Desperation Medicine

What begins as a hunger for authentic medicine in a young medical student evolves into a quest for an entirely new world, a Fifth World, where the line between what is material and spiritual has been dissolved. In Fifth World Medicine, you will explore the lands, myths, and prophecies of the Hopi People, chase after coyotes in the deserts of Arizona, enter a sweat lodge with a shamanic healer in the far North Country of Canada, embrace the power of silence and the medicine of enlightenment, go on a vision quest in the depths of the Grand Canyon, and find your roots in the sacred temple of the human body and the soil of Mother Earth. Fifth World Medicine dares to challenge Westerners and anyone who dwells in the Fourth World, a techno-industrial world where dualistic thinking and linear, scientific methodologies assert their hegemony—leading to disease in Mother Earth and her inhabitants. Fifth World Medicine provides an exit path for those who hunger for something more than the Fourth World. Fifth World Medicine satisfies humanity’s deep, collective hunger for lasting health as it integrates one’s spirit, mind, body, and Earth. If you feel this hunger, follow the wolf on this journey to the Fifth World—a journey guaranteed to test your worldview and entire understanding of what is true.

Step into the captivating world of Fascinating Fringes of Medicine: From Oddities to Innovations, a compelling anthology authored by Dr Campion Quinn. Unveil the extraordinary tales of unusual diseases, queer conditions, peculiar treatments, and intriguing characters that shaped the history of medicine. Uncover the forgotten heroes and unsung pioneers who pushed the boundaries of medical knowledge and witness their relentless pursuit for medical understanding and their groundbreaking innovations that revolutionized healthcare.With meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Dr Quinn reveals the captivating history of medicine, exploring the intersection of science, culture, and humanity. From ancient remedies to cutting-edge therapies, each chapter unveils a fascinating narrative that will leave readers in awe of the complexities and wonders of the medical field. Whether you're a medical enthusiast or a curious reader, this riveting compilation will leave you enlightened and enthralled by the eccentricities, complexities, and remarkable triumphs of medicine.

Too often, patients in American hospitals are subjected to painful, expensive, and futile treatments because of a physician’s notion of medical duty or a family’s demands. Lawrence J. Schneiderman and Nancy S. Jecker renew their call for common sense and realistic expectations in medicine in this revised and updated edition of Wrong Medicine. Written by a physician and a philosopher—both internationally recognized experts in medical ethics—Wrong Medicine addresses key topics that have occupied the media and the courts for the past several decades, including the wrenching Terry Schiavo case. The book combines clear descriptions of ethical principles with real clinical stories to discuss the medical, legal, and political issues that confront doctors today as they seek to provide the best medical care to critically ill patients. The authors have added two chapters that outline theoretical, legislative, judicial, and clinical developments since the first edition. Based on the latest empirical research, Wrong Medicine continues to guide a broad range of health care professionals through the challenges of providing humane end-of-life care.

On behalf of the SNMA Publications Committee, it is our upmost pleasure to present to you the Fall 2017 JSNMA Issue: Addressing Racial Bias in Medicine. We are truly humbled by this opportunity to feature the courageous voices of our SNMA members who undertook this controversial yet delicate topic.Their diligence and creativity, combined with that of our team, have taken our vision for this issue to unexpected heights. From opinion pieces to research articles, it provides powerful insights regarding the influence of racism throughout the many dimensions of medicine.

The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in middle and low income countries is arguably one of the most meaningful outcomes recorded in the fight against HIV and AIDS. A record number of some 6.2 million people living with HIV and AIDS are reported to be benefiting from the treatment, which is reported to have risen by 19 per cent between 2010 and 2011 and as a result of this, the region has also enjoyed a significant decline in AIDS mortality. This volume is the outcome of the call for abstracts put out by OSSREA in 2011 for senior researchers, social scientists and practitioners to write scientific articles on issues surrounding ARVs. The volume contains eight chapters organized into four sections: ART and quality of life; Adherence to ART; Traditional medicine and ART; and Sexual behaviour of ART attendants. The chapters are contributed by Academics and researchers from three different African countries: four from Ethiopia, two from Uganda and two from Zimbabwe.

Our health care is staggeringly expensive, yet one in six Americans has no health insurance. We have some of the most skilled physicians in the world, yet one hundred thousand patients die each year from medical errors. In this gripping, eye-opening book, award-winning journalist Shannon Brownlee takes readers inside the hospital to dismantle some of our most venerated myths about American medicine. Brownlee dissects what she calls "the medical-industrial complex" and lays bare the backward economic incentives embedded in our system, revealing a stunning portrait of the care we now receive. Nevertheless, Overtreated ultimately conveys a message of hope by reframing the debate over health care reform. It offers a way to control costs and cover the uninsured, while simultaneously improving the quality of American medicine. Shannon Brownlee's humane, intelligent, and penetrating analysis empowers readers to avoid the perils of overtreatment, as well as pointing the way to better health care for everyone.

A Telegraph Book of the Year A Washington Post Notable Work A Times Book of the Year A Hughes Award Finalist “An indisputable masterpiece...comprehensive, fascinating, and persuasive.” —Wall Street Journal “Compulsively readable...Scull has joined his wide-ranging reporting and research with a humane perspective on matters that many of us continue to look away from.” —Daphne Merkin, The Atlantic “I would recommend this fascinating, alarming, and alerting book to anybody. For anyone referred to a psychiatrist it is surely essential.” —The Spectator “Meticulously researched and beautifully written, and even funny at times.” —The Guardian “Brimming with wisdom and brio, this masterful work spans the history of psychiatry. Exceedingly well-researched, wide-ranging, provocative in its conclusions, and magically compact, it is riveting from start to finish. Mark my words, Desperate Remedies will soon be a classic.” —Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire From the birth of the asylum to the latest drug trials, Desperate Remedies brings together a galaxy of mind doctors working in and out of institutional settings: psychologists and psychoanalysts, neuroscientists and cognitive behavioral therapists, as well as patients and their families desperate for relief. One of the most provocative thinkers writing about psychiatry today, Andrew Scull carefully reconstructs the rise and fall of state-run mental hospitals to explain why so many of the mentally ill are now on the street, and why victims of experimental therapies were so often women. He reveals how drug companies expanded their reach to treat a growing catalog of ills, while deliberately concealing the side effects of drugs now routinely prescribed from childhood through senescence. Carefully researched and compulsively readable, this passionate and compassionate account of America’s long battle with mental illness challenges us to rethink our deepest assumptions about how we think and feel.