, compared with ovarian cancer (39 per cent), cancers of the bladder, colon and cervix (47-64 per cent), and cancers of the prostate and breast (77-82 per c ent). In England for the majority of cancers, a higher proportion of women than men usually survives for at least five years after diagnosis. Among adults, the younger the age at diagnosis, the higher the survival for almost every cancer. In England five year survival rates for patients diagnosed between 2001-06 have improved slightly or stayed stable for 16 of the 21 most common cancers compared to the period 2000-04 (Cancer Research UK, ONS UK 2010). The most recent public health policy for cancer in England is the Cancer Reform Strategy (DH 2010). The Cancer Reform Strategy published in December 2007, builds on progress made since publication of the NHS Cancer Plan in 2000 and sets out a clear direction for cancer services. According to the document of Cancer Reform Strategy published by Department of Health (2007), it shows how by 2012 cancer services in England can be among the best in the world. It also launched three new initiatives: 1) The National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, aimed to raise awareness of cancer symptoms among the public and health professionals and encourage those who may have symptoms to seek early attention. Almost  £5 million was allocated to the NHS to support cancer networks and primary care trusts in improving awareness of cancers and promoting early diagnosis. 2) The National Cancer Survivorship Initiative is working to improve support for the 1.63 million people currently living with and beyond cancer in England. 3) The National Equality Initiative is working to reduce inequalities in cancer care. According to the Department of health (2010) the aims of the Cancer Reform Strategy is to build on progress already made and meet remaining challenges, the government has developed this strategy to set out the next steps for delivering cancer services in England, by saving more lives through prevention of cancer whenever possible and through earlier detection and better treatment, by improving patients quality of life by ensuring services patient centred and well-coordinated and by offering choice where appropriate, increase public awareness of cancer, reduce inequalities in access to services and in service quality thereby reducing inequalities in cancer outcomes, build for the future, through education, research and workforce development, and enable cancer care to be delivered in the best place, at the right time. Prevention of cancer by screening is a most important aspect to tackle cancer. NHS Screening programmes are part of the Cancer reform strategy 2007. According to NHS Screening Programme (2010), over half of all cancers in the past could be prevented if people adopted healthy lifestyles such as: by stopping smoking, avoiding obesity, eating a healthy diet, undertaking a moderate level of physical activity, avoiding too much alcohol, and excessive exposure to sunlight. According to the NHS Cervical Screening Programme (2010), it saves up to 4,500 lives in England every year. Within the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England, women aged 25 to 49 are invited for free cervical screening every three years, and women aged 50 to 64 are invited every five years. Women over the age of 65 are invited if their previous three tests were not clear or if they have never been screened. According to the NHS Breast Screening Programme (2010), its breast screening awareness programme regarded as one of the best screening programmes in the world, saving an estimated 1,400 lives each year. 96.4 per cent of women who have had invasive breast cancer detected by screening are alive five years later. Under the NHS Breast Screening Programme, breast screening is provided every three years for all women in England aged 50 and over. Currently, women aged between 50 to 69 years are invited routinely and women over the age of 70 can request free three-yearly screening.  The eligible age range for routine breast screening will be extended further to provide nine screening rounds between 47 and 73 years. According to the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (2010), it is one of the first National bowel screening programmes in the world and the first cancer screening programme in England to include men as well as women. All men and women aged 60 to 69 are expected to be included by December 2010, meaning around 2 million men and women will be screened and an estimated 3,000 cancers detected every year. The programme will be extended from 2010 to include men and women aged 70-75 years. According to the Lancet Oncology editorial (2009), although the Governments Cancer Plan and Cancer Reform Strategy has had some impact on how long sufferers survive after diagnosis, it is still struggling to close the gap between England and other European countries. A study by Bernard Rachet et al, (2007) published in the Lancet Oncology journal also suggested that some of the improvements in cancer in England merely reflect ongoing trends in cancer cure rather than real change. There are also large variations in cancer cure and survival rates across the country, with patients in the North West of England still more likely to