Confronting Traumatic Brain Injury or Beyond Therapy Beyond Science

Confronting Traumatic Brain Injury: Devastation, Hope, and Healing

Author: William J Winslad

William Winslade presents facts about traumatic brain injury; information about its financial and emotional costs to individuals, families, and society; and key ethical and policy issues. He illustrates each aspect with dramatic case studies, including his own childhood brain injury. He explains how the brain works and how severe injuries affect it, both immediately and over the long term, pointing out how resources are often squandered on patients with poor prognoses but adequate insurance, while underinsured patients with better prognoses often do not receive the best care. He describes the lack of regulation in the rehabilitation industry and what federal and state legislatures are doing to correct the situation. And he recommends policy changes for lowering the instances of traumatic brain injury (such as raising the minimum driving age) as well as practical steps that individuals can take to protect themselves from brain trauma. William J. Winslade is James Wade Rockwell Professor of Philosophy in Medicine at the Institute for the Medical Humanities, professor of preventive medicine and community health, and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He is also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Houston Health Law and Policy Institute.

Stephen R. Latham

Each year over two million Americans suffer traumatic brain injury. Of these, 60,000 are killed, 90,000 require extensive rehabilitation services, and about 2,000 are left in persistent vegetative states (""PVS""). Americans pay around $2.9 billion annually for direct costs of medical care and rehabilitation for brain trauma, and lose an additional $4.7 billion in wages, taxes, and productivity. The author has produced a very readable book designed to promote public awareness of, and to propose measures to combat and deal with, this ""silent epidemic"" of traumatic brain injury. This book is aimed at a non-specialized audience. Although it is well-documented and contains some serious policy analysis, it is written in a journalistic tone. Its short chapters are often propelled by one or two core anecdotes. Chapter topics include a brief layman's overview of brain function and of the basic types of brain trauma, brain trauma emergency care, progress in research and rehabilitation, the experiences of families of the injured, fatality and PVS resulting from brain trauma, and quality-of-care issues for brain trauma victims. In later policy-oriented chapters, the author argues for devoting more resources to prevention of and research on brain trauma. He favors mandated insurance coverage for brain trauma, and proposes funding it, in part, with user taxes on activities which often lead to brain trauma: driving (especially by younger drivers), alcohol consumption, gun ownership, and boxing. The author's policy recommendations are often quite controversial. He favors a legal presumption against the provision of life support for persons in PVS; he would raise the driving age to 18; andhe would ban boxing, mandate the use of bicycle helmets, and ""outlaw the private possession of handguns and assault weapons."" This engaging book should appeal to the general reader, and particularly to those with an interest in public health and health policy.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer: Stephen R. Latham, JD, PhD (Northwestern University School of Law)
Description: Each year over two million Americans suffer traumatic brain injury. Of these, 60,000 are killed, 90,000 require extensive rehabilitation services, and about 2,000 are left in persistent vegetative states ("PVS"). Americans pay around $2.9 billion annually for direct costs of medical care and rehabilitation for brain trauma, and lose an additional $4.7 billion in wages, taxes, and productivity.
Purpose: The author has produced a very readable book designed to promote public awareness of, and to propose measures to combat and deal with, this "silent epidemic" of traumatic brain injury.
Audience: This book is aimed at a non-specialized audience. Although it is well-documented and contains some serious policy analysis, it is written in a journalistic tone. Its short chapters are often propelled by one or two core anecdotes.
Features: Chapter topics include a brief layman's overview of brain function and of the basic types of brain trauma, brain trauma emergency care, progress in research and rehabilitation, the experiences of families of the injured, fatality and PVS resulting from brain trauma, and quality-of-care issues for brain trauma victims. In later policy-oriented chapters, the author argues for devoting more resources to prevention of and research on brain trauma. He favors mandated insurance coverage for brain trauma, and proposes funding it, in part, with user taxes on activities which often lead to brain trauma: driving (especially by younger drivers), alcohol consumption, gun ownership, and boxing.
Assessment: The author's policy recommendations are often quite controversial. He favors a legal presumption against the provision of life support for persons in PVS; he would raise the driving age to 18; and he would ban boxing, mandate the use of bicycle helmets, and "outlaw the private possession of handguns and assault weapons." This engaging book should appeal to the general reader, and particularly to those with an interest in public health and health policy.

