The U.S Health Care System--SOC313 discussion

The U.S. Health Care System is frequently criticized as being expensive and lacking coverage of the total population.   On the other hand, the U.S. Health Care System is innovative and frequently used by foreign residents for treatment.   Managed care was a response to the cost, quality and coverage concerns.   Consider the issues of care coordination, prevention practices, formulary medication costs, delay in getting appointments or tests, denial of referrals to specialists, inadequate skill of physicians and the need for specific approval by an MCO before the most effective medication for the treatment of a condition can be obtained if the drug is not listed in the plan's formulary. Assume a position either for or against managed care.

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I oppose the managed care system for a couple of reasons.

(a)  People can’t really get the best care from abundant sources when both the doctors and providers are in cahoots to spend less monies in the least amount of time as possible per patient.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is the abundant source I mentioned.  Most people pay for CAM therapies out-of-pocket, because pharmaceutical companies have a monopoly on how patients are treated, and they are concerned that CAM will become the “new” low-reimbursement insurance coverage therapy (Cuellar, 2006).
Many health care consumers are advocates of the holistic abundance.  It somewhat subjugates the need for expert opinions or special access to manufactured medicines as the effects of CAM are anecdotal, meaning based on word of mouth, and herbs and berries grow freely.  Therefore, some physicians are uncomfortable with CAM and the idea of the empowered patient.  If they are planning to add CAM to medical practice, conventional providers must identify how they will prepare for a shift to CAM integration.  However, not all HMOs have fully embraced the concept of routine reimbursement for Complementary and Alternative Medicine care, and that is a key concern in the future of integrative medicine (Cuellar, 2006).

(b)  In managed care, the healthy people pay for the treatment of the ill, and it is a risk for providers if the amount the group that paid for a certain contract was maximized by the patients in treating the case of pre-existing conditions such as cancer or other illnesses that require frequent doctors visits and expensive medications.  Because individuals with chronic illness or disability may also experience medical complications and need a variety of allied services such as home care, personal assistants, or consultation with medical specialists, costs can be further increased for these individuals (Falvo, 2008).  With this aspect of managed care, the need for specific approval by an MCO before the most effective medication for the treatment of a condition can be obtained is another downside.

Two suggestions I have for enhancing managed care for chronically ill clients are (a) ending the monopoly on the food supply while educating the public more about preventative care and also (b) as Hippocrates said, “Let food be our medicine and medicine be our food.”  In the name of modernization and conveniences we have either overlooked the importance of quality of our food (Charania, 2012).  Many conditions such as cancers, depression, ADD, anxiety, addiction, and many more are the result of a poor nutrition.

Society’s values influence provision and payment for health services in (a) what parents teach their children to do in the management of the health of themselves and (b) the labeling foods that are produced with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Promoting abundant, organic foods will improve quality of life for everyone.   

Photo credit:  No GMO South Africa & Healthy Holistic Living



According to Jeremy Gernand of True Progress, our agricultural capacity to produce food, clothing, and shelter at the standards of the western world can accommodate nearly 12 billion people.  We are only 7 billion, and the only reason some must do without is the structural violence of them not having enough monies to pay for the goods.  It’s anti-economics and makes for poorer public health.





References

Charania, B (2012).  LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE – Hippocrates.  Retrieved from http://www.drcharania.org/2012/01/food-thy-medicine-hippocrates/

Cuellar, N. (2006). Conversations in Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Insights and Perspectives from Leading Practitioners (1st ed). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Falvo, D. (2008). Medical & Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Illness and Disability (4th ed). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Gernand, J. (February 4, 2011).  The Earth Can Feed, Clothe, and House 12 Billion People.  Retrieved from http://true-progress.com/the-earth-can-feed-clothe-and-house-12-billion-people-306.htm

Instructor's comments:


Thank you for your hard work in the discussion area this week. You mentioned many great points relating to the challenges of managed care. Great connection of managed care to Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the apprehension of physicians to fully endorse this. When we view this from the physicians perspectives is it really about physicians being uncomfortable with empowered patient or should we explore other reasons? You, however, presented a great argument and helped to see managed care from a different lens. This helped us to understand the various challenges presented by the system of managed care. You mentioned a great point relating to educating the public about healthy foods and preventive care. Education and preventive care are critical in reducing many chronic diseases. Great work!

Social Implications of Medical Issues Hepatitis C Research Paper

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

    Hepatitis C is an infectious disease of the liver.  The disease is transmitted through blood to blood contact, and besides IV drug use, which is the main cause, this can happen through sex when a woman is menstruating or anal sex and by using a shaving razor previously used by an infected person.  Individuals infected by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) have nothing to fear from sex in a monogamous, heterosexual relationship.  Transmission of HCV from an infected partner during sex is rare according to new research published in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) (Peters, 2013).  It was discovered in 1989, and, with so many cases contracted before then, Hepatitis C sometimes goes without diagnosis.  It was originally named Post-transfusion, non-A, non-B hepatitis (Sargent, 2009).  In 2013, the CDC can only estimate 4.4 million Americans living with it.  Most chronic carriers have no symptoms of HCV for the first 10 or 20 years of the infection.  As the infection progresses, chronic carriers may experience symptoms tiredness, itchy skin, dark urine, muscle soreness, nausea, loss of appetite, stomach pain, jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), as well as fluid retention, easy bruising, and personality changes.  These usually occur about two to six months after exposure.  About 20% of chronic carriers eventually develop liver cirrhosis (scarring).  Persons with cirrhosis from HCV are at a moderate risk for developing liver cancer (Virginia Department of Health, 2013).

