...Culture and Disease – West Nile Virus Julia Williams HCS/245 October 7, 2013 Wendy Smith Culture and Disease – West Nile Virus West Nile virus is a mosquito borne virus that was considered a minor risk to humans until the early 1990’s and according to Wikipedia (2013), by 2012 was considered an endemic pathogen in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, which has experiences one of its worst epidemics with West Nile virus. West Nile virus has an incubation period of 2 to 15 days and symptoms may include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, nausea, and vomiting. West Nile virus can cause West Nile encephalitis and West Nile meningitis in the elderly population. Ages 50 and over are more susceptible to the neurological disorders associated with West Nile virus. Even though anyone can be affected by West Nile virus, the elderly have a higher rate of contracting the virus because they tend to have more pre-existing health concerns and tend to take less precautionary steps to protect themselves against the virus. There is no vaccination available for West Nile virus and the best methods of prevention are insect repellant and eliminating possible mosquito breeding grounds around the home and community. Environmental Factors and Transmission Methods Environmental factors play a large role in the spread of West Nile virus. Areas specifically that experience mild winters and hot summers are perfect breeding grounds...
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...Culture and Disease HCS/245 March 22, 2012 Michael Coker Culture and Disease Winter has ended and spring is here, and it has everyone running to enjoy the warm air and to embrace the outdoors of the hot summer sun rays. However, there is something lurking within the bushes and in the back yard which, they cannot wait for their next victims to attack. There is a small insect that crawls and is ready to take over Mother Nature because of the warm environment. This type of ticks can create a disease called Lyme disease. Within this paper, information will be pertaining to the culture and disease within a particular populated area of the knowledge of describing the disease, factors that make this particular population vulnerable, environmental factors, modes for disease transmission, methods are used to control the spread of alternative methods, role of social influences and benefits and values of treatment, and identify community health promotion and wellness strategies to help prevent the disease. According to Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary (2003) Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease caused by the bacterium Bornelia Burgdorferi that is transmitted to human by the deer tick. An infected tick can transmit the spirochete to humans and animal it bites. The first sign of Lyme disease is a red, circular, expanding rash usually radiating from the tick bite. After the Burgdorferi has entered the bloodstream, it can infect and inflame many types of tissues...
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...Culture and Disease Paper The Southern United States is known for a slow, laid back pace of life. It is known for Southern hospitality and charm. It is also known for its historical Civil War battles and dark roots in slavery. The South is quickly gaining a reputation for something few people are talking about; it has become the center of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. The United States Census Bureau defines the south as the District of Colombia and the 16 states south of the Mississippi River. These states are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Texas (Census Bureau, 2012). The region accounts for only 37% of the United States population, however in 2009, 46% of all new AIDS cases were in the south (Reif, Whetten, & Wilson, 2012). Furthermore, in 2008 43% of people living with HIV were from the southern region (Reif et al, 2012). The south also has the highest rate of HIV related deaths and the highest level of HIV morbidity (Reif et al, 2012). To fully understand impact of these numbers one must understand what HIV and AIDS are, the modes of HIV transmission, possible treatments, the methods available to control the spread of HIV, the factors that make this population vulnerable to the condition, what role social and cultural influences play in the disease, how these factors impact treatment, and what health and wellness strategies...
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...Culture and Disease Name HCS/245 Date Instructor Culture and Disease The disease that I chose to write about is Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is described as an economic and a social burden because the financial cost of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be overwhelming. Alzheimer’s disease is the fifth leading cause of death in people 65 and older. It is estimated that 35 million people worldwide have Alzheimer’s disease and 5.3 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease. (Fisher center for Alzheimer’s research foundation, 2002) Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological brain disorder discovered by a physician in 1906. (Fisher center for Alzheimer’s research foundation, 2002) Alzheimer’s is a most common form of dementia which is described as a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning. Alzheimer’s is unfortunately irreversible and progressive at the moment. Over time, abnormal changes worsen in the brain interfering with any aspects of the brain functioning. Memory loss is the earliest sign of Alzheimer’s, along with changes in personality or behavior and gradual decline of intellectual and thinking abilities called cognitive functions. (Fisher center for Alzheimer’s research foundation, 2002) Alzheimer’s is greatly known for advancing in stages, progressing from mild forgetfulness and cognitive impairment to widespread loss of mental abilities. When Alzheimer’s reaches the more advanced stages people become more dependent on others for every...
