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Medicinal Plants: Promising Future for Health and New Drugs
by Parimelazhagan ThangarajThis book highlights the importance of traditional medicines, focuses on the standardization of herbal medicine and evaluates opportunities for advancing drug research. It addresses issues in utilization of medicinal plants and shares the importance of herbs in neutraceutics. It provides most competitive techniques being used in research.
Medicinal Plants and Cancer Chemoprevention
by Sapna Malviya Neelesh Malviya Ankur Joshi Varsha Johariya Rajiv SaxenaCancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Medicinal Plants and Cancer Chemoprevention provides information on the use of various herbal plants used as anticancer agents. It discusses the traditional system of medicine and focuses on plant-derived compounds for cancer therapy with integrated approaches. Chapters present information on various medicinal plants that covers background and history, ethnomedical considerations, morphology, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties. The book presents a scientific investigation on medicinal plants in managing cancer, reported mechanisms of action as anticancer activity, as well as covering the toxicological aspects of certain plants. KEY FEATURES: · Details information on plant-derived compounds for cancer therapy. · Features information on methods of extraction and isolation of various phytoconstituents responsible for anticancer activity. · Discusses herbal formulations and alternative approaches used for the management and treatment of cancer. · Demonstrates the importance of alternative approaches including yoga, acupuncture, and dietary supplements to be effective in the management of cancer. This book is helpful to botanists, researchers and practitioners in alternative and complementary medicine, and the herbal medicine research community.
Medicinal Plants and Environmental Challenges
by Ajit Varma Mansour GhorbanpourThis book sheds new light on the role of various environmental factors in regulating the metabolic adaptation of medicinal and aromatic plants. Many of the chapters present cutting-edge findings on the contamination of medicinal plants through horizontal transfer, as well as nanomaterials and the biosynthesis of pharmacologically active compounds. In addition, the book highlights the impacts of environmental factors (e. g. , high and low temperature, climate change, global warming, UV irradiation, intense sunlight and shade, ozone, carbon dioxide, drought, salinity, nutrient deficiency, agrochemicals, waste, heavy metals, nanomaterials, weeds, pests and pathogen infections) on medicinal and aromatic plants, emphasizing secondary metabolisms. In recent years, interest has grown in the use of bioactive compounds from natural sources. Medicinal and aromatic plants constitute an important part of the natural environment and agro-ecosystems, and contain a wealth of chemical compounds known as secondary metabolites and including alkaloids, glycosides, essential oils and other miscellaneous active substances. These metabolites help plants cope with environmental and/or external stimuli in a rapid, reversible and ecologically meaningful manner. Additionally, environmental factors play a crucial role in regulating the metabolic yield of these biologically active molecules. Understanding how medicinal plants respond to environmental perturbations and climate change could open new frontiers in plant production and in agriculture, where successive innovation is urgently needed due to the looming challenges in connection with global food security and climate change. Readers will discover a range of revealing perspectives and the latest research on this vital topic.
Medicinal Plants and Fungi: Recent Advances in Research and Development
by Dinesh Chandra Agrawal Hsin-Sheng Tsay Lie-Fen Shyur Yang-Chang Wu Sheng-Yang WangThis book highlights the latest international research on different aspects of medicinal plants and fungi. Studies over the last decade have demonstrated that bioactive compounds isolated from medicinal fungi have promising antitumor, cardiovascular, immunomodulatory, anti-allergic, anti-diabetic, and hepatoprotective properties. In the light of these studies, the book includes chapters (mostly review articles) by eminent researchers from twelve countries across the globe working in different disciplines of medicinal plants and fungi. It discusses topics such as the prevention of major neurodegenerative and neurotoxic mechanisms by Centella asiatica; the medicinal properties and therapeutic applications of several mushrooms species found in different parts of the world; and fungal endophytes as a source of bioactive metabolites including anticancer and cardioprotective agents. There are also chapters on strategies for identifying bioactive secondary metabolites of fungal origin; the use of genomic information to explore the biotechnological potential of medicinal mushrooms; and solid state fermentation of agro-industrial and forestry residues for the production of medicinal mushrooms. It is a valuable resource for the researchers, professionals and students working in the area of medicinal plants and fungi.