THE DISEASE

    Many people were infected between the years of 1949 - 1982.  Approximately 90% of infections are attributable to injecting drug use (Health Protection Agency (HPA), 2011).  Some caught the virus by receiving blood transfusions before 1992 when widespread screening of the blood supply began.  That being said, not everyone who has the virus will be offered treatment.  People who have an unstable lifestyle or other life threatening illnesses are for the most part unsuccessful with the therapy.  Unwise consumption could even cause death in a person who does accept treatment on a lark that it could work but who does not stop drug and alcohol use.  The “flu-like” symptoms and mood changes, anxiety and depression coming with the treatment are dependant upon having a healthy self-esteem, but even accomplished people suffer immensely trying to tolerate treatment.

    Hepatitis C progresses with the sign of multiplying viruses in the blood stream, and consumption of drugs and alcohol increases virus multiplication.  You cannot contract Hepatitis C through drinking alcohol, but alcoholism too is known to cause cirrhosis of the liver, and studies also show that when people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) stop drinking alcohol, levels of the virus decreases.  That is to say if you have been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, drinking alcohol adds to the strain on the liver, increasing the risk of damage to cells.  Therefore, HCV patients are advised to cease alcohol consumption (Jaret, 2009).


TREATMENT

    Minimizing the impact of Hepatitis C is really about surviving the side effects of treatment, which are on par with intensive chemotherapy.  One intervention is using botany such as green tea and even marijuana to alleviate the crippling symptoms which are extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea.  The thing about cannabis is that it is not legal in over half of the United States, but the FDA has approved its extract in a mouth spray form called Sativex for those who do not like smoke.  States in which it is allowed, cannabis is an antidote not only for the side effects, but cannabinoids halt VEGF (vascular endothelial growth) production by producing Ceramide.  Ceramide controls cell death (n.d., 2013).  More research is required before the plant can be approved to be used in its fullest potential.
   
    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two drugs in the first new class of drugs for hepatitis C since 2001.  On May 13, 2011, the FDA approved boceprevir (Victrelis).  On May 23, they approved a second drug, telaprevir (Incivek) (hepatitis.va.gov, 2013).  These new drugs have a higher cure rate than Interferon and Riberfivin, but for some, a 3 drug combination may be best.  The new drugs come with their own set of side effects.  A plus is that for many patients, treatment time can be cut in half.  Depending on the strength of their immune system and also what other medicines the patient takes, it could be a combination of only two that are prescribed.  Sofosbuvir by Gilead is brad new, and it has been shown to cure up to 90% of patients in 12 weeks.  It's currently estimated that sofosbuvir will likely generate about $5 billion in revenue for Gilead based on just the currently expected approvals, but if it clears that 12-week hurdle (of a cure) that number could easily move closer to $7 billion as it would become the preferred hepatitis C treatment for most patients (Shepard, 2013).

    Accountability for and responsibility to keep others from being infected by you comes when you receive the diagnosis of Hepatitis C.  Psycho-social challenges when you are knowingly carrying the virus are like being too self-conscious or forgetting to tell people that may need to know about your being infected.  The Hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature, on environmental surfaces, for at least 16 hours but no longer than 4 days (CDC, 2012).  Therefore, if you carry the virus and happen to bleed, you should immediately clean up after yourself.  This is how some doctors and nurses are becoming infected--by being stuck with bio-hazardous needles.

    Also, since being treated for Hepatitis is so strenuous, and since the disease takes ten to twenty years to show symptoms, patients must decide weather or not to even attempt to cure it.  If you contract the virus after you are forty years or more in age, the medicines that treat it could be more than your body can handle, so it’s best to try and live with it and just moderate one’s diet.  As the Chinese Proverb states, “He who takes medicine and neglects to diet wastes the skill of his doctors.” 

    Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners might recommend a diet of fruits and vegetables along with dandelion, licorice, milk thistle, alfalfa, burdock root, and fennel which are all known to enhance and maintain good liver function.  Some studies, reported from outside the United States, have looked at glycyrrhizin, also known as licorice root extract, administered intravenously for hepatitis C.  Preliminary evidence from these studies suggests that glycyrrhizin may have beneficial effects against hepatitis C.  However, additional research is needed before reaching any conclusions (NCCAM, 2011).

    Before any serious move towards treating Hepatitis C is made, the doctors will most likely want to do a liver biopsy where a surgeon will remove a very small piece of liver tissue that is studied in the lab to determine the liver’s condition and the extent of damage.  A liver biopsy is a simple, outpatient procedure in which a small medical biopsy needle is being inserted into the liver to obtain the tissue sample.  Understanding the whole procedure and all the needed preparations is an advancement for the patient and of course with the family.  The patient will need to stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen and arthritis medications 3 days prior to the procedure and blood thinners 5 days prior to the procedure.  As with most surgeries, food is prohibited after midnight the day of the procedure.  The patient will be instructed to lay on their right side for up to 4 hours while the wound heels, and they will need someone to drive them home. 


SUPPORT

    The American Liver Foundation’s mission is to facilitate, advocate, and promote education, support, and research for the prevention, treatment, and cure of liver disease.  Rapidly rising health care costs, unforeseen occurrences in one’s personal life, and increasing responsibilities can lead to the need for financial assistance.  Financial needs for individuals with liver disease can vary from medication assistance to transportation assistance to transplant assistance.  The American Liver Foundation connect s individuals with liver disease to the financial assistance resources they may need (American Liver Foundation, n.d.).  The ALF also offers a help line on the telephone which can be reached by dialing 1-800-GO-LIVER.

    Caring Bridge is another lifeline for patients and families.  The American Liver Foundation partners with Caring Bridge to offer free, personal and private websites that connect people experiencing a significant health challenge to their family and friends, making each health journey easier.  Saving time and energy is one positive attribute that using Caring Bridge can bring.  In a 2010 study of patients using a Caring Bridge website to share health news, 91% of patients agreed that it helped make their health journey easier and 88% of patients agreed that it positively impacted their healing process (American Liver Foundation, 2011).

