Feels So Good...Hurts so Bad: Risk Factors Related to Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol is an engrained part of our society. Fifty-two percent of Americans drink, many responsibly without threatening their health or relationships. In Europe, where the use of alcohol is part of the ritual of life it ..
Feels So Good...Hurts so Bad: Seeking Help
Jerry Rathner talks about her struggle to stop drinking. Inpatient treatment, in which the alcoholic lives at the treatment facility is helpful during the early phases of treatment, particularly acute detoxification. Ab..
Feels So Good...Hurts so Bad: Smoking: A Chronic Relapsing Disease
Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease. People who try to quit smoking may fail 7 to 10 times before succeeding. People contend it is more difficult to stop than heroin or cocaine use, perhaps because of the biology of..
Feels So Good...Hurts so Bad: Support of Twelve-step Programs, The
Twelve-step programs such as the support offered by Alcoholics Anonymous is based on the idea that alcoholism is a disease for which there is no cure. The alcoholic takes responsibility for the things they did when they ..
Fighting HIV/AIDS in the Future
Dr. Alexandra Levine, Chief of the Division of Hematology at the USC School of Medicine, talks about carrying the fight against HIV/AIDS into the future. Dr. Levine observes that, in the years ahead, there will be drugs ..
Fighting HIV/AIDS: The Power of Love
Dr. Alexandra Levine, Chief of the Division of Hematology at the USC School of Medicine, observes that, while love alone won't cure cancer or AIDS, it does make a difference in helping patients wage a more effective batt..
Final Chapter: Are There Limits to Patient Determination of Life vs. Death?
Some medical professionals wonder if "do not resuscitate" orders are being carried too far. Should the pendulum swing back to a mid point between that and doing everything possible to preserve life? Activists promoting e..
Final Chapter: Children with Terminal Illnesses
Studies reveal that children who are given information about their terminal condition fare better than those who are shielded from such information. Sandra McDonald, head of Outreach, Inc., talks about a ten-year-old boy..
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 dea..
Final Chapter: End Stages
Toward the end of life, the pace changes. Hilary, a terminally ill A.I.D.S. patient, notes that she prefers to limit her social interactions at this stage in the dying process. She has said her good-byes, and feels a phy..