Taking the Pulse: Managed Care
Many Americans say they don't trust managed care because they believe it is set up to simply make money for insurance companies, rather than provide people with adequate health care.
Families Today and Tomorrow: Family Challenges: Healthcare
The challenge of meeting America's health care needs continues to defy easy solution. This is especially problematic for many working families that lack adequate health insurance.
Final Chapter: Death Isn't What It Used to Be
A century ago, most people spent their last hours of life at home surrounded by family and friends. More recent generations have experienced death in the hospital often shrouded in machines and tubes. For many people death is a subject they choose n...
Final Chapter: Reactions to an Impending Death Sentence
People's reactions to an impending death sentences do not always follow a predictable course. Emotions range from anger to denial to acceptance, moving back and forth. Fear is common - fear of pain, fear of being abandoned, fear of not having time t...
Final Chapter: Hospice Care
Hospice care, palliative care for dying individuals, is lauded by patients and their families. It can be provided in the home or in specialized care settings, and allows patients and their families to experience love and support during their final d...
The Medical Marketplace: Using Eastern and Western Therapeutic Approaches to Healing
Chinese medicine, as practiced by Dr. Ka Kit Hui, uses a systems approach to healthcare. "I'm very interested to solve problems, and I think that different healing traditions have their unique strengths and weaknesses." Dr. Hui has had success combi...
The Medical Marketplace: Communication Between Doctor and Patient
People sometimes encounter "potholes" in attempting to develop a productive relationship with their physician. The first critical barrier is being able to communicate effectively. It may be helpful to bring a written list of subjects and questions t...
The Medical Marketplace: Critical Care Decisions
There are systematic errors that are often made in judging one alternative versus another, one treatment versus another. It is important to be able to interpret the kinds of words physicians use to indicate probabilities or risk, and the likelihood ...
The Medical Marketplace: Selecting an Insurance Plan That Works Best For You
The complexity of the medical system in the United States is difficult for an outsider to understand, in part because there are so many options. From a practical point of view most people choose to enroll in a private or public health insurance plan...
The Fabric of Health: Defining Health: Different Perspectives
Health is not a single state of being. It is a combination of factors which over time shape and mold the life of a human being. Various specialists in the field of health and medicine share their perspectives on the meaning of health.