- Table View
- List View
The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances
by Richard RudgleyFor all those who might like to believe that drug use has been relegated to the suburban rec rooms and ghetto crack houses of the late twentieth century, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances offers shocking, yet thoroughly enlightening evidence to the contrary. In fact, from Neolithic man to Queen Victoria, humans have abused all sorts of drugs in the name of religion, tradition, and recreation, including such "controlled substances" as chocolate, lettuce, and toads.From glue-sniffing to LSD to kava, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances provides the first reliable, comprehensive exploration of this fascinating and controversial topic. With over one hundred entries, acclaimed author Richard Rudgley covers not only the chemical and botanical background of each substance, but its physiological and psychological effect on the user. Of particular value is Rudgley's emphasis on the historical and cultural role of these mind-altering substances. Impeccably researched and hugely entertaining, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances will appeal to anyone interested in one of the most misunderstood and yet also most widespread of human activities - the chemical quest for an altered state of consciousness.
The End Of Mental Illness: How Brain Science Is Transforming Psychiatry And Helping Prevent Or Reverse Mood And Anxiety Disorders, Adhd,ptsd, Addictions, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, And More
by Daniel G. AmenPUBLISHER’S WEEKLY and USA TODAY BESTSELLER! New hope for those suffering from conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, addictions, PTSD, ADHD and more. Though incidence of these conditions is skyrocketing, for the past four decades standard treatment hasn’t much changed, and success rates in treating them have barely improved, either. Meanwhile, the stigma of the “mental illness” label―damaging and devastating on its own―can often prevent sufferers from getting the help they need. Brain specialist and bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen is on the forefront of a new movement within medicine and related disciplines that aims to change all that. In The End of Mental Illness, Dr. Amen draws on the latest findings of neuroscience to challenge an outdated psychiatric paradigm and help readers take control and improve the health of their own brain, minimizing or reversing conditions that may be preventing them from living a full and emotionally healthy life. The End of Mental Illness will help you discover: Why labeling someone as having a “mental illness” is not only inaccurate but harmful Why standard treatment may not have helped you or a loved one―and why diagnosing and treating you based on your symptoms alone so often misses the true cause of those symptoms and results in poor outcomes At least 100 simple things you can do yourself to heal your brain and prevent or reverse the problems that are making you feel sad, mad, or bad How to identify your “brain type” and what you can do to optimize your particular type Where to find the kind of health provider who understands and uses the new paradigm of brain health
The End of Alzheimer's Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age
by Dale BredesenThe New York Times Best Selling author of The End of Alzheimer's lays out a specific plan to help everyone prevent and reverse cognitive decline or simply maximize brainpower.In The End of Alzheimer's Dale Bredesen laid out the science behind his revolutionary new program that is the first to both prevent and reverse symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Now he lays out the detailed program he uses with his own patients. Accessible and detailed, it can be tailored to anyone's needs and will enhance cognitive ability at any age.What we call Alzheimer's disease is actually a protective response to a wide variety of insults to the brain: inflammation, insulin resistance, toxins, infections, and inadequate levels of nutrients, hormones, and growth factors. Bredesen starts by having us figure out which of these insults we need to address and continues by laying out a personalized lifestyle plan. Focusing on the Ketoflex 12/3 Diet, which triggers ketosis and lets the brain restore itself with a minimum 12-hour fast, Dr. Bredesen drills down on restorative sleep, targeted supplementation, exercise, and brain training. He also examines the tricky question of toxic exposure and provides workarounds for many difficult problems. The takeaway is that we do not need to do the program perfectly but will see tremendous results if we can do it well enough.With inspiring stories from patients who have reversed cognitive decline and are now thriving, this book shifts the treatment paradigm and offers a new and effective way to enhance cognition as well as unprecedented hope to sufferers of this now no longer deadly disease.
The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline
by Dale BredesenA groundbreaking plan to prevent and reverse Alzheimer’s Disease that fundamentally changes how we understand cognitive decline. Everyone knows someone who has survived cancer, but until now no one knows anyone who has survived Alzheimer's Disease. In this paradigm shifting book, Dale Bredesen, MD, offers real hope to anyone looking to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's Disease and cognitive decline. Revealing that AD is not one condition, as it is currently treated, but three, The End of Alzheimer’s outlines 36 metabolic factors (micronutrients, hormone levels, sleep) that can trigger "downsizing" in the brain. The protocol shows us how to rebalance these factors using lifestyle modifications like taking B12, eliminating gluten, or improving oral hygiene. The results are impressive. Of the first ten patients on the protocol, nine displayed significant improvement with 3-6 months; since then the protocol has yielded similar results with hundreds more. Now, The End of Alzheimer’s brings new hope to a broad audience of patients, caregivers, physicians, and treatment centers with a fascinating look inside the science and a complete step-by-step plan that fundamentally changes how we treat and even think about AD.