CONCLUSION

    If left untreated hepatitis C can lead to serious liver disease.  What this all means is that for HCV carriers, there should be a discernment of what the disease implies.  How to change one’s ingestion and behavior and weather or not to receive treatment are both personal decisions each Hepatitis patient must come to terms with for themselves.  The modifying life away from old, bad habits and the self-awareness to determine if the heavy treatment will work are interconnected actions and attributes.  Managed care organizations would potentially, before the recent activation of the Affordable Care Act that guarantees coverage for pre-existing conditions, refuse treatment on “behalf" of their clients.  A person has free will, and no doctors in America will force the treatment on anyone but there are patient advocates in the public health system.  We should examine ourself and be wise to what is in our best interest and the best interest of our family and loved ones. 







References:

American Liver Foundation (October 4, 2011).  CaringBridge.org: A Lifeline for Patients and Families.  Retrieved from http://www.liverfoundation.org/patients/caringbridge/

CDC DVH (2012).  Hepatitis C FAQs for the Public.  Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm

Health Protection Agency (2011).  Shooting Up: Infections Among Injecting Drug Users in the UK 2010. An update: November 2011. Health Protection Agency, London

Jaret, P. (December 18, 2009).  Alcohol and Hepatitis C.  Consumer Health Interactive.  Retrieved from http://cvscaremarkspecialtyrx.com/node/1086

NCCAM (March, 2011).  Hepatitis C and CAM:  What the Science Says.  Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/hepatitisC-science.htm

n.d. (July 17, 2013).  There’s No Mistaking the Evidence, Cannabis Cures Cancer.  Retrieved from http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/07/there-is-no-mistaking-the-evidence-cannabis-cures-cancer.html

Peters, D. (March 19, 2013).  Sex between monogamous heterosexuals rarely source of hepatitis C infection.  Retrieved from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/w-sbm031913.php

Sargent, S. (2009).  Liver Diseases An Essential Guide for Nurses and Health Care Professionals.  Wiley-Blackwell

Shepard, B. (November 4, 2013).  Gilead’s Race for a Cure.  Retrieved from http://www.investingdaily.com/18702/gileads-race-for-a-cure/

Virginia Department of Health (June, 2013).  Hepatitis C.  Retrieved from http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/factsheets/pdf/Hepatitis_C.pdf

SOC313: DISCHARGE PLAN (Schizophrenia) discussion

Schizophrenia is a complex, chronic, lifelong condition characterized as a psychotic disorder. Psychosis is a condition in which there is distortion of reality and disturbances of thought (Falvo, 2008). There are different types of schizophrenia.  All of them have strange and serious symptoms.   There is no cure, but it is manageable. Institutionalization for schizophrenia is most always in connection with a psychotic episode.  They are matters of life and death for the individual experiencing it.  Individuals with schizophrenia tend to have a number of health problems in addition to the symptoms experienced as a result of their condition. They have a 20% shorter life expectancy relative to the general population (Falvo, 2008). There are asylums for the insane that house thousands of mentally deranged, catatonic, or delusional people. It’s happens from time to time when those who begin taking anti-psychotic or anti-depressant medication are bound to feel some side effects.  It’s the difference between what psychiatric professionals call clean or dirty medicine.  We have all seen commercials for the Zoloft or Abilify brands with one possible side effect being death. One side effect in particular that can be treated with another type of anti psychotic called Cogentin is called Tardive dyskinesias are involuntary movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk, and extremities that occur in patients treated with long-term dopaminergic antagonist medications (Brasic, 2012). If you have never experienced a schizophrenic episode, it is impossible to comprehend how frightening and upsetting it can be. During a schizophrenic episode, a person loses contact with reality. They may hear and see things that are not actually happening, experience paranoia and believe that other people mean them harm or are monitoring them, and be unable to communicate in a clear or meaningful way (Taylor, 2011). This is how a person can wind up having an inpatient stay, and some of these people stay there for their whole lives.  The medications for a place like that are mainly Haloperidol and Thorazine, two powerful tranquilizers. There is a study and many theories about the treatment of schizophrenia to find a balance between sedation and stimulation.  Patients may be zombie-like or could be so hyperactive that they are incoherent or can’t manage themselves. Upon discharge patients should have regular check ups, usually done by someone working for their insurance company, to be sure the person is taking their medication and are no harm to themselves or others.  There are crisis lines for people contemplating suicide or being too paranoid to the point that they are potentially dangerous.  Mental health hospitals usually have peer support groups that will also aid in stabilizing and helping support people having really dire straight. References Brasic, J. R. (Feb 9, 2012).  Tardive Dyskinesia.  Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1151826-overview Falvo, D. (2008). Medical & Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Illness and Disability (4th ed). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Schizophrenia, bipolar, or depression antipsychotic medications and their side effects.  Uploaded by Magpiemedia1 on Jul 18, 2011.  Retrieved on October 24, 2013 @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8F1mFebmvI Taylor, V. (April 29, 2011).  Schizophrenic Episode.  Retrieved from http://www.schizophrenic.com/articles/schizophrenia/schizophrenic-episode

RE: Discharge Plan--week 2 discussion

Joshua, thanks for this great information. You mentioned a critical point to consider in the patient’s discharge plan and that is suicide. Reducing the possibilities to harm themselves or others must be discussed in the discharge plan. Also, an effective discharge plan should have a crisis plan identified and developed. There must be an emergency contact if the patient shows signs of producing harm. Can you be specific with indentifying the individuals who should be part of developing the patient’s discharge plan? Again, great information. Professor Scott

RE: Discharge Plan--week 2 discussion

I remember I was specifically told that Dr. Boyd, a PhD who met with me once a week was making the final decision when I could go home.  He looked like the lead singer from Incubus, who's last name is also Boyd. The entire staff at a psychosis recovery hospital staff has an input on the discharge plan.