Library Journal

Medical philosopher Winslade has written a readable and broad overview of head injury: causes, treatment, rehabilitation, and health and public policy implications. The medicine and science of brain injury, however, are secondary in this book to discussions of rehabilitation and policy issues. The author survived a brain injury as a child, and that story, as well as high-profile cases such as Reagan aide James S. Brady and the Central Park "wilding" victim, inform the book and give it a personal touch. Hard to categorize, finally: this book will certainly be of interest to those who work with victims of head injury and their families; its readability, organization, and practical information make it a reasonable choice for community collections and collections in healthcare and social service settings. Mark L. Shelton, Univ. of Massachusetts Medical Ctr., Worcester

Booknews

Warning of a virtual epidemic in traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States, the author explains in layman's terms the causes of TBI, how it affects the brain, and ways of treating it. He offers a number of recommendations towards alleviating the problem, including increasing investment in basic and clinical research, redirecting research efforts towards a greater emphasis on rehabilitation, meshing broad federal guidelines with state latitude in instituting programs for providing and regulating brain injury-related services, and raising the driving age. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Rating

3 Stars from Doody

Table of Contents:

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xiii
	Acknowledgments	xv
	Introduction: It Can Happen to Anyone	1
1	Our Vulnerable Brains	15
2	Saving Lives: The Golden Hour	30
3	Hope on the Horizon	42
4	The Rough Road to Rehabilitation	64
5	How Families Become Victims	89
6	Facing Fatality--and Worse Fates	106
7	Protecting the Most Vulnerable	125
8	A Better Use of Resources	141
9	Policies and Priorities	154
10	Prevention: The Best Solution	176
	Bibliography	205
	Index	217

Book about: The New Rules of Marketing and PR or Making It All Work

Beyond Therapy, Beyond Science: A New Model for Healing the Whole Person

Author: Anne Wilson Schaef

With candor, compassion, and insight, Anne Wilson Schaef convincingly explores the unspoken limitations of the scientific paradigm upon which this society is built and the frightening implications of a psychotherapy that is derived from that paradigm. She persuasively demonstrates that the field of psychotherapy as we know it not only cannot work, it works against us, supporting personal and societal addictions. The author of several groundbreaking books, Schaef is known as a visionary with the practical applications to back up the truth. In her long-awaited Beyond Therapy, Beyond Science, she presents a new approach for healing the whole person that emerges from and supports a new scientific paradigm, one that allows us to not only heal ourselves but heal the planet as well. Applicable at many levels - the personal, professional, scientific, political, and philosophical - Beyond Therapy, Beyond Science offers not only a method but also a process for evolving solutions in a world constrained by the scientific worldview. With Beyond Therapy, Beyond Science Schaef again shows herself to be one of the most creative thinkers of our time, taking a field she has loved - psychotherapy - and using it as a springboard for rethinking ourselves and our world. A crucial work by a trenchant thinker, Beyond Therapy, Beyond Science will inspire thought, ignite controversy, and, most importantly, facilitate healing.

Frederick Franck

A powerful indictment—in depth—of the entire academic and therapeutic jungle.

Take Care of Yourself Guide to Treating Your Familys Most Common Symptoms or Heart Healthy for Life

Take Care of Yourself Guide to Treating Your Family's Most Common Symptoms

Author: Donald M Vickery

For over twenty years, Vickery and Fries’s Take Care of Yourself has been the world’s bestselling health guide. It is the only book found to help reduce visits to the doctor by studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and other medical journals.Now Vickery and Fries have adapted their book’s most important and useful advice into The Take Care of Yourself Guide. With this easy-to-consult health handbook, families can quickly look up a problem, read about the likely causes, and learn how they might treat it at home. These pages offer helpful advice on more than 60 of the most common symptoms families face, including when it is important to seek medical care. There is a special section on emergencies, easy to find in a crisis.The Take Care of Yourself Guide will also help you to stay healthy by clearly explaining the steps of preventive medicine: exactly what supplies you should keep in your medicine cabinet how to get the most from your relationship with your doctor and other health-care experts the seven keys to a long and healthy life This handbook will be good medicine for your entire family.