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...Disease in the News: Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia has become a new trend in chronic diseases that affects many people today. This disease is a common rheumatic disorder that causes widespread pain within fibrous tissues of the body, such as tendons, muscles, and other connective tissues. This disease combines the number of symptoms involved that can also lead to chronic problems in the areas of fatigue, memory problems, and has been linked to depression. Although the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, author Jessica Downey confirms many theories in figuring out this disease in her article “New Help for Fibromyalgia,” The Best of Natural Health. Some physicians who claim this disease does not exist simply because they want to rule out more serious diseases such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis. Many of these patients have been dealing with these problems for years, but experience a missed diagnosis and are sent home with a conclusion of depression or referred to another type of specialist. Because reliable research and scientific evidence on fibromyalgia is moderately new and little of what has been published is filtered through the mainstream physician sector. Nevertheless, overcoming skepticism in dealing with fibromyalgia is a major challenge because this disease affects primarily women according to the American College of Rheumatology. “You have a disease of [mainly] women whose tests are technically normal” says Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, Medical...
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...Culture and Disease Schizophrenia has many different effects on a person’s ability to lead a normal life. This disease is found in all cultures throughout the world. Both genders are equally affected. However not all individuals with schizophrenia obtain treatment, in spite of the severity of the disorder. Introduction Schizophrenia is a severe brain disease that interferes with normal brain and mental function-it can trigger hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. Without treatment, schizophrenia affects the ability to think clearly and interact appropriately with other people. There are three different kinds of symptoms: Positive Symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions and racing thoughts, negative symptoms such as apathy, lack of emotion, poor or nonexistent social functioning or inability to respond to different situations and cognitive symptoms which mainly include disorganized thoughts, difficulty concentrating and/or following instructions( medsinfo). Genetic Factors The symptoms of schizophrenia are very similar across many different cultures however the members of racial/ethnic minority groups are less likely to access mental health service. Caucasians show a higher rate of schizophrenia diagnosis because they access mental health services and are evaluated (Anglin para1). In the Caucasian population the genetic traits are what make this population vulnerable to the disease of schizophrenia. Genes have an effect on the external and internal factors that...
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...Culture and Disease: Trichomonas University of Phoenix Culture and Disease: Trichomonas According to the Clinical Microbiology Reviews (2009), Trichomoniasis is a parasitic protozoan that is transmitted principally through having vaginal intercourse. Trichomoniasis is seen mostly in women but men can also contract it usually without having any symptoms of being infected. (Shafir, S. C., and F. J. Sorvillo, 2006). I will be discussing the factors, modes for disease transmission, methods used to control, and the treatment of Trichomoniasis. A protozoa is the smallest single-celled members of the animal kingdom Carson-DeWitt, R. M. & Frey, R. P. (2006). It infects millions of people worldwide and researchers have found that it can cause inflammation of the prostate by infection on men. When women come in contact with trichomoniasis, their symptoms consist of a foul smell, and a heavily frothy yellow discharge that comes from the vagina. The genital area also comes along with itching and pain when urinating or having sexual intercourse Carson-DeWitt, R. M. & Frey, R. P. (2006). Because men don’t usually have symptoms, they won’t realize they are infected, leaving the infection to settle in. In some states the test for trichomiasis vaginalis can be ordered from the internet free of charge to young girls and also to women of childbearing age and also to assist with finding out if they are infected and refer them to free clinics for follow up treatment...