RE: Discharge Plan--week 2 discussion

Joshua, One point you made about not understanding Schizophrenia unless you are personally effected rings true to me because I have a close friend whose father was diagnosed when she was child. The type of planning that her family has to make in order to ensure that he continues on a path of health and wellness is quite different than what other families typically go through. While the medication he is on works well and he has not be hospitalized in quite a long time, that is not because he condition has improved it is because he and their family have made great strides in creating a healthy environment which supports his discharge plans including regular medication, therapy, group counseling and  a regimented daily schedule. It has truly changed the way the family functions but the hard work has paid off tremendously and he is thriving at work and home. -Lucie

RE: Discharge Plan--week 2 discussion

That's an informal response, especially on my thread.  I am diagnosed schizophrenic, and my wife is 5 months pregnant.  A symptom of this disease of the brain is that I don't believe myself to be ill.  I have no other treatment besides the medication, but that doctor did recommend seeing a counselor, too.

RE: Discharge Plan--week 2 discussion

I agree with you when you said "If you have never experienced a schizophrenic episode, it is impossible to comprehend how frightening and upsetting it can be. During a schizophrenic episode, a person loses contact with reality. "I have an uncle that is schizophrenic and if he does not take his medication or if the medication needs to be adjusted he can have episodes of delusion. He has had inpatient stays a few times, but this is not because he chooses to do so, it is for his safety. When he has his episodes he loses all reality to the so-called real world and can cause harm to himself or others. This was frightening to watch as a young child and wouldn't wish this disease on my worst enemy. The best thing that we can do for him as caregivers is to be there for him and make sure that he is taking his meds. on time on a daily basis. We also look for signs that maybe the medication isn't working as it did when he first started it, his medication has been changed many times over the years and it gets easier to see the signs before he has an episode.

RE: Discharge Plan--week 2 discussion \

I have never had a schizophrenic episode but it just sounds like it would be very frightening and upsetting just thinking about it.  And also it is never just a one time episode and that would make it even more scary just thinking everyday that one day it could happen again and you have no idea what you are going to do because you have no control when it comes to schizophrenia.  Good post.

The Media and Structural Violence's Effect on Children

            Violence in the media very much contributes to more of violent behavior in children.  Even the lack of media reporting the good news debilitates a nurturing environment.  There is no doubt that youth of today are confronted with a very different media than the one faced by their grandparents or even their parents (Starsburger, 2009).  The early years are a crucial time for brain development.  Children need time for activities that are critical for healthy mental and physical development.  Early formative years should be spent playing, reading, exploring nature, learning about music and participating in sports (Mweba, 2011).  There are safeguarding boundaries that exists in the format and choices in different media, but for the most part, it’s become less and less suitable for younger minds.

            Structural violence and the media’s fantastic mirage of politics and consumerism does mostly harm and what good it does only treats side effects of the schism itself.  Structural violence is the leading cause of all behavioral violence.  Newspapers have become obsolete in the 21st century with the advent of alternative media.  Twenty-four hour news networks do little to even mention the Martin Luther King, Jr. or the Mahatma Gandhi personalities who are just as active today in public life today as they were before.  Despite the existence of compelling, empirical evidence that media violence causes increased aggression in the observer or game players, intelligent people still doubt the effects.  A fundamental reason is that the outcomes of such research have implications not only for public policy but how one views oneself (Hughsman, 2013).

            We parents are called to train up a child in the way they should go and when they get old they will not depart from it.   With the illusion of free will also goes its opposite, the illusion of freedom to choose our genes or our environment we grow up in as children.  Still, there is the option of strict conservative discipline.  Wholesome recreation definitely produces smarter and more positive effects in children than war video games and movies with violence as the main plot has on teens and kids that play or watch them.  Some parents let children as young as four or five own an I-Pad or DSI.  This is helpful if they are strictly monitored, but it has been shown as a parody for a zombie apocalypse with a large group of young people hanging out, and every one of them is staring down at their device.

            TV has a system by which parents can monitor what their children watch.  There is a 7 level television rating scale Y (all children) - M (Mature) much like movies G (General Audiences) - NC17 (no one 17 and under admitted).  Parental discretion is advised for some programs.   One or more letters may be added to the basic rating to indicate that a show contains higher levels of violence, sex, adult language or suggestive dialogue  (parentstv.org, n.d.).  There is actually even a rating called FV for fantasy violence.  This is referred to about scenes that do not look real, such as cartoons.  There are adult cartoons out there like South Park or Bevis and Butthead that have been accused of warping young minds.  While this may be true for MTV’s Bevis and Butthead, it is not necessarily the case with South Park which has a 10PM EST spot of Comedy Central.  Although it was designed as a satirical cartoon for adults, South Park has clearly established a strong following with much younger viewers than its original audience of mainly 18- to 39-year-old males. As has been the case with The Simpsons, the language and other semiotic codes associated with South Park have entered the everyday lives of young people the world over (Nixon, 1999).

            What is technology’s purpose?  Is the impact of a generation of leaders raised with Twitter and Facebook at ease being felt?  Not yet.  The programs the generations passed have been offered are much less interactive.  Advertising is using more cunning techniques to reach their target audiences.  There really is not much parents can do about the type of things their kids view on social media, but when monitored, it can be a revelation about the young one’s personality.  Is a person’s profile any glimpse into their character?  Of course so.  That is why I will propose stricter labeling of dangerous people and groups.  It is already under way with the NSA’s government surveillance and anti-terrorism agency.  Controversy surrounding media content labeling has long occurred between industry and government officials, parents, and researchers alike. Even though much debate has ensued, little change to content labeling makeup has emerged (Stone, 2012).

            We saw many parents at Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together projects, standing against structural violence, hoping to build a greater legacy for their descendants.  And therein, some examples of things these parents may be teaching children is the act of civil disobedience.  The principles of non-violent, non cooperation are transmitted to a new generation in demonstrations, like the recent events in Iceland, where peaceful protests brought about termination of the corrupt government, nationalization of the public banks, liquidation of everyone’s debts, and a new constitution (Jacobs, 2012).  Civilization began.  But, where was this incredible, monumental, revolutionary event ever mentioned in the mainstream media?  It hardly got reported at all.

