Uninformed Consent

Dr. Huggins and Dr. Levy assert that a large number of disorders are, though often incurable, easily preventable. He proposes that multiple sclerosis, lupus, leukemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson's disease, many mental disorders including Alzheimer's, and even major diseases like breast cancer are caused, in part, by the toxins we place in our bodies. Where do these toxins come from and how do they get into our bodies? You my be surprised to find that you have actually paid to have them put there. These dangerous materials--mercury, cadmium, beryllium, nickel, and others--are used in everyday dentistry to make up the fillings, root canals, and bridgework in our mouths, and are supposed to be "safe." But are they? Uninformed Consent presents cases of toxic poisoning--of depressed immune systems and inexplicable illnesses--to toxins entering the bloodstream from the heavy metals in dental materials. The authors also discuss the hidden truths that the dental industry in America doesn't want to talk about, and the real reasons the dangers of these materials have been suppressed and ignored. Dr.'s Huggins and Levy implore the reader: "Don't leave your health in your dentist's hands and assume that all will be fine. Become informed and take an active role in your health. Know what will be implanted in your mouth. You must decide at the outset what is more important to you--the life of a filling or your life." Uninformed Consent will give you the facts so that you may take responsibility for your dental--and complete--health and wellness.

Argues that the symptoms of many illnesses are actually the result of the mercury in the amalgams used to fill teeth

When a young man named Jesse Gelsinger died in 1999 as a result of his participation in a gene transfer research study, regulatory agencies in the United States began to take a closer look at what was happening in medical research. The resulting temporary shutdown of some of the most prestigious academic research centres confirmed what various recent reports in the United States as well as Canada had claimed; that the current system of regulatory oversight was in need of improvement. Law and Ethics in Biomedical Research uses the Gelinger case as a touchstone, illustrating how three major aspects of that case - the flaws in the regulatory system, conflicts of interest, and legal liability - embody the major challenges in the current medical research environment. Editors Trudo Lemmens and Duff R. Waring, along with a host of top scholars in the field, demonstrate why existing models of research review and human subject protection are in need of improvement, and how more stringent regulatory and legal means can be used to strengthen the protection of research subjects and the integrity of research. The contributors also address conflicts of interest, paying particular attention to the growing commercialization of medical research, as well as the legal liability of scientific investigators, research institutions, and governmental agencies. Legal liability is a growing concern in medical research and this fascinating study is, in the international context, one of the first to explore the liability of various parties involved in the research enterprise.

Clearly argued and written in nontechnical language, this book provides a definitive account of informed consent. It begins by presenting the analytic framework for reasoning about informed consent found in moral philosophy and law. The authors then review and interpret the history of informed consent in clinical medicine, research, and the courts. They argue that respect for autonomy has had a central role in the justification and function of informed consent requirements. Then they present a theory of the nature of informed consent that is based on an appreciation of its historical roots. An important contribution to a topic of current legal and ethical debate, this study is accessible to everyone with a serious interest in biomedical ethics, including physicians, philosophers, policy makers, religious ethicists, lawyers, and psychologists. This timely analysis makes a significant contribution to the debate about the rights of patients and subjects.

Informed consent - the process of communication between a patient or research subject and a physician or researcher that results in the explicit agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention - is an ethical concept based on the principle that all patients and research subjects should understand and agree to the potential consequences of the clinical care they receive. Regulations that govern the attainment of informed consent for treatment and research are crucial to ensuring that medical care and research are conducted in an ethical manner and with the utmost respect for individual preferences and dignity. These regulations, however, often require - or are perceived to require - that informed consent documents and related materials contain language that is beyond the comprehension level of most patients and study participants. To explore what actions can be taken to help close the gap between what is required in the informed consent process and communicating it in a health-literate and meaningful manner to individuals, the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Health Literacy convened a one-day public workshop featuring presentations and discussions that examine the implications of health literacy for informed consent for both research involving human subjects and treatment of patients. Topics covered in this workshop included an overview of the ethical imperative to gain informed consent from patients and research participants, a review of the current state and best practices for informed consent in research and treatment, the connection between poor informed consent processes and minority underrepresentation in research, new approaches to informed consent that reflect principles of health literacy, and the future of informed consent in the treatment and research settings. Informed Consent and Health Literacy is the summary of the presentations and discussion of the workshop.

A scientific study of the political and economic factors influencing democratic decision making

Effective communication is at the heart of medical profession, whether it is patient-doctor communication, interpersonal communication, or communication with the scientific and research community. However, medical professionals are not adequately trained in these skills, and when it comes to presentations, the message is often lost due to inadequate preparation, ineffective slides, and a generally unconvincing performance by the presenter. This book addresses all aspects of the communication skills required by individuals entering medical school as well as professionals farther up the career ladder. Each chapter offers a quote or a statement that captures the essence of the text. Adopting a unique approach known an A, B, C, D and E (Assess Need, Brief, Contextualize, Describe and Evaluate) the book includes abundant illustrations, real-world case scenarios, anecdotes, tables, graphs and cartoons, as well as practical information, and tips on communicating effectively. As such it is a valuable resource for new and experienced clinicians, educators and researchers wanting to improve their communications skills.

Citing fear that the false perceptions propagated by interest groups, advocate groups, and reckless partisanship will destabilise American Government, 25 of the largest multinational corporations form POLACO. Their avowed purpose with this secret group is to take a greater role in government and appeal to the people to increase competence in political leadership. The apparent plan, termed 'nurturing democracy', is to establish new media to forward their concepts; to win popular support; and to recruit, train and elect candidates for state offices and the Congress. Unknown even to their excellent staff, operating from a partially underground headquaters on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, the deep purpose is to subvert the Constitution and to change America into a 'corporate state'. The star company of the Dow Jones Average, PENMET, is invited to join POLACO, but its multibillionaire builder and CEO, Ian MacAulliffe, calls in advisors who surmise POLACO's real intent. Ian then resolves to defend the Constitution. His advisors recommend fixing the American political system to eliminate POLACO's reason to exist. Ian agrees and they determine to elect a competent and charismatic president in a campaign that speaks of reality against perceptions and tackles the tough issues, which are being ignored. Adrian Daggett, an outstanding business leader and popular governor of Illinois becomes the candidate to reverse America's political decomposition. POLACO discovers PENMET's intervention and rushes massive support to the opposition. The presidential campaign becomes a titanic conflict which only a few know will decide the future. The story is of characters who struggle to tell the American people the truth, however painful, and their opponent who devise perceptions which they try to make into reality; and use smears, bribes, moles, and violence.