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...Culture and Disease Paper: Malaria HCS/330 January 17, 2011 Gwendolyn Ivy Culture and Disease Paper: Malaria Malaria is one of the oldest and serious infectious diseases. There is evidence that Malaria most likely originated from Africa, fossils from mosquito 30 millions years old show signs of Malaria. You get infected from a bite of female Anopheles mosquito. The mosquito transmits a parasite from the Plasmodium family. Children and pregnant women are the most vulnerable to Malaria because with age most people acquire a sort of immunity to the parasite. In tropical areas since mosquitoes breed in pools of standing or stagnant water is where most cases of Malaria is reported. Africa, Asia, and Latin America are where 300 to 500 million cases of Malaria are reported each year. In the United States about 1500 cases of Malaria is reported, usually from people who have just returned from tropical environments. The parasite that causes Malaria travels through the mosquito saliva into the blood and usually it reproduces in the liver. This is one of the stages called the “tissue phase”. Than it enters the bloodstream where it invades and attacks the red blood cell, this is another stage. Another stage is one some of the parasites stay in the liver as reservoir for relapse. The common symptoms of Malaria include chills, fever, sweats, and headaches. Sometimes you also may have vomiting, diarrhea, and coughing even jaundice (when your skin appears to have a yellowish...
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...Culture and Disease HCS 245 December 15, 2011 Dementia is not a disease on its own. It is a term used in describing a vast array of symptoms related to the decline of mental function, starting with memory loss and eventually impeding on the ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association website, 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s patients. Alzheimer's worsens over time. It is a progressive disease, where the symptoms gradually worsen over a period of several years. In its early stages, memory loss is minor. A person might start to forget little things, like if they turned the oven off or momentarily forget how to tie their shoes. When a person suffers from late-stage Alzheimer's, he or she loses the capability to carry on a conversation or respond to his or her environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those who suffer from the disease live an average of eight years after their symptoms have progressed enough that the people around them start to notice. Although somewhere around eight years is the norm, it is not uncommon to hear of people living anywhere from four to 20 years after others notice. A big part of how fast a person declines depends on age and other health conditions. One major thing to remember is that Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. The greatest known risk factor for this disease is increasing...
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... Heritage Assessment: A Comparison of Three Cultures Sufi Heritage Assessment: A Comparison of Three Cultures America’s growing diversity is increasing day by day as it is considered to be the “land of opportunity”. People from all over the world are here with different cultures. As United States has increasingly cultural diversity -Asian are 3.6 %, one tenth % of US population will be foreign born by 2050 (Gregory Juckett, 2005). It has become very important to understand and respect this various cultural beliefs especially in the healthcare system. All cultures have equal values and are different from one another. Heritage Assessment is a tool to help us know about one beliefs and the health tradition. Heritage tool help the author recognized different cultures thoughts, beliefs. This tool helps to evaluate the similarities and differences between different cultures. No one becomes culturally competent overnight or with one or two hours of training; certain attitudes need to be learned, skills transmitted, and knowledge absorbed (California Endowment, 2003). People from different culture have different beliefs about their health traditions. They have a different approach for protection, maintenance, and restoration of their health. This paper will compare the similarities and differences regarding health practice methods among the Hindus, Muslims, and White cultures. This author, Hindu female from Nepal, completed...
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...The Prevalence of Heart Disease for African Americans Lucinda Kroll Grand Canyon University The Prevalence of Heart Disease for African Americans American physicians have drastically reduced cardiovascular mortality and the death rates have decreased 17% since the 1990's (Nash, 2003). Their have been so many advances in open heart surgery, heart transplantations, and thrombolysis in the past decade. Their have also been great strides made in medications with heart disease patients (Nash, 2003). Unfortunately, the African American culture has not seen as much advancement as other cultures (Nash, 2003). African Americans have the highest rate of heart disease compared to all other ethnic groups (Nash, 2003). The CDC reports the 24.5% of deaths caused by heart disease in 2008 were African American and they had the highest percentage compared to other cultures (CDC, 2015). African Americans are at three time's greater risk to develop heart disease than Caucasians and two times more at risk of death from heart disease (Winham and Jones, 2011). For example, African Americans have been diagnosed at younger ages than Caucasians and are more likely to die from heart failure (Nash, 2003). They are also at a younger age when they experience their first myocardial infarction than Caucasians (Nash, 2003). Sadly stage 3 hypertension (ie., blood pressure >180/110), is reported to be the highest in the world for the African American community (Nash, 2003). This cultural...