The End of Breast Cancer: A Virus and the Hope for a Vaccine
by Kathleen T.Can a mouse virus cause breast cancer in women? Answering that question has become Dr. Kathleen Ruddy's life’s work. The End of Breast Cancer is the landmark book that gives an extraordinary glimpse into the history of breast cancer research, and the findings that support the theory that the virus that causes breast cancer in mice, and has also been found in rats, cats, dogs, and monkeys plays a significant role in 40-94% of human breast cancer. Researchers contend that we are one step away from having final proof of this. Once we know the cause, then we can move forward to develop a preventative vaccine. The first and only breast cancer specialist to compile this encyclopedic research in one volume, Dr. Ruddy writes: “If there’s a virus that causes breast cancer, and a safe and effective vaccine that can prevent this disease, we need to know about it now, not in another 100 years.” The End of Cancer represents the culmination of Ruddy’s research findings and the breakthroughs that are happening every day to unravel the mystery. We may well witness in our lifetimes the eradication of breast cancer.
The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes
by Joel FuhrmanDespite what you might have heard, diabetes is not a lifelong condition. It does not have to shorten your life span or result in high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, or other life-threatening ailments. In fact, most diabetics can get off medication and become 100 percent healthy in just a few simple steps. In The End of Diabetes, Joel Fuhrman, M. D. , a board-certified doctor and New York Times bestselling author, shows how you can prevent and reverse diabetes and its related symptoms and lose weight in the process. The End of Diabetes is a radical idea wrapped in a simple plan: Eat Better, End Diabetes. While the established medical protocol aims to control diabetes by limiting your carbohydrate intake, monitoring glucose levels, and prescribing bottomless doses of medicine, Dr. Fuhrman believes this long-standing approach to fighting diabetes is wrong-and possibly fatal. Designed for anyone ready to enjoy a healthier and longer life-and proven successful for more than ten thousand patients over the past twenty years-Dr. Fuhrman's plan is based on a single formula: Your Health Future (H) = Nutrients (N) / Calories (C). Foods with a high nutrient density, according to Dr. Fuhrman, turn our bodies into the miraculous, self-healing machines they can be, which results in significant weight loss, improved health, and, ultimately, the end of diabetes and other diseases. In engaging, direct, and easy-to-follow language, The End of Diabetes proves that diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are not inevitable consequences of aging. They are reversible and preventable. This simple and effective plan offers great food, starts working right away, and puts you on a direct path to a longer, better, fuller, disease-free life.
The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It
by Bronwyn Fryer Jonathan D. Quick“Jonathan Quick offers a compelling and intensely readable plan to prevent worldwide infectious outbreaks. The End of Epidemics is essential reading for those who might be affected by a future pandemic—that is, just about everyone.”—Sandeep Jauhar, bestselling author of Heart: A HistoryThe 2020 outbreak of coronavirus has terrified the world--and revealed how unprepared we are for the next outbreak of an infectious disease. Somewhere in nature, a killer virus is boiling up in the bloodstream of a bird, bat, monkey, or pig, preparing to jump to a human being. This not-yet-detected germ has the potential to wipe out millions of lives over a matter of weeks or months. That risk makes the threat posed by ISIS, a ground war, a massive climate event, or even the dropping of a nuclear bomb on a major city pale in comparison.In The End of Epidemics, Duke Global Health Institute faculty member and past Chair of the Global Health Council Dr. Jonathan D. Quick examines the eradication of smallpox and devastating effects of influenza, AIDS, SARS, Ebola, and other viral diseases . Analyzing local and global efforts to contain these diseases and citing firsthand accounts of failure and success, Dr. Quick proposes a new set of actions which he has coined "The Power of Seven," to end epidemics before they can begin. These actions include:- Spending prudently to prevent disease before an epidemic strikes, rather than spending too little, too late- Ensuring prompt, open, and accurate communication between nations and aid agencies, instead of secrecy and territorial disputes- Fighting disease and preventing panic with innovation and good sciencePractical and urgent, The End of Epidemics is crucial reading for citizens, health professionals, and policy makers alike.“Dr. Quick’s urgent message makes one hope that this book will reach a huge audience and that its exhortations will be acted on everywhere.”—The Wall Street Journal
The End of Food Allergy: The First Program To Prevent and Reverse a 21st Century Epidemic
by Sloan Barnett Kari NadeauA life-changing, research-based program that will end food allergies in children and adults forever.The problem of food allergy is exploding around us. But this book offers the first glimpse of hope with a powerful message: You can work with your family and your doctor to eliminate your food allergy forever.The trailblazing research of Dr. Kari Nadeau at Stanford University reveals that food allergy is not a life sentence, because the immune system can be retrained. Food allergies--from mild hives to life-threatening airway constriction--can be disrupted, slowed, and stopped. The key is a strategy called immunotherapy (IT)--the controlled, gradual reintroduction of an allergen into the body. With innovations that include state-of-the-art therapies targeting specific components of the immune system, Dr. Nadeau and her team have increased the speed and effectiveness of this treatment to a matter of months.New York Times bestselling author Sloan Barnett, the mother of two children with food allergies, provides a lay perspective that helps make Dr. Nadeau's research accessible for everyone. Together, they walk readers through every aspect of food allergy, including how to find the right treatment and how to manage the ongoing fear of allergens that haunts so many sufferers, to give us a clear, supportive plan to combat a major national and global health issue.