die earlier from the same cancer as those in the South of England. An editorial in the journal also warns that the time has come to consider more fundamental change in the NHS than the Cancer Plan and Cancer Reform Strategy offers. The study by Bernard Rachet et al, (2007) in The Lancet Oncology journal looked at survival rates for 21 common cancers, comparing the rates in England and Wales, ( in Wales a similar scheme like Cancer Plan was introduced only in 2006) most cancers showed a rise in survival rates in England compared to Wales after 2001, but there was a fall in the survival rates in England compared to Wales for bladder cancer, Hodgkins lymphoma and leukaemia (blood cancer). According to the Professor Karol Sikora, medical director of Cancer Partners UK, (Lancet Oncology 2009) that there is no striking improvement in the cancer cure rates and survival rates in England, despite the huge resources involved in the NHS cancer Plan and Cancer reform strategy, also there is still wide regional variation in survival, with deprivation still being linked to poor outcome, a factor which the plan was meant to address. Also according to Karol Sikora, access to new cancer drugs in England is also poor, the latest EU comparator (2008) shows that the use of six cancer drugs approved in the past three years is fivefold less in the UK than the EU average. According to Ciaran Devane Macmillan Cancer Support (Telegraph UK April 2010), although there are more cancer survivors in England because of both the improvements in treatment and an ageing population, but this does not show the whole picture of cancer policy of England. After once the treatment of cancer ends, many patients feel abandoned by the NHS and struggle to cope with the long-term effects of cancer, and cancer treatment. The NHS cancer policy needs to ensure all cancer patients have the support they need to manage the long term effects of cancer treatment. A recent report by National Radiotherapy Advisory Group (2007) suggests that England need a massive 90% expansion in radiotherapy provision for cancer patients. According to Crump (2009) that in England radiotherapy for cancer patients is at the same level as it was in the 1980s, with only 7% of eligible patients getting precisely targeted intensity-modulated radiotherapy. In conclusion of this assignment, although the recent public health policy developments in field of cancer have shown some success in England but there are certain areas where significant improvement is require like early detection of cancers to reduce higher incidence rates of cancer by decreasing the waiting times for patients and cancer survival rates especially when comparing to other top European countries. There is a need to change cancer policy of England to meet the real requirements of current and future cancer patients.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Revolution in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel :: Like Water for Chocolate

Revolution in Like Water for Chocolate Revolutions throughout the history of humankind have established change of traditions as the normal occurrence throughout our history. Revolutions in households can also occur when traditions that are contrary to the desires of one, interfere with the values of another. In the book "Like Water for Chocolate," a major revolution develops between mother and daughter, Mama Elena and Tita. Like most revolutions, traditions are the major factor in the revolution that happens between these two; Tradition states that the youngest daughter must not marry, but must take care of the mother until she dies. Nevertheless, when a young man decides to ask for Tita's hand in marriage, Mama Elena flat out refuses to hear any more about the subject. She says to Tita on page 10, "If he intends to ask for your hand, tell him not to bother . . ." Then Tita realizes the hopelessness of her situation and from that moment on she swore "to protest her mother's ruling" (11). The revolution continues to build until finally after many years of torment by her mother, Tita leaves the family ranch. Then after awhile, when Mama Elena becomes paralyzed by bandits, Tita feels compelled to return to the ranch and care for her mother. In returning Tita felt that her return humiliated her mother because how cruelly she had treated her daughter in the past (130). When Tita had made dinner for her mother, Mama Elena brutally rejected her kindness. Tita could not understand why her mother treated her cruelly, "she didn't understand Mama Elena's attitude . . . It was beyond her comprehension that one person, whatever her relationship with another, could reject the kind gesture in such a brutal manner . . ." (130-131). After all that they had gone through, Tita thought at least some things had changed. Of course nothing had changed because Mama Elena saw her daughter as she saw her self many years before. But after her mother's death Tita was enlightened when see discovered her mother's love letters from José, her mother's only true love (137). As Tita read her mothers letters, she discovered the reason behind her mother's personality, both psychologically and emotionally. "José was the love of her life. She hadn't been allowed to marry him because he had Negro blood in his veins .

