The Power of Language

With a rising immigration population in America, physicians do not just see English seeking patients. There are citizens of all races and religions that require healthcare in America; this also adds to the number of languages that are spoken among the American people. Approximately 20 percent of people in the United States speak a language other than english. On the coasts, where immigration is more popular and prominent, the percentage is even higher. While many need medical translators, few actually receive access to them. And as the number of immigrants in the country continues to increase, this problem becomes more and more prevalent in hospitals all over the US.

It is can be very difficult to explain one's experience to another person, even within the same language. This makes it even more difficult to accurately describe how you are feeling to a doctor that doesn't speak your language. Miscommunication among patients and doctors is extremely common in cases where knowledge of the spoken language is not equal between doctor and patient. Frankly, this is extremely dangerous; the misunderstanding of one word can drastically change how the doctor chooses to handle the illness you have presented to him. This can either, by a stroke of luck, improve the patient's condition or leave the patient comatose. There have been many recorded cases that began with the miscommunication of a patient's symptoms or feelings, and ended in the death or destruction of a patient's life. While these cases are upsetting in themselves, miscommunication can have many other consequences. The most commonly recorded consequence is absence. Many patients that must suffer through a language barrier in their first doctoral visit, will likely skip their follow-up appointment. This makes them vulnerable to the worsening or return of their condition. 

All in all, hospitals should begin making medical translators available to every patient who needs one. This would not only improve the hospital's overall service, it would benefit the hospital economically as well. Many deaths or tragic results of miscommunication cases end in malpractice settlements. You would think that the reduction of malpractice suits would be a motivation for the healthcare system to encourage the use of translators. While this is only a minor problem within the medical field, I believe it has a very simple solution.

Is Medical Marijuana Effective?

Recently there has been much talk as to whether or not marijuana has properties that make it useful in treating certain illnesses. Marijuana has been outlawed since 1972 in the United States on the basis that it holds no medical use, however it can now be argued that marijuana can indeed be used in medicine. Since 1972, 20 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Some say that marijuana should absolutely be utilized as medicine because it has been known to treat symptoms of diseases such as cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and epilepsy without the side effects that many drugs come with. Marijuana appears to be a more natural alternative to many drugs being used today. Several studies have been referred to that have found the properties of marijuana to be beneficial to patients of all sorts of ailments.

However, many people are also against the use of medical marijuana. One source of concern is the fact that marijuana is not regulated by the FDA and therefore cannot be confidently declared as safe. Others worry that legalizing medical marijuana would make it more readily available for recreational use and this would lead users to get hooked on harder, more dangerous drugs. Marijuana is also known to impair driving capabilities, damage the lungs and brain, and interfere with fertility.

It seems as though there are plenty of reason for both the pro-medical marijuana view and for the anti-medical marijuana view. Like any drug, there are indeed drawbacks to treating patients with marijuana. What is important to the debate, however, is determining whether the benefits outweigh the problems that legalizing medical marijuana poses.

Sources:

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org

http://longrange.sbcountyplanning.org/programs/medicalmarijuana/medicalmarijuana.php

Is Stem Cell Research Ethical?

 

Stem cell research undeniably has many great benefits. The ability of scientists to use human cells for research has been a huge factor in the advancement of disease research as well as research on human development. Stem cells even have the ability to make regenerative medicine possible. That is, scientists can now replace diseased cells with healthy stem cells and they will work together with the existing healthy cells to function properly once again. However, stem cells have fallen under great controversy in regards to whether or not it is ethical to use them.

Many people worry about the morality of stem cell research because of the source of many stem cells: fetuses. Stem cells can be, and often are, extracted from a fetus for use in stem cell research. However, this also means that the fetus will no longer have the ability to develop in to a healthy baby. Extracting stem cells from a fetus essentially kills it. This fact causes many people to oppose stem cell research. However, there are also alternatives.

 

One alternative to extracting stem cells from a fetus is instead extracting them from an adult’s skin cells, which causes no harm to the donor. The only problem with this method is that scientists are not sure if these stem cells will react in the same way, and with the same benefits, as stem cells from a fetus do.

Another alternative that some people believe bypasses moral issues is to only use stem cells from fetuses that would other wise not be used. For example, when a woman seeks medical help to become pregnant there is often times leftover embryos that weren’t needed to achieve the pregnancy. At that point, she is given the option to discard of the embryos, store them for later reproductive use, or donate them to science. When a woman chooses to donate the embryos, one use for them is to be used in stem cell research. Some people feel that in this case, when the embryo is not developed specifically for stem cell research and would not grow in to a baby anyway, then it is moral.