New interesting book: Principles of Cancer Biology or Shoulder Injuries and Weight Training

Heart Healthy for Life: The Ultimate Guide to Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease

Author: Peter Jaret

Here are the latest medical findings for a practical plan of action for maintaining a healthy heart. Filled with practical advice, quizzes, checklists, and interactive tools, this guide shows how to prevent the vast majority of heart attacks and the increasing incidence of strokes, high blood pressure, and other coronaryartery problems.

Running in Literature or Monochrome Days

Running in Literature: A Guide for Scholars, Readers, Runners, Joggers and Dreamers

Author: Roger Robinson

A very readable, extremely erudite -account of runners in literature, from the Bible to Greece and Rome to nineteenth century English literature, to the modern novel. A treasure trove of literary gems on the sport, this book includes hundreds of items too brief for inclusion in The Runner's Literary Companion.

Roger Robinson is a professor of -English at Victoria University in New Zealand and is a world-class runner. He is the editor of The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature.

Interesting textbook: You Are Not What You Weigh or Twenty Four Hours a Day Journal

Monochrome Days: A First-Hand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Depression

Author: Cait Irwin

If you are one of the nearly twenty percent of adolescents who experience the symptoms of major depression before the end of high school, then you are probably already familiar with the sadness, isolation, and confusion that depression can bring. You may have questions about symptoms, medications, treatments, and how to deal with depression at school and at home. Monochrome Days: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Depression was written specifically for you.
Cait Irwin was diagnosed with major depression at the age of fourteen, and she nearly lost her battle with the illness before she was able to receive the treatment she so desperately needed. In Monochrom Days, Irwin, now an adult and a successful artist, shares her experiences as a young woman who suffered from a crippling depression but was able to recover with the help of a supportive family and expert psychiatric care. In telling her remarkable story, Irwin and science writer Linda Andrews explain what is currently known about major depression in adolescents, demystifying the often confusing science behind the illness. In easy-to-understand language, the book also
-Provides an accessible yet in-depth look at the causes, treatment, and management of depression -Discusses such difficult topics as psychiatric hospitalization and antidepressant medications -Offers tips on how to deal with depression both at school and at home, and how to talk about it to teachers, family, and friends
Thoughtful, inspiring, and full of practical wisdom, Monochrome Days is both a compelling memoir and a useful resource that will help to ease the pain of major depression. Cait Irwin's story is one that offershope and guidance that you yourself can use to overcome the challenges of this illness, and go on to lead a healthy, productive life.

VOYA

By the end of high school, one in four teens will experience some type of depression. Depression is one of several mental illnesses most likely to occur initially in adolescence, leading to its study by the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative and this book for teens. The book combines the firsthand experiences of the author with medical information and recommendations for teens struggling with depression. Although the information is clear and easy to understand, the emotional impact that one would expect from reading about Irwin's experiences is lacking. It may be that more than a decade has passed since the author's diagnosis as a teen, providing a sense of distance and analysis that does not ring true for someone in the midst of such a crisis. Sidebars also provide brief looks at how several young men experienced depression. The medical information, resource guide, and further reading will be helpful for teens and parents unsure of what to do next or confused by what they are hearing from medical professionals. Overall this book may be more helpful to parents, siblings, or friends of a young person with depression than to the teen struggling with the disease. Books for teens looking at other adolescent-onset mental illnesses are also planned.