Nursing Ethics Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nurses support and enable individuals, families and groups to maintain, restore or improve their health status. Nurse also care for and comfort when deterioration of health has become irreversible. A traditional ideal of nursing is caring and nurturing of human beings regardless of race, religion, status, age, gender, diagnosis, or any other grounds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nursing care is based on the development of a helping relationship and the implementation and evaluation of therapeutic processes. Therapeutic process includes health promotion, education, counseling, nursing interventions and empowerment of individuals, families or groups. It helps individuals make choices in regards to their health care.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nurses are independent moral agents and sometimes they have a personal moral conflicts that makes them uncomfortable with participating in certain procedures. Nurses have a moral obligation to the profession, but they are morally entitled to refuse to participate in procedures which would violate their moral beliefs. Nurses accepting positions where they maybe called on to go against their own moral beliefs, should inform their employer. Their employer and their coworkers have a responsibility to ensure that they’re not discriminated against.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nursing practices is present in a variety of settings. Any setting can be affected by factors which are not within a nurse’s control or influence. These include resource constraints, institutional policies, management decisions, ...

Friday, July 19, 2019

Beowulf and the Dragon :: Anglo Saxon Strength Poems Essays

Beowulf and the Dragon Beowulf is a poem about strength and courage. This is illustrated in the eighth section of the story called â€Å"Beowulf and the Dragon.† A slave, a hero and a dragon play a big role in this section. The characters are well developed, as is the setup for the conclusion of the poem. In the scene, â€Å"Beowulf and the Dragon,† a slave guilty of wrongdoing has to steal to earn his freedom and be forgiven for what he has done wrong. The slave decides to steal a beautiful cup to pay off his mistake, which was probably murder. The slave does not realize that he is stealing from the dragon until he actually sees the dragon. The slave immediately knows that it is an enormous mistake to anger the dragon, but he panics and leaves with the cup. When the dragon awakes after three hundred years of sleep, he discovers that his cup has been stolen. The dragon, also known as the worm, fills with anger and rage. Even though he is so angry, he does like the idea of battle: â€Å"Yet he took joy in the thought of war, in the work of fighting† (Donaldson 40). The dragon cannot wait to ravage the land of the people where one man has stolen from him: â€Å"The hoard-guard waited restless until evening came; then the barrow-keeper was in rage: he would requite that precious drinking cup with vengeful fire† (Donaldson 40). The dragon destroys the land and kills everyone around. The dragon even destroys Beowulf’s home. When Beowulf finds out about his home being destroyed, he decides that he is going to kill the dragon himself. Although Beowulf is very old at this point, he still has the confidence to slay the dragon. Beowulf has been king for fifty years, and he knows that all of his experiences in battle is enough for him to defeat the dragon. This is the first scene in where we see Beowulf as an old man. The poem skips fifty years between the first and second parts, and this scene picks up after the fifty-year gap. This scene also sets up Beowulf’s last great battle, which happens with the dragon. This scene also describes Anglo-Saxon beliefs. The scene shows how the people, and the dragon, love to fight. It is their way of life. It also shows a little bit of the law.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Critical study of how music uniquely expands our understanding of experience Essay

Music has long existed in our society as a form of culture, entertainment and the like. In fact every civilization known to exist had had a great deal of benefits from music. There are lots of people who see music as nothing more than plain entertainment however there are those who holds in the claim that music gives us something more than entertainment per se. There are claims that music could affect us in a number of ways. Music has considerable effects on one’s mind, body and emotions. Music that are abundant in beats in a way could fuel one’s body, music carried out with feelings could affect one’s emotional status and could either make one cry with misery or laugh with joy, classical music could stimulate the mind, and so on and so forth. There are people who are greatly aware of the effects music could wrought on a person and this could greatly be seen on our everyday experiences. Movies, films, news, see the importance and know the effects music could have on every individual and thus music is key parts in every movie made nowadays. Have you ever seen a movie that doesn’t have an original sound track or a movie that did not make use of background music? Ever seen a documentary and the like who did not use music in the background while portraying the videos or documents they have? Having seen some of the uses music could have it may now suffice to say that music is indeed an important aspect in our lives and it plays fundamental role in today’s society (as well as on societies which existed thousand of years ago). As was stated music is an essential part of every culture, of every society and thus