The morality of stem cell research in a complex issue that is personal. However, after learning about where stem cells come from and under what conditions, individuals are well-equipped to decide for themselves as to whether or not they support stem cell research. Consider the information above and under which conditions you support stem cell research, if at all.

Sources:

http://www.science.uva.nl/~seop/archives/win2008/entries/stem-cells/

http://www.isscr.org/docs/default-source/isscrpublications/isscr_11_stemcellfactbrch_fnl.pdf

http://betterhearingblog.com/2012/02/13/researchers-given-the-go-ahead-to-test-stem-cells-for-hearing-loss-in-infants/

Are Doctors Overprescribing Their Patients?

Are you currently taking any prescription drugs or other medications?  The overprescribing of drugs has become a serious issue in America in the past few years.  It seems like everyone you know is on some prescription or a new drug for his or her heart condition or arthritis.  It has reached the point where people have to actually keep tabs on which pills they have to take each morning and night.

Refusing to lose patients, doctors have been said to “hand out” prescriptions to patients even when there have been clear signs that they do not need them.  This could prove to be a problem in the future if bacteria immunize against these drugs.  When doctors write scripts for patients for unneeded drugs, all it does is adds to the rising health care and pharmaceutical costs of this country.  While in fact a simple change in lifestyle, such as, decreasing stress or improving diet and exercise, can be a better solution.

The underlying cause for this overprescribing is the excessive advertisement of drugs and medical products today.  Advertising of drug products has created a so-called dramatization of health-related problems among Americans.  People believe that they are sicker than they are and as a result, they are influenced to take medicine that they do not actually need.  Ultimately, this leads to overprescribing medications and soaring health care costs for Americans.

To eliminate overprescribing, we should be more aware of the issues it raises for our country’s health and economy.  We should also urge doctors and patients to use non-drug alternatives such as, lifestyle changes and therapy.  What else do you think could be done to prevent overprescribing?  Do you believe that doctors and patients have fallen into the “drug trap”?

Sources:

·       http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/02/new-study-finds-doctors-are-massively-overprescribing-drugs.aspx

·       http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2009-07-28/health-care-in-crisis-overmedicating-americabusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

Are College Students Abusing ADHD Medication?

Are College Students Abusing ADHD Medication?

As a freshman in college, I've heard the term Adderall thrown around quite often, especially during finals week.  I've known it to be a stimulant prescription drug used to treat individuals with ADD and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).  However, Adderall has become a popular trend among high school and college students who hope to improve their focus and memory.  More specifically, students will pop the pills to write a paper or pull an all-nighter studying for their final exams.  The pressure students feel about achieving a high GPA indirectly leads them to taking these pills, because they feel that they cannot focus or study without it.  Then, it becomes an addictive behavior and students end up abusing Adderall every time they have to study for a test or write a big paper; they depend on and believe that Adderall is the reason for their good grades.

While Adderall is used to decrease impulsivity and increase concentration in ADHD individuals, it tends to do the opposite for non-ADHD individuals.  The drug "speeds" you up and allows you to focus better and work efficiently and quickly.  And let me ask you this: What college student doesn't want an easier way to earn an A on a paper or a tough exam?  The abuse of this drug is nonetheless unethical by providing its users with an unnatural and unfair advantage of performing better in school than its non-users.

Students not diagnosed with ADD or ADHD need to realize that while Adderall remains an omnipresent drug on campus and in school, it is still an unprescribed drug and is considered a crime.  On the worse end, Adderall can also lead to the following side effects: heartbeat irregularities, weight loss, insomnia, and seizures.

All in all, it's best that students veer away from the temptations of Adderall and realize the harmful effects that come along with abusing the drug.  I feel that if you manage your time wisely, you shouldn't be urged to take pills every time you have to study for an exam.  Do you think colleges should take steps to inform students on the risk of addiction and negative health effects that accompany Adderall?  Do you know anyone who has abused the drug?

Source: http://www.chsarrow.com/student-life/2010/12/14/adderall-addicts-are-all-around-america/

Protecting Our Youth from Concussions in the Hockey Community

Hard hits, fighting, physical toughness; these are the things that ice hockey is known for. Fans all over America and Canada turn on the NHL network to watch their favorite players throw big hits. There is no doubt that this aspect of the game adds excitement and marketability. For example, fans have coined terms such as “kronwalled” to describe the force with which Niklas Kronwall is able to hit. However, despite the excitement that stems from such physicality, it is high time to consider how these hits effect the health of hockey players, not only at the professional level but also in youth hockey.