            Quentin Tarantino films are notoriously violent.  Most teens who are allowed to watch them think they are some really cool movies.  They do have sentimental stories that just so happen to include plenty of blood and foul language.  Now, the question is not how do we get younger people to not enjoy these movies but how do we educate them about the implications of the uncouth, detestable behavior seen in them.  The media should not be a behavioral modification therapy, but a key idea that will contribute to more ethically-based, young persons minds are adults, who’s life purposes it is to teach, constructing by themselves a new genre that is approved of by their students (Barker, Petley, 2002).  There is an old saying that if the student does not do greater work than the teacher, the teacher has failed.

            There are popular media outlets, such as Walt Disney, that are geared specifically towards providing entertainment suitable for teens and younger crowds.  Disney is especially famous for reaching ages 4-9 with legendary stories like Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid.  Disney has their own cable network that features animated and bright live shows.  The Jonas Brothers are a rock band who wear purity rings that represent their vow to not have sex or mess around like that until marriage, the conservative agenda that made Disney successful in the market.  Recently, however, the Jonas Brothers have been roasted for marketing sex to young girls with sensual singing and dancing to their boy-girl related songs or videos.  Selena Gomez, a Disney pop star, is often seen being much more “grown up” than the innocent belle she played on the television show starring her, “Wizards of Waverly Place.”  Brittney Spears is another example of a Disney Mouskateer who is less than an excellent role model for little girls to aspire towards.

            In conclusion, there is the notion that media is over using the graphic, violence simulation scenes and the notion that the media fails to represent the more benevolent matters of truth.  Both notions are valid, but the second is more causal than the first.  This is due to the modern, availability of quality, truthful media representing positive values.  Constructive entertainment has become an oxymoron.  Critics of media biases are saying that this is simply a reflection of public consensus.  “No matter how much we may try to ignore it, human communication always takes place in a context, through a medium, and among individuals and groups who are situated historically, politically, economically, and socially.  This state of affairs is neither bad nor good. It simply is.  Bias is a small word that identifies the collective influences of the entire context of a message” (Rhetorica, n.d.).  When a generation is becoming more liberal and more defensive of their own freedoms, safety, and identity, it is the younger ones who will reap the consequences of negligent moderation of media.

References

Barker, M., & Petley, J. (Eds.). (2002). Ill effects: The media violence debate. Routledge. 

Huesmann, L. R., Dubow, E. F., & Yang, G. (2013). Why It Is Hard To Believe That Media Violence Causes Aggression. The Oxford Handbook of Media Psychology, 159.

Jacobs, S. R. (April 16, 2012).  The Icelandic Revolution: Why Didn’t I Hear About It?  Retrieved from http://cac.ophony.org/2012/04/16/the-icelandic-revolution-why-didnt-i-hear-about-it/

Mweba, A (2011).  Effects of Media Violence on Children.  Pediatrics for Parents. Sep/Oct2011, Vol. 27 Issue 9/10, p6-7. 2p.

Nixon, H. (1999). Adults Watching Children Watch "South Park.". Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 43(1), 12-16.

Rhetorica (n.d.)  Media and Political Bias.  Retrieved from http://rhetorica.net/bias.htm

Strasburger, V. C. (2009). Children, adolescents, and the media. Sage.

Stone, C. H. (2012). Effects of Content Label Type and Style on Movie Audiences’ Perceived Threat to Freedom, Desire to View, and Expectations of Media Programming (Doctoral dissertation, Texas Tech University).

Television Ratings Guide (n.d.).  Retrieved from http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/parentsguide/tvratings2.html

Understanding Self: Nature and Nurture

    I was born in Memphis, Tennessee to a single parent.  We stayed in Memphis for a while, and I was raised there in my beginning by my mother and her siblings.  I spent the first few years of my life as the only child of my mother until my half-sister was born when I was four years old.  I also have 2 half-sisters on my father’s side, but I never met them or my biological father until I was in my mid-twenties.  I am also the firstborn offspring of my father.  Shortly after I was born, my grandfather, my mother’s father, gave my mom a house in which she was to be able to raise me and not be hassled with paying rent.

    What I remember most of my childhood was witnessing the violent battles between my mom and step-dad, and this probably caused me to develop into a pacifist.  I do not remember much from before adolescence, because I suffered a traumatic brain injury at the age of 13.  I was in a coma for eight days, but I healed quickly and returned to the 8th grade having missed only one semester.  Therefore, my understanding of personality, sexuality, and gender was formed much in the celebrity like status I had coming back from the dead and the later, immensely, shrunken popularity status I experienced in high school.  As sociologist, Dalton Conley of New York University says in his lecture “Breaking the Wall of Nature and Nurture: How Genes and Environment Combine to Affect Our Life Course” (n.d.), our character is defined not only by genes and an environment but also by the genes of others who share our environment, as was the case with me.  I was really, very effected by such a traumatic event and the impact it had on my community.

    The nature versus nurture debate is an attempt to calculate which has more influence on an individual’s state of being and action orienting (or lack thereof), genetics (nature) or the environment (nurture).  One who argues that nature is the sole producer of a person’s stature are called nativist, and they point to evolution and human DNA as making each person have the character they do as unique individual’s with a specific genetic code.  The other view is that nurture is the primary cause, and those who argue for this conclusion are called empiricists.  Their notion is that the human mind is a blank slate that is gradually “filled” as a result of experience (McLeod, 2007).  However, most would say that neither is the sole cause of a person’s condition but that both have substantial influence on everyone, albeit to different degrees.