Medicinal Plants and Malaria: Applications, Trends, and Prospects (Traditional Herbal Medicines For Modern Times Ser.)
by Woon-Chien Teng Ho Han Kiat Rossarin Suwanarusk Hwee-Ling KohMalaria is a potentially life-threatening disease that affects millions worldwide, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The recent emergence and spread of multidrug resistance in parts of Southeast Asia prompts the urgent need for novel and effective therapy against the disease. Medicinal Plants and Malaria: Applications, Trends, and Prospects highlig
Medicinal Plants at Home: More Than 100 Easy, Practical, and Efficient Natural Remedies
by Maria Transito Lopez Carlota ManezDiscover how to grow medicinal plants and create natural remedies right in your own home. Although more and more people use medicinal plants, many are still unaware of those that are usually present in their own homes. For example, did you know that cranberries are effective in treating bladder problems, that olive helps regulate blood pressure, or that hops promote sleep in children? In Medicinal Plants at Home, you will find a selection of plants from which you can create natural remedies for every occasion. Learn how to grow and use these medicinal plants, and discover what they can do to boost your family’s health. More than one hundred types of natural plants are presented in this book, grouped by the conditions that they most effectively treat. You will also discover: Essential remedies to have while traveling The most useful plants and spices to have in the kitchen The best plants for respiratory, digestive, tension-related, circulatory, and hepatic concerns With more than 350 color images, Medicinal Plants at Home is an essential resource for those looking to grow medicinal plants and create their own natural remedies.
Medicinal Plants for Cosmetics, Health and Diseases
by Namrita Lall"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket." – Chinese proverb This Chinese proverb simply means: Reading helps strengthen one’s intellect, which correlates with the feeling one will have, once they have read this book. Medicinal Plants in Cosmetics, Health and Disease describes diseases and ailments occurring in individuals worldwide including acne, ageing, various cancers, eczema and other conditions. This book explains each disease and ailment, allowing the reader to gain a better perspective on misunderstood and underestimated assumptions accompanying the ailment or condition. Not only does this book present information on different diseases and ailments, it presents a variety of plants and plant-based compounds demonstrating potential health benefits. Features: Provides details on a broad range of diseases and conditions prevalent throughout the world. Includes information on how plant bioactives can aid in the prevention, treatment and management of diseases and conditions including cancer, tuberculosis and anti-coagulants, acne, wrinkle formation and eczema. Each chapter provides a list of plants and plant-based compounds found globally, demonstrating their potential in treating various diseases and conditions. This book is appropriate for individuals having interest in learning several potential health benefits using bioactives derived from medicinal plants and phytomedicine. About the Editor Namrita Lall is a professor of Medicinal Plant Sciences, DST/ NRF SARCHII Chair in Plant Health Products from IKS, and is based at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In addition to this, she holds numerous appointments, including an adjunct faculty position at the University of Missouri, JSS College of Pharmacy, India and a senior research fellow at the Bio-Tech R&D Institute, Jamaica. She has an interest in investigating medicinal plants and evaluating their potential for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical purposes.
Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific
by Christophe WiartDrawing on the author's extensive personal experience, Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific provides comprehensive coverage of the medicinal plants of the region. Describing more than 300 compounds, the book discusses every important class of natural products while highlighting cutting-edge research and recent developments. With its broa
Medicinal Plants of Northern Thailand for the Treatment of Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly
by Lisa OffringaThis book provides a description of cognitive impairment in the elderly population through the lens of Thai Traditional Medicine as it is practiced in northern Thailand. It provides an overview of Thai Traditional Medicine and the memory loss presented in elderly dementia. Some medicinal plants used by traditional Thai healers to treat cognitive decline and memory issues in the elderly are reviewed. Medicinal Plants of Northern Thailand for the Treatment of Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly provides readers with the detailed description of the in vitro screening of ten plants and those results. The bioactivity of these single plants exemplifies the success of using an ethnobotanical filter to identify plants with cognitive enhancing activity.