it is of no surprise that music is seen as a part of our everyday routines. Music could have fundamental effects on one’s emotion. Think of an instance wherein certain music affected you emotionally. Say you heard a certain song and it evoke within you some sort of emotions like pain, happiness and the like. I remember for an instance a conversation I have had with a friend of mine. He always loves to listen to the lyrics of Ever After of Bonnie Bailey and Come Around by Rhett Miller. He told me that he love listening to Ever After because that used to be their theme song (of his ex girlfriend) and he loves singing Come around because he can relate to that particular song. Thus, seemingly music indeed has certain effects on our emotions. I even remember claiming that my friend is such a masochist because he loves listening to sad songs such as Come Around when he has a choice to do otherwise. Similarly music has certain ways of affecting one’s mood. However it is not really known how do music affects a person physiologically and psychologically as well. Thus, a question may arise as to how do certain music affects a person’s mood. In order to determine how music affects a person’s mood one must first know the root as to how music inspires a person’s emotion. There are two contrasting viewpoints who tried to answer this particular puzzle. These views are called emotivist and cognitivist. For an emotivist they believe in the notion that we feel certain emotions as a form of response everytime we hear certain music. The cognitivist on the other hand believes otherwise. The cognitivists believes that there is more to humans than emotions and thus they believe that we get to decode certain musical emotions on a rational level, thus it shows that the cognitivists do not really believe that we really get to experience musical emotions. In order to see whether the beliefs of the emotivists are correct or not an experiment needs to be conducted in order to see if there are certain music models which could draw out coherent physiological reactions from different kinds of people. This experiment is needed in order for us to see if we really do experience emotions when exposed to a particular music. It is in this regard that a study had been conducted by Krumhansl wherein two groups of student were used. These particular groups of students each partake different activities. The activity went as follow: One group of 40 students dynamically rated the levels of sadness, fear, happiness, and tension in six sample pieces intended to evoke sadness, fear, or happiness. They did so by adjusting a slider on a computer while the music was playing. A separate group, consisting of 38 college students, was hooked up to physiological sensors monitoring a variety of cardiovascular, electrodermal, and respiratory responses which recorded their change over time. Both groups heard the six musical samples with a 90-second pause in between each. The physiological measures taken from the second group were compared with the degree of sadness, fear, happiness, and tension reported by the first group. Both the physiological measures and emotional ratings were recorded as they changed during the course of the piece. Therefore, correlations could be drawn between the intensity of certain emotions and physiological symptoms. (Boswell) The results shown by the experiment was in accordance to the side of the emotivists. Each of the musical selections was rated as having the intended emotion, and consistent physiological responses were found for each measured emotion: sad music was correlated with a decreased heart rate, lowered finger temperature, increased blood pressure, and decreased skin conductance level; happy music with faster and shallower breathing, and fear-invoking music with a slower pulse, faster breathing, and decreased finger temperature. These effects were consistent during the duration of the pieces. (Boswell) This is further proof that the emotivists position was indeed supported by the said experiment. The fact that there was a coherent physiological modification that was produced by the different music used in the said experiment were behavioral evidence enough that those college students indeed experienced certain emotions all throughout the time they were exposed to the music used. This result contradicted the claim that emotions could only be transmitted once a person gets to recognize a certain passage present within a particular music. Another study was made by Sloboda. Sloboda attempted to identify the exact musical composition which brings about definite physical emotional responses. Examples of the said responses are tears, trembling, and the like. The study made use of questionnaire which was dispersed to five hundred British citizens. However, only eighty-three persons send back the survey. It is an important thing to know that those eighty-three persons who answered the survey were experts in terms of music, particularly classical music. The said survey had went on as follow: Participants were instructed to indicate the frequency with which they experienced certain physical responses as an effect of music within the last five years, as well as the piece of music and, if possible, the specific part of the piece or musical event that provoked it. In addition, they were asked to say whether the response was consistently evoked. (Boswell) A huge number of the partakers claimed that they were able to experience certain physical emotional responses such as mirth, trembling, tears, lump in their throats and the like for the last five years of their lives. However the survey showed that women are more prone to experiencing tears as compared to men. Men on the other