    Nature may have had more of an impact than nurture in my life, and I believe, measurably, in the whole of people’s life in this world.  According to Frank Huguenard in his scientific documentary, Beyond Me (2011), there is a link to be explored between animal instincts and our personalities.  For example, every year monarch butterflies migrate 2500 miles to escape the cold winters.  What may be most amazing about this migration is not just the distance, but the fact that it takes four generations of monarch butterflies to make the trip and that the butterflies -- four generations apart -- use the exact same trees to winter each year (Heimbuch, 2012).  This startling fact raises the question of how instincts are transmitted to offspring from ancestors.  I mention this in this paper discussing my own understanding of self to explain the environment being an effect of genetic, karmic baggage that we have received from countless generations past via the cause, nature.

    Nurture, as I identified, is somehow related to the genes of others in one’s immediate environment, their conditioning to respond to one as they perceive themselves, and it has an effect as mentioned in the Huguenard documentary of a typist on the keyboard of our programming.  Nature would be the keyboard, and the environment inputs, or types instructions or suggestions.  My understanding of self and gender was computed by much the same way as my peers were conditioned.  We all grew up seeing images of glamour and excess in the majority of media.  This caused quite the schism when it came to appreciating our necessary purpose, which has more circuity between people when it is humble and not founded on self-satisfaction, as was the case in my generation, at least in my perception.

    In conclusion, hereditary transmissions do not change in a person, but people can, at will, change the environment in which they find themselves living.
In my case, economic security has always been an important factor in my family’s genetic code, as was the legitimacy of our place in the world.  Therefore, for me personally, nature is the fixed system with which I must change my environment, and nurture is simply the ideology of an assumed freedom or an accepted servitude that I have to work with in this effort for change.





References

Conley, D.  (n.d.)  Breaking the Wall of Nature and Nurture: How Genes and Environment Combine to Affect Our Life Course.  Films Media Group.

Heimbuch, J.  (Nov. 22, 2012).  Nature Blows My Mind! The Multi-Generation, 2,500 Mile Monarch Butterfly Migration.  Retrieved from http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/natural-sciences/nature-blows-my-mind-multi-generation-tk-mile-monarch-butterfly-migration/

Huguenard, F.  (2011).  Beyond Me.  Retrieved from http://beyondmefilm.com/index.php/beyond-me

McLeod, S.  (2007).   Nature Nurture in Psychology.  Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html

The Mouse Party--Tripping Rodent

  Access the Mouse Party interactive module. Select one mouse, influenced by the drug of your choice, and complete the simulation by viewing all of the relevant slides. Next, perform a web search on the drug you selected and locate additional resources that will help you answer the following:

• Briefly describe why you chose this drug and how many people are estimated to be using/abusing it.
• Explain how the drug influences both the brain and behavior.
• Discuss what you think (if anything) needs to be done to combat addiction to this substance and provide a rationale for your position.

 

 

 

The drug I choose to discuss here is LSD or Lysergic acid diethylamide, because it is the most intense high or trip known to man.  It is unlike any other substance on earth.  I find it fascinating. 

Scientist Albert Hoffman discovered it much by accident on November 16, 1938 while looking for a blood stimulant.  Then, just a few years later on April 19, 1943, he reported the first intentional LSD trip saying, “I suddenly became strangely inebriated. The external world became changed as in a dream. Objects appeared to gain inrelief; they assumed unusual dimensions; and colors became more glowing.  Even self-perception and the sense of time were changed. When the eyes were closed, colored pictures flashed past in a quickly changing kaleidoscope. After a few hours, the not unpleasant inebriation, which had been experienced whilst I was fully conscious, disappeared. what had caused this condition?”

In 1963 is when LSD doses are believed to have first appeared on the streets.  By 1970, 1-2 million Americans reported using LSD.  In 1988, the Psychedelic movement re-emerges along with popularity of raves, all night dance parties featuring synthesized music and use of hallucenogenic drugs.  “National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports LSD statistics and facts saying more than 200,000 people use LSD for the first time each year. Indeed, only 9.7 percent of the population above the age of 12 has used LSD once in a lifetime” (LSD Statitics and Facts, 2009).

LSD acts almost exclusively on serotonin neurons.  It chemically resembles serotonin and elicits its effect by binding itself to serotonin receptors.  Sometimes LSD may inhibit serotonin receptors, and sometimes it may excite them.  This is one reason why LSD has complex sensory effects.  People may have a good trip or a bad trip or both.  This makes the drug fairly, non addictive.  Exciting the locus coeruleus, an area of the brain responsible for awareness, which acts to regulate the level of activity in the brain is what LSD does that causes hallucinations.  It is said that the users of LSD become more ecological and feel at one with nature.

What needs to be done about this drug and other psychedelics is more, controlled research.  It is being used by a few, but it is very rarely abused.  It is way too serious.  There even may be many therapeutic uses.  CNN reported that the volunteers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study participated in an experiment with psilocybin, a substance in magic mushrooms with similar effects to LSD, had lasting, positive, spiritual experiences.  And, this same school says LSD and other psychedelics are not linked to mental health woes.  LSD is the only known cure for cluster headaches, a crippling pain suffered by a few unfortunate individuals.

It's time to end the failed War on Drugs for many reasons.



References

http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd.shtml

LSD Statistics and Facts.  (2009)  Retrieved from http://www.lsdaddiction.us/content/lsd-statistics.html

Magic mushrooms on CNN - Long lasting postive effects ..