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...considered to be the “land of opportunity”. People from all over the world are here with different cultures. As US has increasingly cultural diversity -Asian are 3.6 % 1 ten % of US population is foreign born by 2050 (Gregory Juckett, 2005).It has become very important to understand and respect this various cultural beliefs especially in the healthcare system. All cultures have equal values and are different from one another. Heritage Assessment is a tool to help us know about one beliefs and the health tradition. Heritage tool help the author recognized different cultures thoughts, beliefs. This tool helps to evaluate the similarities and differences between different cultures. No one becomes culturally competent overnight or with one or two hours of training; certain attitudes need to be learned, skills transmitted, and knowledge absorbed (California Endowment, 2003). People from different culture have different beliefs about their health traditions. They have a different approach for protection, maintenance, and restoration of their health. This paper will compare the similarities and differences regarding health practice methods among the Hindus, Muslims, and White cultures. Health Protection Health Protection is the way of living healthy lifestyle by preventing from illness and diseases. It is how people from different cultures protect their and family health from diseases on a regular basis. Hindus Hindus follows religious teaching practice for prayers, ritual cleaning...
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... * Pacific coast * Great lakes * Great plains How did hgf peoples obtain food? Some consequences * Mobility * Seasonality of food * Annual migration cycles * Wild plants and animals * Lack of domestication=reduced disease resistance * Acquired immunity * Genetic immunity How did this subsistence strategy structure society? * Clan size=small * Flat social structure=not hierarchical * Kinship unites bands * Loose affiliations * Gendered division of labor * Usufruct property rights=right to use, not to own How did Pawnee Indians rely on hgf lifeways? Where did Plains people come from? * Clovis peoples arrive on Plains 9,000 BC * Plains people/culture emerge from these early arrivals * Simultaneously other culture groups emerge across the Americas * Each defined by culture, language, geographic boundaries, etc How did the Plains peoples mode of production develop? * 9000 BC = Climate Warms * Bison hunting flourishes on Plains > plainsmen culture * 5000-2500 BC=Drought * plainsmen abandon plains. Move west to rocky mountains * 500 BC-AD 1000 * emergence of eastern plains what peoples and cultures over time emerged on the plains? How did the Pawnee arrive in the Loup Valley? * AD 1200-Pawnee ancestors migrate east during dry period from high plains to Loup Valley * Maintain...
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...population and they work towards preventing or controlling the communicable disease or illness. This idea supports the concept of building health promotion in the population and encourages the individual to take preventative measures that will adopt healthier lifestyle. The population I would like to study during this course is the Appalachian culture because I find it interesting to see how their culture influence creates a risk factor for their health. The Appalachian culture...
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...April 2015 The Native American Indian with Respect to Healthcare and Religious Practices Carrie Johnson The American Native Indian culture has used alternative medicine and tribal rituals for many centuries. This culture has used natural remedies to treat and cure diseases and aliments within their tribe. The term “Medicine Man” is coined from the Native American Indian tribes. The person who held this title was generally an elder of the tribe. The inflicted person(s) would seek out the elder or “Medicine Man” to treat their sickness. The tribe will use natural substances and tribal rituals as their source for treating diseases and illnesses. A few examples of natural elements are plants and root extracts from their demographic region. Examples of customary rituals could include: chants, dances and prayers. Another unique custom of the tribe is the involvement of the tribe in rituals to treat the sickness of a tribal member. Cultures that exist outside of the tribe may have some difficulty understanding their cultural beliefs and alternative practices, but these practices have been around for centuries. The following are census facts and demographic statistics of the Native American Indian: “Total American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) alone population: 2.9 million or about 0.9 percent of the US population. About 32% of Natives are under the age of 18, compared to only 24% of the total population...
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