hand, especially those already on their thirties, claimed that they experienced more laughter than compared to other age. Just as was the case on the experiment conducted by Krumhansl, the survey conducted by Sloboda also showed a great deal of consistency to each piece of music they were exposed to. This particular survey also showed the extent of the consistency in that the reactions remained consistent even though they have heard the certain musical piece for more than fifty times. A further point of interest is that there are particular melodic constructions which showed to have consistent effects upon the partakers of the said survey. Appogiaturas for one were consistent in bringing tears into surface. The experiment also showed that a series of changes in terms of harmony incite trembling, whereas quickening brought about faster heart beats. However, if there is a certain drawback in the said study is the fact that it was conducted with the use of questionnaires. We could have no way of knowing if the person who answered it had answered truthfully or if s/he is merely bluffing. Thus, in a way we have no way of making sure that the partakers of the said survey indeed experienced the particular emotions and physical responses they reported they have experienced for the past five years. Another factor is the fact that those who participated in the survey were all expert on the field of music and thus we could not really deduct from this survey alone that the rest of the world would also act or feel the same way. However there are certain studies which had been conducted which show that very little difference exists between those who have musical expertise and those who have none. In addition, the records stated by the partakers of the said survey regarding their experiences of physical signs of emotions are not really unusual. Thus, in a way we could say that the study conducted by Sloboda also supported the position held by the emotivists. We should also take into account the fact that the physical responses reported by the survey partakers are in fact common in all human beings since we all share the same autonomic response system. However, we should also take note of the fact that our capability to utilize the said system in order for us to feel or experience certain emotions brought about by music is in a way, a learned process. This particular claim is supported by the fact that very young children do not really get to experience the said responses. Even those adults who have different kinds of music as compared to ours are not likely capable to experience the said responses brought about by the music we listen into. Thus, Sloboda claimed that the link between musical compositions and emotions is a learned process which is also dependent on one’s culture. However, this does not necessitate that we do not really get to experience or fell certain emotions from listening to certain music. It only tells us that we may not be able to relate nor are we likely to experience certain emotions from listening to other music that are completely different from ours. Fact is, Sloboda even claimed that if we are to be exposed to music completely different from ours we could still get to relate to that music although it would take time. Therefore even though the link between musical compositions and emotions is a learned process, evidences and studies still show the stand held by the emotivists that we are indeed capable of feeling or experiencing certain emotions simply by listening to a particular music. Thus those who participated in the studies conducted have steadily testified that they have indeed experienced true emotions when they listened to certain music. The researches conducted also accounted for the fact that very little difference in terms of recognizing emotions could be seen between those who have musical expertise and those who have none. Thus this accounted for the emotivists view that we could indeed experience certain emotions simply by listening to certain music, although it is still not clear what inclines us to be affected in certain ways. Research conducted claims that there is really no ground in saying that somewhere in our brains there could be located a region dedicated mainly to process musical data. In contrary, the errand of musical processing is extended to the whole region of our brains. Thus whereas the right brain is responsible for the emotions evoked while listening to music, the left brain is quite responsible for looking at music in a more rational ground thus it tends to critically examine music. There are even proofs which show that the primeval region within our mid brain is the one responsible for our emotions we experience while listening to music. Thus a primeval region within our midbrain engages itself with the task of realizing and appreciating music in an emotional way. However, the specific region wherein music is being developed (if ever there is one) is yet to be known. A study which involves this particular interest was conducted by Schmidt and Trainor. Schmidt and Trainor studied whether or not frontal brain electrical activity correlated with intensity and positivity or negativity, or valence, of emotion. The study showed that the left frontal brain is the one responsible for experiencing positive emotions whereas the right frontal brain is the one responsible for experiencing negative emotions. Thus, emotions such as happiness, interests and the like are product of the left frontal brain whereas emotions such as horror, revulsion, pain and the like were made by the right frontal brain. Therefore it would suffice for us to say that when listening to happy tunes our left frontal brain is likely to