 After an increase of knowledge about the effects and causes of concussions, the NHL has attempted to decrease the frequency of such injuries. Through rule 48 they have banned all hits to the head in the hopes that this would reduce the prevalence of concussions within the league. However, concussions continued to increase even after the new rule was put in to effect. This has caused a debate within the hockey community as to what is the best way to go about protecting its players.

  

Youth hockey players have looked up to those in the NHL since the first time they laced up their skates. This means that when they see a big hit on television, they become eager to play with this high level of physicality in their own games. As a result, concussions in youth hockey have become an issue that needs addressing. Youth hockey associations such as Hockey Canada and USA Hockey have been working towards a safer game in order to encourage parents to sign their children up for the sport. However, it is not clear what the best path is for decreasing concussions in youth hockey.

Youth hockey in Canada has banned checking in the peewee age group (12 and under) in an attempt to hold off on dangerous hits. However, this only means that children at this age do not learn how to properly body check or how to properly receive a hit. As a result, when the children are able to check at the bantam age group (14 and under), they are not doing so in a safe manner. This leads to even more concussions because learning the proper techniques at 14 means the stakes are higher, that is the hits are harder because the children are stronger and bigger. In contrast, learning the proper method at the age of 12 is much safer because hits are not as hard or dangerous, as the participants are smaller.

Although it is important that Canada is looking in to the problem of concussions in youth hockey, I believe that their methods are not the most effective route. Instead, some of the ideas that USA Hockey has implemented make more sense. One thing that USA Hockey is trying to do is improve the quality of equipment. Hockey equipment companies such as Bauer, CCM and Cascade have invested large amounts of money in to creating better helmets that are more suited to protect against concussions. Additionally, USA Hockey has began a widespread campaign to educate their coaches about the severity and dangers of concussions as well as the warning signs that they need to look for should they think that their player may have sustained a head injury. This means that fewer concussions are going unnoticed by coaches and that players are receiving the care that they require after a concussion, such as suspending participation in physical activities for a time period and consulting with a physician.

Hard hits will continue to play an integral role in the sport of hockey, as it has for many years. However, it is important to consider the safety of hockey players and take measures to best protect them. The NHL has begun to take measures to decrease concussions and youth hockey followed suit with strong campaigns from both Canadian and US youth hockey organizations. There are many ideas that have been proposed in order to decrease concussions in hockey and many great ideas have already been implemented. However, the problem is still prevalent and so it is important to further ask ourselves how we can best protect the youth within the hockey community from concussions.

Sources:

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-hockey-concussions-20130717,0,6800845.story#axzz2qZqwKlLY

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussions/Facts-and-Prevention.aspx

http://www.usahockey.com/news_article/show/275908?referrer_id=908034

http://www.rocketfishtank.com/blog/bid/254994/Study-shows-underreporting-of-concussions-in-action-sports

Racial Disparities In Healthcare

Are there racial disparities in healthcare? The short answer: yes. The quality of health care, provided by the emergency department of a hospital, for a white patient, on average, is better than that of an African American or Hispanic patient. This problem is quite unsettling, considering how far American society has come in terms of racism and prejudice. However, these disparities must be addressed, because they have cost patients their lives. Being an African American girl with non-white friends and family, I often wonder how these often these disparities come into play, and if they would affect the life of a loved one. 

Many medical associations across America have realized the importance of solving this problem in modern medicine, and many have released journals or educational pieces in an attempt to educate and increase awareness among the medical professionals of America. Often, these journals are filled with data sets comparing the average time a non-white patient spends in the waiting room compared to that of a white patient. Others discuss the fact that white patients are more likely to receive pain medication to ease their pain, while doctors often underestimate the pain of minority patients, and prescribe them less pain medication. And yet, I am simply curious about whether or not the medical professionals who practice within these studies are aware that they are giving the white patients better treatment.

While I am sure there are still racist medical professionals out there, I feel as though there could just be another reason as to why this is still happening. Perhaps, these disparities have become habit for certain professionals. Not because they necessarily believe in the inferiority of other races, but because they have been doing things a certain way for the better part of their careers. As often as articles about racial disparities in healthcare are released, I have never heard any hospital making advancements to stop this from happening or developing a method to prevent the unequal treatment of patients. Does the faculty of that hospital ever attempt to find ways to make the quality of healthcare equal for everyone? How would one go about, presenting this information to medical professionals, and creating a system that prevents this from happening?