Medicinal Plants - Recent Advances in Research and Development
by Hsin-Sheng Tsay Lie-Fen Shyur Dinesh Chandra Agrawal Yang-Chang Wu Sheng-Yang WangSince ancient times, plants have been used as a prime natural source of alternative medicines and have played an important role in our lives. The old tradition of medicinal plant application has turned into a highly profitable business in the global market, resulting in the release of a large number of herbal products. People have tried to find different sources of medicines to alleviate pain and cure different illnesses. Due to severe constraints of synthetic drugs and the increasing contraindications of their usage, there is a growing interest world over in the usage of natural products based on medicinal herbs, hence, there is an ever expanding market of herbs and herbal based medicinal preparations all over the world. This has culminated into an exponential increase in number of research groups in different geographical locations and generation of volume of research data in the field in a short span of time. The path breaking advancement in research methods and interdisciplinary approaches is giving birth to newer perspectives. Therefore, it becomes imperative to keep pace with the advancement in research and development in the field of medicinal herbs. There are a large number of researchers in different parts of the world working on various aspects of medicinal plants and 'herbal medicines'. The idea is to bring their recent research work into light in the form of a book. The proposed book contains chapters by the eminent researchers in different countries and working with different disciplines of medicinal plants. Articles pertain to different disciplines such as: 1. Resources and conservation of medicinal plants 2. Biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of medicinal plants 3. Tissue culture, propagation and bioreactor technology of medicinal plants 4. Phytochemical research on medicinal plants 5. Herbal medicines and plant-derived agents in cancer prevention and therapy 6. Herbal medicines and plant-derived agents in metabolic syndrome management 7. Herbal medicines and plant-derived agents in modulation of immune-related disorders 8. Herbal medicines and hepatotoxicity The book will prove itself an asset for the researchers, professionals and also students in the area of medicinal plants and mechanism of their action.
Medicinally Important Trees
by Aisha Saleem KhanThis book provides researchers and advanced students associated with plant and pharmaceutical sciences with comprehensive information on medicinal trees, including their identification, morphological characteristics, traditional and economic uses, along with the latest research on their medicinal compounds. The text covers the ecological distribution of over 150 trees, which are characterized mainly on the basis of their unique properties and phytochemicals of medicinal importance (i. e. , anti-allergic, anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial, and possible anti-HIV compounds). Due to the incredibly large diversity of medicinal trees, it is not possible to cover all within one publication, so trees with unique medicinal properties that are relatively more common in many countries are discussed here in order to make it most informative for a global audience. With over 100 illustrations taken at different stages of plant development, this reference work serves as a tool for tree identification and provides morphological explanations. It includes the latest botanical research, including biochemical advancements in phytochemistry techniques such as chromatographic and spectrometric techniques. In addition, the end of each chapter presents the most up-to-date references for further sources of exploration.
Medicinas del mundo: Las terapias tradicionales que complementan la medicina moderna
by Dietrich GrönemeyerTodas las terapias curativas procedentes de las diferentes culturas y países recopiladas por primera vez en un solo volumen. El doctor Grönemeyer nos muestra en este libro, un proyecto al que ha consagrado su vida y su trabajo durante décadas, cómo las técnicas curativas ancestrales pueden enriquecer y complementar la medicina convencional. Para cumplir con su propósito, el autor, uno de los médicos más prominentes de Alemania, viajó por todo el mundo hablando con curanderos y chamanes que quisieran compartir con él siglos de sabiduría: desde el poder curativo de las plantas hasta la meditación pasando por la medicina tradicional china. Recorrió, entre otros muchos países, África, Tíbet, Brasil, Australia y Corea. Ahora Grönemeyer aplica los conocimientos adquiridos en estos periplos para averiguar qué es lo que realmente nos cura: ¿Cómo puede ayudar la meditación a regular el corazón? ¿Podemos curarnos mediante la imposición de las manos? ¿Por qué funciona la acupuntura y el ayurveda? La crítica ha dicho...«No es el primer libro que el doctor Dietrich Grönemeyer haya escrito hasta ahora, pero es sin duda uno de los más importantes.»Rheinische Post «Grönemeyer no quiere quedarse de brazos cruzados y ha cumplido su misión de reunir y registrar los conocimientos tradicionales de curación en forma de libro para iniciar un nuevo capítulo en la historia de la medicina.»PressePortal
Medicine (Merit Badge Series)
by Boy Scouts of America Staff"Enhancing our youths' competitive edge through merit badges'
Medicine and Compassion
by Erik Pema Kunsang Harvey Fineberg Donald Fineberg Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche David R ShlimIt is estimated that some 54 million people in the U.S. act as informal caregivers for ill or disabled loved ones. We can add to these countless workers in the fields of health and human service, and yet there is still not enough help to go around: as many as three fourths of our informal caregivers report "going it alone." It's no wonder that "caregiver burnout" and depression afflict so many. Sure to be welcomed by caregivers of all types, the groundbreaking new Medicine and Compassion can help anyone reconnect with the true spirit of their caregiving task. In a clear and very modern voice, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and Dr. David R. Shlim use the teachings of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy to present practical tools for revitalizing the caring spirit. Readers, in turn, will find their patience, kindness, and effectiveness re-energized. Offering practical advice on dealing with people who are angry at their medical conditions or their care providers, people who are dying, or the families of those who are critically ill, Medicine and Compassion will strike resonant cords with medical professionals, hospice workers, teachers and parents of children with special needs, and those caring for aging and infirm loved ones.