The Mouse Party

U.S. Healthcare Critical Issues

U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Joshua  8/1/2013 3:06:06 PM

What do you believe are the three most critical issues facing the health care system in the United States today?  Explain and justify your response. 1.  Marijuana has been called a miracle plant.  It is being used in treating nausea and vomiting, and helping with the appetite of chemotherapy patients, and also is used for relieving chronic pain.  It is also a natural anti-depressant and decreases anxiety.  Sadly, it is still called a “controlled" substance in the majority of U.S. states.  “Despite the evidence indicating therapeutic uses, The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has refused to consider reclassification of marijuana, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially opposed the use of marijuana as medicine”  (Marijuana Legalization Organization, n.d.).  Besides the undeniable, health benefits, legalization could end deforestation, make biodegradable plastics, and end dependence on oil, coal, and gas. It is also good to mention that violent crime in Colorado, since legalizing cannabis for adults over 21, has gone down by 400 percent.  (Hirchert, 2013) 2.  Deforestation and dependence on oil, coal, and gas also effects public health by polluting the environment and being a drain on the income and lungs of virtually all peoples.  “America's dependence on oil is a threat to our national security and our economy. . .  With U.S. gasoline consumption accounting for 11 percent of world oil production, the U.S. has been hit hard by our dependence on oil, intensifying our economic and political vulnerability”  (Natural Resources Defense Counsil, n.d.). 3.  Funds for basic needs of the poorest people is an important role the government plays to provide health care.  Food stamps are one form of welfare for consumers.  By providing minimal funding too feed victims of poverty, a majority of Americans are subjected to eating canned and processed foods putting them at higher risks of cancer and other health abnormalities.  This is left up to state governments to dictate who gets what.  “Despite its powers to provide for the general welfare and regulate commerce, the federal government could not act directly in health matters; it could act only through states as its primary delivery system”  (Turnock, 2011). What major forces are most likely to fuel further movement toward major health care reform in the Unites States? When Federal Reserve Notes stop being worth anything (because they literally has negative value, even now), we will be emancipated from the illusion of scarcity that allows the “government” to sell us our own value.  Then, we will all be more healthy and free. References Hirchert, N. (2013).  Colorado: Violent Crime Down 400% Since Marijuana Legalization.  Observer.  Retrieved from http://fmobserver.com/colorado-violent-crime-down-400-since-marijuana-legalization/ Marijuana as Medicine  (n.d).  Marijuana Legalization Organization.  Retrieved from http://mjlegal.org/medicinal.html Safe, Strong and Secure: Reducing America's Oil Dependence  (n.d.).  Natural Resources Defense Council.  Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/aoilpolicy2.asp Turnock, B. (2011). Essentials of Public Health (2nd ed). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781449640996/id/pg79

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Nadine  8/4/2013 10:19:20 AM

Joshua, I agree that marijuana has some medical benefits, however, I don't agree that it's one of the most critical issues facing health care today. I would even go so far as to say Cannabis oil is really the health benefit, not necessarily the marijuana itself.  The Cannabinoid oil inside of the leaf is really where the true benefit lies. People can only get but so much of the oil when they smoke it. While you listed all very important issues, I do not agree that they are the most critical issues facing healthcare.  What do you think about the obesity epidemic?  Or how about the underinsured and uninsured?  What roles do you think they play in our health care system today?

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Joshua  8/4/2013 11:11:05 AM

Nadine, Marijuana is not only medicine, an acre of hemp could make 4-10 times more paper than an acre of trees, legalizing cannabis would cut deforestation in half.  The entire war on drugs, as President Obama stated, should be a public health issue and not criminality.  Poland, 10 years after decriminalization, have seen drug abuse down by half. Obesity is a problem that I think has to do with a corporate exploitation of our food system.  The more wholesome a person eats, the healthier they are.  Instead it's monopoly. About insuring the uninsured, I definitely see it as a major issue with public health.  Costly hospital bills are not being payed and it should be publicly funded.

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Damon  8/4/2013 1:59:10 PM

Joshua, After reading your post I was trying to find the relation between medicinal  marijuana use and how this is a critical issue that is facing the health care system. While I can understand your view on the use of medicinal marijuana we must be clear that one of the  main reasons why people use recreational drugs whether legal or illegal and this includes marijuana is so that they can experience a so called high they use it to help them relax, their view or image of lifes reasoning is altered. Some of the side effects to include but not limited to the intensified feelings that a person experiences as they relate to eating, watching movies, egaging in sex or any other social form or interaction (Degenhardt,2009). Now I know that you mentioned medicinal marijuana usage, the marijuana that is used for medicinal purposes is made inside of a laboratory with whatever additives that the governmnet sees fit to add based on the needs of the individual. When we look at marijuana usage for Cancer patients, regardless if two people share or have the same type of Cancer their body is going to respond differently to treatment. When most people continue to use recreational drugs, this is not to find a new high, they are chasing their intial high. Marijuana usage at this point would seem like this would not only hurt society, but could cause more damage in allowing people to become more irresponsible. Irresponsiblity in the sense that with the state of euphoria that people experience from marijuana usage they have a decreased sense of response in their judegment, as well as reflex and motor skills. Forgive me for asking, but how does decreasing the value of the Federal Reserve serve as a critical means in further advancing the movement to major health reform in the United States? I have found that with the Federal Reserve that the value of the US dollar is decreasing and it can be contributed to government spending, but some of the blame can fall on the shoulders of the people as well, for instance if a person has an income of $36,000, they will try to justify placing themselves in $72,000 worth of debt. The Federal Reserve is established for just more than providing financial means for the country, but this is also a way of separating the socioeconomic classes. Hall, W., & Degenhardt, L. (2009). Adverse health effects of non-medical cannabis use. The Lanet, 1383-1397. Damon Kennard

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Joshua  8/4/2013 5:49:44 PM

Federal Reserve Notes have a negative value and their trade hinders access abundance.  For more information, watch Zeitgeist Addendum by Peter Joseph, and you will better understand the vastness of the schism. About the marijuana, I suggested more than medicinal use being important for public health.  Everyone seems to ignore the part where I mention ending deforestation, making biodegradable plastics, and ending dependence on coal, oil, and gas.  Does a 400% drop in violent crime in Colorado not prove anything else, too?