be triggered whereas listening to desolate songs would trigger our right frontal brain. It also follows that the intensity of music could affect the intensity of the frontal activity. The hypothesis stated above had already been confirmed. A careful selection of music which would likely draw out positive emotions triggered the left frontal brain whereas a careful selection of music which would likely draw negative emotions triggered the right frontal brain. Thus, the frontal activity of the brain increases every time the intensity of certain music also increases. Thus in a way this is also another proof which supports the emotivist view that listening to certain music could make a person experience certain emotions. Thus a similarity between music and language could be seen. Both language and music alike is inclined to be interpreted subconsciously. Thus, this seems to show that humans have a biological structure which enables music to draw emotions from each of us. And though this particular structure is yet to be known, researchers concluded that the said structure is not composed of a single area on the brain. On the contrary, researchers believe that such structure is made up of an interaction of the different systems which could be found within our brain. It is due to music’s many uses that music is also deemed to have considerable effects on the field of medicine. There are certain accounts taken from the Bible, artifacts, as well as studies that show that music could have considerable effects on a person’s health and well-being. In fact, there are historical inscriptions taken from Egypt, Greek, China and other known civilizations which praise music’s ability in medical matters. Music is widely considered to have medical importance and it is in this regard that music even such a term such as music therapy. After World War II the United States of America even see to it that music therapy would be used on wounded soldiers who were tormented by physical as well as emotional traumas taken from the war. Physicians and nurses alike saw how music helped alleviate some of the soldiers or veterans pain by merely engaging themselves on musical activities. It is on this regard that hospitals started employing musicians to help better their patients’ status. Music had been very helpful in bettering the patient’s emotional as well as psychological status and as many people learned of these certain benefits derived from music, National Association for Musical Therapy came to existence. The need for musical therapy became wide range to the point that the National Association for Musical Therapy or NAMT allied themselves to other musical organizations which in turn resulted into the foundation of the American Music Therapy Association or AMTA. The ranges of music therapy vary widely in that it not only caters to emotional sickness since it also proved to be beneficial in sickness suffered under physical injuries. Music therapy helped people in terms of their perceiving pains. There are a number of reasons why they consider music as an effectual means in limiting perceived pains. First, music could divert a person’s mind from the pain at hand or from the pain a person perceives. Second, music could help in terms of giving a person some kind of control. Thirdly, music could help counter pain since it could help a person in releasing endorphins which are necessary in giving a person some sense of well-being. Fourth, slow music could help a person in terms of relaxation in that it slows a person’s breathing. Take a person with leukemia for an example. Let’s say Person A needs to undergo a certain surgery necessary to cure his leukemia. One should admit that surgical procedures are indeed frightening and thus Person A could not help but be afraid of what’s on store for him and thus Person A’s blood pressure continues to rise and this in turn has a crucial effect on Person A’s healing process. This particular thing could also heighten Person A’s awareness or perception of pain. One’s pain could not be measure by anyone and thus there is no standard in terms of the amount of pain a person could have. It is in this manner that music therapy comes into the picture. We have already enumerated the reasons why music therapy is considered beneficial in medicine and thus in this manner one could be lead to speculate that music therapy could indeed lessen one’s pain perception because it could work in certain ways in order to lessen a person’s perceived pain. Disturbance or diversion could help in certain ways in lessening one’s sense perception and thus it could help moderate the pain a person undergoes. This pain moderation could be redirected to the cognitive section which could be seen in the Gate-Control Theory of Pain. Pleasant music naturally applies or concentrates on a person’s pleasant stimulus which in turn concerns the capability of the information processing system. Since the music would be busy attending to the pleasant stimulus of a person it naturally follows that the person’s occupation would be diverted from the pain-causing stimulus. It is ion this regard that music is considered important in distracting a person because distraction presents a person with an escape by means of imagination which in turn is a crucial means in lessening stress, nervousness and fear which are important factors which constitutes pain. Thus enjoyable imagination could promote some sense of control to a person which could decrease a person’s nervousness and feeling of being powerless. Thus since music helps transfer our attention away from painful experiences it provides us with a strategy we could use when we undergo painful experiences, may it be physically or emotionally.