Medicine and the American Revolution: How Diseases and Their Treatments Affected the Colonial Army
by Oscar ReissNearly nine times as many died from diseases during the American Revolution as did from wounds. Poor diet, inadequate sanitation and sometimes a lack of basic medical care caused such diseases as dysentery, scurvy, typhus, smallpox and others to decimate the ranks. Scurvy was a major problem for both the British and American navies, while venereal diseases proved to be a particularly vexing problem in New York. Respiratory diseases, scabies and other illnesses left nearly 4,000 colonial troops unable to fight when George Washington's troops broke camp at Valley Forge in June 1778. From a physician's perspective, this is a unique history of the American Revolution and how diseases impacted the execution of the war effort. The medical histories of Washington and King George III are also provided.
Medicine and the German Jews: A History
by John M. EfronMedicine played an important role in the early secularization and eventual modernization of German Jewish culture. And as both physicians and patients, Jews exerted a great influence on the formation of modern medical discourse and practice. This fascinating book investigates the relationship between German Jews and medicine from medieval times until its demise under the Nazis. John Efron examines the rise of the German Jewish physician in the Middle Ages and his emergence as a new kind of secular, Jewish intellectual in the early modern period and beyond. The author shows how nineteenth-century medicine regarded Jews as possessing distinct physical and mental pathologies, which in turn led to the emergence in modern Germany of the "Jewish body" as a cultural and scientific idea. He demonstrates why Jews flocked to the medical profession in Germany and Austria, noting that by 1933, 50 percent of Berlin's and 60 percent of Vienna's physicians were Jewish. He discusses the impact of this on Jewish and German culture, concluding with the fate of Jewish doctors under the Nazis, whose assault on them was designed to eliminate whatever intimacy had been built up between Germans and their Jewish doctors over the centuries. --BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Medicine and the Saints: Science, Islam, and the Colonial Encounter in Morocco, 1877-1956.
by Ellen J. AmsterThe colonial encounter between France and Morocco took place not only in the political realm but also in the realm of medicine. Because the body politic and the physical body are intimately linked, French efforts to colonize Morocco took place in and through the body. Starting from this original premise, Medicine and the Saints traces a history of colonial embodiment in Morocco through a series of medical encounters between the Islamic sultanate of Morocco and the Republic of France from 1877 to 1956. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources in both French and Arabic, Ellen Amster investigates the positivist ambitions of French colonial doctors, sociologists, philologists, and historians; the social history of the encounters and transformations occasioned by French medical interventions; and the ways in which Moroccan nationalists ultimately appropriated a French model of modernity to invent the independent nation-state. Each chapter of the book addresses a different problem in the history of medicine: international espionage and a doctor’s murder; disease and revolt in Moroccan cities; a battle for authority between doctors and Muslim midwives; and the search for national identity in the welfare state. This research reveals how Moroccans ingested and digested French science and used it to create a nationalist movement and Islamist politics, and to understand disease and health. In the colonial encounter, the Muslim body became a seat of subjectivity, the place from which individuals contested and redefined the political.