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Instructor Nguyen-Grozavu 8/6/2013 2:01:46 PM

Modified:8/6/2013 2:03 PM (Note:  Modified by me immediately after posting since my numbering was off) Hi Joshua, Thank you for your post!  Your passion in these three issues come through, but be sure to use scholarly sources in all discussions (as well as in all university courses) to legitimize and provided stronger support for your position; it helps frame your comments in a higher education learning environment debate (going beyond re-iterating comments from blogs/related websites, people's opinions, unsubstantiated claims without data support, etc.).  I have a few comments below.  1)  We already talked to some extent about issues you brought up related to marijuana in the "Ask Your Instructor" forum.  There are a few additional comments I would like to point out in relation to new claims made related to the first two issues identified.  You brought up some valid points about the benefits (to some extent) of marijuana.  However, the other side that has been debated is marijuana can have harmful psychological effects and people have  been known to abuse it (including youth), which has contributed to it being considered illegal.  You mentioned a major drop in crime in Denver over a matter of a few months, which I will note was cited from a "satire news and entertainment website".  Longitudinal data is preferred to see if the trend sustains and to see if it is beyond a coincidental association.  2)  If you look at scholarly sources (I will provide one as an example), a RAND report assessed data examining marijuana use and found that higher marijuana use is "positively associated with property arrests and income-producing criminal arrests. There is also evidence from the UCR (Uniform Crime Reports) analysis that marijuana use might be positively associated with the number of violent arrests" (Pacula & Kilmer, 2004, p. 24).  However, you make a valid point that marijuana may be involved in less violent crimes overall, but other types like property damage still exist especially among youth.  Another consideration is that data on crimes committed possibly involving marijuana sometimes have other types of drugs detected (in addition to marijuana) in arrestees, so it may be hard to determine the exact amount that can be attributed to the specific drugs.  3)  Also, you quoted that there is a 400% decrease - what are the specific numbers where this was calculated?  I was unsure after looking at the data that Hibert used to make that claim.  An important consideration is to ask yourself if the results are statistically significant (meaning it is beyond random association that we see this occurrence between these two factors of violent crime and marijuana use).  When you look at the website you cited by Hibert, you can see in the comment below on that website that someone also pointed out the importance of correctly interpreting the data.  For instance, I know you talked about a decrease, but my point is that an increase from 1 to 4 can be reported as a 400% increase but is not statistically significant due to the small numbers.  This is why studies with small sample sizes can only make correlation/association claims, and never can demonstrate causality.  4)  You also mentioned the marijuana can help reduce deforestation.  Can you provide the source(s) for this claim since this is something I never heard about but is an interesting point?  You mentioned it in your first issue but with no source, and then talk about deforestation again in your second issue and cited a well-known organization (NCRD) but this publication does not talk about marijuana's role in deforestation.  The general of deforestation is am important issue that I appreciate you bringing up, particularly as consumption and the world population continue to grow. 5)  Lastly, would you like to further elaborate on other issues as the main forces that are fueling the health care reform movement? Instructor Nguyen-Grozavu Reference Bacula, R.L., & Kilmer, B.  (2004).  Marijuana and crime:  Is there a connection beyond prohibition? (Working Paper No. 10046).  Santa Monica, CA:  RAND Health.  Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2004/RAND_WR125.pdf

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Joshua 8/6/2013 8:30:03 PM

Here is a scholarly article about hemp, which is marijuana's sister plant, potentially cutting deforestation in half. http://www.hempfarm.org/Papers/Hemp_Facts.html

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Instructor Nguyen-Grozavu 8/8/2013 2:21:35 AM

Hi Joshua, Thank you for providing this website.  It is not a scholarly site, but does list information that has links to other sites.  I checked out a few related to the topic of deforestation (such as "paper") and found the source links were also not scholarly sources.  For example, under the "paper" subheading, interesting points were made so I wanted to see where this information was obtained.  When I clicked on the links, a few sources were listed as such: [liii] “Hemp Through History” ecomall.com, “CROPS: Cotton, Hemp, Flax and Kenaf”, oldgrowthfree.com [liv] “CROPS: Cotton, Hemp, Flax and Kenaf”, oldgrowthfree.com [lv] ibid. [lvi] ibid. First, "Hemp Through History" is not on the "ecomall.com" website, which "ecomall" is actually a website to search and eco-friendly products.  So I performed a search for the title "Hemp Through History" and it was actually a site based in Slovenia that cited historical information about hemp-based products but did not list where they got their information. Second, after I did a search for "CROPS:  Cotton, Hemp, Flas, and Kenaf" since no website was listed, a website about alternative energy listed this article title.  However, there was no information about the where they got their information they listed.  Also, if you look at the people who put this website together, it reads they are an "unorganized group of alt energy aficionados. The content you find on this website, is the collaboration of those few alt energy nuts, who have collated and authored, what we think, is accurate (at the time of publishing) information on developments in the field of alternative energy sources in the North America, Europe and Australia...We are not a scientific organization but a hobby group for people with a keen interest in alternative energy solutions." Third, the website "oldgrowthfree.com" listed does not mention anything about hemp. You present an interesting point, but it is a challenge to understand without scientific sources that have transparent and citable data and facts.  With that being said, I was not aware of the various uses of hemp to the extent mentioned on the website you provided so I found it enlightening but wished the sources they provided for the information given can be traced. Instructor Nguyen-Grozavu Respond

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Joshua  8/15/2013 10:58:55 AM

Here are some scholarly articles about the use of cannabis in treating cancer. http://thenaturalhealthpage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/34-medical-studies-proving-cannabis.html Please, respond, as this has a relevance with my understanding of public health. Thanks.

RE: U.S. Health Care System Critical Issues--week 2, discussion 1 Joshua  9/2/2013 5:55:23 PM

http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/09/harvard-study-shows-marijuana-cuts-lung-cancer-tumor-growth-in-half.html Why is no one responding anymore?