Controversies In Therapeutics

Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.

Electroconvulsive Therapy is widely demonized or idealized. Some detractors consider its very use to be a human rights violation, while some promoters depict it as a miracle, the "penicillin of psychiatry." This book traces the American history of one of the most controversial procedures in medicine, and seeks to provide an explanation of why ECT has been so controversial, juxtaposing evidence from clinical science, personal memoir, and popular culture. Contextualizing the controversies about ECT, instead of simply engaging in them, makes the history of ECT more richly revealing of wider changes in culture and medicine. It shows that the application of electricity to the brain to treat illness is not only a physiological event, but also one embedded in culturally patterned beliefs about the human body, the meaning of sickness, and medical authority.

Preterm birth affects over 15 million newborns worldwide each year and is the main contributor of neonatal mortality and morbidity. While neonatal survival following preterm birth continues to improve, this has not been matched by a decline in neurological outcome. There is still a high prevalence of motor problems, executive dysfunction, and cognitive impairment in infants born preterm. Improved neuroimaging has helped to describe different types of neonatal brain injuries in this population and has given a better understanding of underlying pathogenesis. However, therapies are still lacking and there is a great need to find novel strategies to improve injury and functional outcome.

What approaches to early intervention, education, therapy, and remediation really help those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities improve their functioning and adaptation? This book brings together leading behavioral scientists and practitioners to focus light on the major controversies surrounding such questions.

Acupuncture may have about 4000 years of history, but it has only been clinically accepted in the West for some 40 years. Acupuncture receives both praise from its users and skepticism from its critics. High-quality scientific studies have advanced, but the technique of acupuncture in health services has stagnated. In this current scenario of contrasts, Acupuncture - Resolving Old Controversies and Pointing New Pathways intends to be a modern reference for scholars, without totally exhausting the subject. The editors expect this work to assist with the advancement of the scientific understanding and clinical usage of acupuncture. The authors are well versed in the subject and, along with literature reviews, are able to add their own impressions. In this book, some traditional fundamentals of ancient Asian medicine are translated into the current scientific knowledge of neurophysiology and mechanisms of action. Specific variations of acupuncture, such as the scalp microsystem technique, are discussed and explained. Practical aspects, such as education on acupuncture, are enriched with descriptions of novel treatments. The therapeutic use of acupuncture and related techniques is explored regarding their incorporation into a comprehensive integrative medicine approach. As editors, we thank the contributing authors for their exquisite work, and we congratulate IntechOpen for its efforts in book production. For you, the readers, we hope to match the trust you put in this work, and we hope you find it useful.

This book will consider several clinical and interventional topics for which there is uncertainty, continued debate and/or no consensus based on current guidelines. While there are numerous guidelines in cardiology, new and on-going trials that address new drugs treatments and procedures raise many unanswered questions. Furthermore, most practicing cardiologist taking care of the patients are likely unable to digest all of these studies or guidelines and necessarily correctly apply them to their patients. If one considers in the guidelines the frequent use of Level C (consensus), there are many areas or situations where no trial exists. Also, when applying the results of a trial to an individual patient, there can be uncertainty of how this patient should be managed based on the present body of evidence.

The Annual Update compiles reviews of the most recent developments in experimental and clinical intensive care and emergency medicine research and practice in one comprehensive book. The chapters are written by well recognized experts in these fields. The book is addressed to everyone involved in internal medicine, anesthesia, surgery, pediatrics, intensive care and emergency medicine.