KLIATT

While this is not Cait Irwin's first book about her experience with major depressive illness, it is both a summary of what she experienced and a direct attempt to aid other teens who suffer through a major depression. She does not write alone in her attempt to communicate with other teen depressives, but has on her writing team a psychiatrist and a journalist, who specializes in writing on mental health issues. Each chapter has two sections. In the first, entitled "My Story," Irwin recounts in sometimes-painful detail the saga of her downslide into a deep depression in the summer between the 8th and 9th grades. In the second section, "The Big Picture," she shifts into an analysis of what was happening to her, suggestions for appropriate actions, and possible treatment alternatives. Thus, this little book is also a manual, a guide for teens experiencing depression. Toward the end, there is an FAQ section and lists of resources and service organizations. While Monochrome Days does not in any way provide all the help needed by a depressed teen, it certainly demonstrates to the reader that he or she is not alone in the experience of depression and that there are people and methods available to help. Age Range: Ages 12 to adult. REVIEWER: Patricia Moore (Vol. 42, No. 1)

Amy PickettCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up
In eighth grade, Irwin began experiencing symptoms of depression, including hopelessness, despair, and a stifling cloudiness of mind. This book chronicles her experience with "the dark force that had seized control of my life," covering early signs, thoughts of suicide, inpatient treatment in a psychiatric hospital, and readjustment to high school life. Aimed at adolescents who struggle with mental illness, Irwin's story provides a road map to recovery that she describes as "a graph with lots of peaks and valleys, but an overall trend that was heading upward." Her voice is that of an older, wiser friend who empathizes with what depressed teens are going through. Chapters are divided into two sections. In "My Story," Irwin details her personal history with depression. "The Big Picture" includes more general information on symptoms, risk factors, treatment, and a "Guy's-Eye View" sidebar. This format is highly effective for balancing the author's autobiographical perspective with scientific input from her coauthors. Additional features include FAQs and sources for more information. This title is an excellent choice for readers of Brent Runyon's The Burn Journals (Knopf, 2004) and Gail Griffith's Will's Choice (HarperCollins, 2005). Sadly, the unappealing cover may deter browsers, but this book is well worth a close look.

101 Nutrition Tips for People with Diabetes or Vibrant Life

101 Nutrition Tips for People with Diabetes

Author: Patricia Bazel Geil

For those with diabetes, proper nutrition and meal planning are key components to controlling their diabetes and staying healthy. This guide offers the inside track on the latest tips, techniques, and strategies on nutrition, weight loss, meal planning and medication, and more.

Internet Book Watch

From types of fiber which may help blood sugar levels to both new drugs and natural treatments for diabetes,101 Nutrition Tips For People With Diabetes provides question-and-answer format tips for everything from weight control and sugars to fat replacers and exercise. The slim appearance and easy format will appeal to those who need quick bits of information.

Interesting textbook: Die Volkswirtschaft der Klimaveränderung: Die Strenge Rezension

Vibrant Life: Simple Meditations to Use Your Energy Effectively

Author: Donna Leslie Thomson

Here is a simple and direct method to enhance your physical and emotional health -- pay attention to your energy, understand it, and make effective use of it. The meditations in this book will help you do just that. Many of them take only a few minutes, you can do them almost anywhere, and the results might just change your life. The Energetic Life is a manual of practical meditations to help you address the issues of modern life.

Peak Performance Living or Mistakes Men Make That Women Hate

Peak-Performance Living

Author: Joel Robertson

For businesspeople, athletes, and anyone who wants to boost performance, lecturer, pharmacologist, and consultant to Fortune 100 corporations and professional sports teams Dr. Joel Robertson shares his proven secrets to help anyone feel supercharged - naturally and without drugs like Prozac. Clearly explaining the brain's chemistry and the stimuli that influence it, Robertson leads you through a series of questions designed to help you determine your neurochemistry and choose foods, behaviors, and exercises that can quickly and permanently enhance the way you feel.

Go to: Deliver First Class Web Sites or IT Architectures and Middleware

Mistakes Men Make That Women Hate: 101 Style Tips for Men

Author: Kenneth Karpinski

Combining humor with usable advice, "Mistakes Men Make That Women Hate" identifies and corrects 101 dress and style errors that many, if not all, men make and that most, if not all, women hate. Image expert Ken Karpinski hits a sore spot every time with his on-target observations. Readers will laugh as they see themselves and others in the "mistakes," and will find a way to improve their own clothing, grooming, or behavior in response to the humorous instructive advice.