Medicine as Ministry: Reflections on Suffering, Ethics, and Hope
by Margaret E. MohrmanIn this profoundly theological reflection on illness, healing, and the doctor-patient relationship, pediatrician Margaret Mohrmann bridges the sometimes disparate worlds of medicine and faith, of high technology and ultimate concern. Drawing on her two decades of experience treating children who suffer from disease and dysfunction, Mohrmann movingly reveals the temptations of idolatry that beset our understanding of health and life, the intrinsic connectedness underlying all medical encounters, and the difficulties and riches of using scripture as a moral resource. In clear, accessible language Mohrmann emphasizes the importance of interpreting the lives of the suffering as meaningful and ongoing stories - stories that require all of us to respond in healing ways. Uncovering insights from such diverse sources as the apostle Paul, Alasdair MacIntyre and Flannery O'Connor, she suggests that what is required for a truly human life is not the absence of pain, but the presence of others. Both pastoral and prophetic, Medicine as Ministry is a challenge to rethink the purposes of health care - and to better discern the human condition.
Medicine at Your Feet: Healing Plants of the Hawaiian Kingdom
by David Bruce Leonard L.Ac.A Hawaii-based practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, David Bruce Leonard, has completed Medicine at Your Feet: Healing Plants of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Taking ten years to complete, this first volume is one of the most authoritative sources of information on Hawaiian medicinal plants. Exhaustively researched, Medicine at Your Feet contains cross-cultural uses for 49 different Hawaiian plant medicines, many of which are easy to find. Included is information on medicinal properties, food uses, chemical constituents, herbal combinations, plant gathering protocols, possible drug interactions, scientific research and much more.
Medicine for the Earth: How to Transform Personal and Environmental Toxins
by Sandra IngermanFrom cross-cultural legends recounting shamanic cures to the biblical accounts of the parting of the Red Sea and Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes, many spiritual traditions are rich in stories about seemingly inexplicable transformations of the natural world. The ancient healing art of transmutation, in which toxic substances are transformed into "safe" substances, is mentioned in all the world's great spiritual traditions, including Hinduism and Taoism. And while many have tapped this body of work to heal the self, it has yet to be used to heal our environment. For twenty years, Sandra Ingerman has studied alternative ways to reverse environmental pollution. In this book, Ingerman takes us on a remarkable journey through the history of transmutation, teaching us how we can use this forgotten technique to change ourselves and our environment. She provides us with creative visualizations, ceremonies, rituals, and chants derived from ancient healing practices that produce miraculous, scientifically proven results. In one dramatic illustration of what can be accomplished when consciousness and awareness fuel our actions, Ingerman describes her own success in transforming the nature of chemically polluted water.
Medicine Grove: A Shamanic Herbal
by Loren CrudenMedicine Grove is a comprehensive herbal, with listings for every common herb and many wild plants of North America. It includes descriptions of the part of the plant used, notes on preparation, lists of symptoms alleviated by the herb, and common effects. But Medicine Grove goes further, with chapters on gathering and growing wild herbs, using herbs in shamanic ceremonies or as plant allies in the wilderness, and birth, death, and dreaming herbs. Cruden combines her own first-hand experiences with a profound knowledge of indigenous traditions, enabling the reader to bring herbal lore into his or her own practice. She explains which herbs are best for seasonal ceremonies, smudging, and making offerings, and tells how to purify a sacred space. She covers topics such as vision quests, consciousness-altering, and the special connections between certain herbs and totem animals.Medicine Grove brings the concept of an herbal into sacred territory, offering guidelines for incorporating herbs into one's spiritual life, based on the author's lifetime of work with Native American practices.
Medicine Hands
by Gayle MacdonaldA practical book written for both health professionals and the layperson, this newly revised guide deconstructs common myths about the use of massage in cancer treatment. Reviewing literature that shows cancer to be caused by genetic mutation and the influence of hormones, the opening discussion emphasizes that mechanical action such as massage does not break tumors open or cause them to spread. The book purports that the real medical issues for massage therapists center on ameliorating the discomfort of treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. The topics covered include massage in hospitals, in respite care, for the dying, and for exhausted caregivers, with appendices summarizing research on oncology patients and massage. Charts for the adjustment of massage techniques according to the treatment a patient is undergoing are also included.3rd edition changes:The field of oncology massage is maturing into a discipline with a deeper and deeper body of knowledge. The 3rd edition of Medicine Hands reflects this maturation. Every chapter contains updated information and insights into massaging people affected by cancer. New chapters have been added to cover each stage of the cancer experience: treatment, recovery, survivorship, side effects from the disease, and end of life. These new chapters and organizational structure will make it easier for the reader to find the information needed to plan the massage session for a given client. As well, a new chapter has been added that focuses on the Pressure/Site/Positioning framework. This is the clinical framework around which the massage session is planned.The scientific research on the effects of massage for people with cancer is updated to 2013. New in the 3rd edition is material devoted to massaging young adult survivors, the person with breast reconstruction, cording, and late effects as well as thoughts for therapists and clients who are considering the use of massage as part of a detoxification process.All of the features most enjoyed by past readers have been retained-the inspirational sidebar quotes, client and therapist anecdotes, info boxes, and therapists questions and answers. To augment the learning process, written exercises have been added for student therapists and all of those who want to participate in their own learning. As well, sample session write-ups have been included to show the reader the variety of touch modalities that can be used to for people living with cancer.Finally, the 3rd edition will be full color with new color photographs.
Medicine, Health and Society (Bsa New Horizons In Sociology Ser.)
by Hannah BradbySharp, bold and engaging, this book provides a contemporary account of why medical sociology matters in our modern society. Combining theoretical and empirical perspectives, and applying the pragmatic demands of policy, this timely book explores society's response to key issues such as race, gender and identity to explain the relationship between sociology, medicine and medical sociology. Each chapter includes an authoritative introduction to pertinent areas of debate, a clear summary of key issues and themes and dedicated bibliography. Chapters include: * social theory and medical sociology * health inequalities * bodies, pain and suffering * personal, local and global. Brimming with fresh interpretations and critical insights this book will contribute to illuminating the practical realities of medical sociology. This exciting text will be of interest to students of sociology of health and illness, medical sociology, and sociology of the body. Hannah Bradby has a visiting fellowship at the Department of Primary Care and Health Sciences, King's College London. She is monograph series editor for the journal Sociology of Health and Illness and co-edits the multi-disciplinary journal Ethnicity and Health.
Medicine in the American West (Cornerstones of Freedom)
by Lucile DavisPracticing medicine in the American West was difficult and dangerous. People who practiced medicine often could not make a living. But those who did accomplished two things that were very important to the future of the United States. They helped explore and develop the field of medicine as they explored and settled the American West.
Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients
by Danielle OfriFor two decades, Dr. Danielle Ofri has cared for patients at Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in the country and a crossroads for the world's cultures. In Medicine in Translation, she introduces us, in vivid, moving portraits, to the patients she has known. They have braved language barriers, religious and racial divides, and the emotional and practical difficulties of exile in order to access quality health care. Sharing their journeys with them over the years, Danielle has witnessed some of their best and worst moments, and come to admire their resilience and courageous spirit. Danielle introduces us to her patients: Samuel Nwanko, who was brutally attacked by a Nigerian cult in his homeland and is attempting to create a new life in America; Jade Collier, an Aussie who refuses to let a small thing like a wheelchair keep her from being a homegrown ambassador to New York City; Julia Barquero, a Guatemalan woman who migrated to the States to save her disabled son but cannot obtain the lifesaving heart transplant she needs because she is undocumented. We meet a young Muslim woman threatened at knifepoint for wearing her veil, and the spitfire Señora Estrella, one of Danielle's many Spanish-speaking patients, whose torrent of words helps seal Danielle's resolve to improve her own Spanish, an essential skill in today's urban hospitals. And so she, her husband, and their two young children and seventy-five-pound dog relocate to Costa Rica, where they discover potholes the size of their New York City apartment, a casual absence of street signs or even street names, tangy green-skinned limon dulce dangling in the playground, and sudden rains surging over the craggy edges of roadside ditches. Ultimately, Danielle experiences being a patient in a foreign country when she gives birth to their third child, a "Costarricense" girl. With controversy over immigrants in our society escalating, and debate surrounding health-care reform becoming increasingly urgent, Ofri's riveting stories about her patients could not be more timely. Living and dying in the foreign country we call home, they have much to teach us about the American way, in sickness and in health.