The End of Genetics: Designing Humanity's DNA
by David B. GoldsteinAn urgent plea for a broader understanding and awareness of the unconsidered dangers of new genetic technologies Since 2010 it has been possible to determine a person&’s genetic makeup in a matter of days at an accessible cost for many millions of people. Along with this technological breakthrough there has emerged a movement to use this information to help prospective parents &“eliminate preventable genetic disease.&” As the prospect of systematically excluding the appearance of unwanted mutations in our children comes within reach, David B. Goldstein examines the possible consequences from these types of choices. Engaging and accessible, this clarion call for responsible and informed stewardship of the human genome provides an overview of what we do and do not know about human genetics and looks at some of the complex, yet largely unexplored, issues we must be most careful about as we move into an era of increasing numbers of parents exercising direct control over the genomes of their children.
The End of Heart Disease: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
by Dr Joel FuhrmanThe New York Times bestselling author of Eat to Live, Super Immunity, The End of Diabetes, and The End of Dieting presents a scientifically proven, practical program to prevent and reverse heart disease, the leading cause of death in America—coinciding with the author’s new medical study revealing headline-making findings. Dr. Joel Fuhrman, one of the country’s leading experts on preventative medicine, offers his science-backed nutritional plan that addresses the leading cause of death in America: heart disease. An expert in the science of food, Dr. Fuhrman speaks directly to readers who want to take control of their health and avoid taking medication or undergoing complicated, expensive surgery, the two standard treatments prescribed today. Following the model of his previous programs that have successfully tackled conditions from diabetes to dieting, Dr. Fuhrman’s plan begins with the food we eat. He focuses on a high nutrient per calorie ratio, with a range of options for different needs and conditions. He shows us what to remove and what to add to our diets for optimum heart health, provides menu plans and recipes for heart-healthy meals and snacks, and includes helpful questions for doctors and patients. By understanding heart disease and its triggers, Dr. Fuhrman gives us the knowledge to counter-attack this widespread epidemic and lead longer, healthier lives.
The End of Hunger: Renewed Hope for Feeding the World
by Cathleen Falsani Jenny Eaton Dyer2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalists - Ecology and EnvironmentJesus' command is clear: we are called to feed all of God's children. But is that possible?The End of HungerChef Rick BaylessDavid BeasleyThe Rev. David BeckmannCongressman Diane BlackTony Campolo, PhDSenator Bob CorkerJeremy K. EverettCathleen FalsaniKimberly FlowersSenator William H. Frist, MDHelene Gayle, MDAmy GrantAmbassador Tony P. HallRudo Kwaramba-KayomboNikole LimJonathan MartinMike McHargueAngel F. Mendez Montoya, PhDWill MooreSamuel RodriguezJeffrey Sachs, PhDGabe SalgueroMark K. ShriverRon SiderRachel Marie StoneSteve Taylor and FamilyRoger ThurowElizabeth Uriyo and Christopher DelvaillKimberly Williams and Brad Paisley
The End of Illness
by David B. AgusCan we live robustly until our last breath? Do we have to suffer from debilitating conditions and sickness? Is it possible to add more vibrant years to our lives? In the #1 New York Times bestselling The End of Illness, Dr. David Agus tackles these fundamental questions and dismantles misperceptions about what "health" really means. Presenting an eye-opening picture of the human body and all the ways it works--and fails--Dr. Agus shows us how a new perspective on our individual health will allow us to achieve a long, vigorous life. Offering insights and access to powerful new technologies that promise to transform medicine, Dr. Agus emphasizes his belief that there is no "right" answer, no master guide that is "one size fits all." Each one of us must get to know our bodies in uniquely personal ways, and he shows us exactly how to do that. A bold call for all of us to become our own personal health advocates, The End of Illness is a moving departure from orthodox thinking.ness. A bold call for all of us to become our own personal health advocates, The End of Illness is a moving departure from orthodox thinking. This is a seminal work that promises to revolutionize how we live.
The End of Miracles: A Novel
by Monica StarkmanInternational Book Awards 2016 finalist for literary fiction The End of Miracles is a twisting, haunting story about the drastic consequences of a frustrated obsession. A woman with a complex past wants nothing more than to become a mother, but struggles with infertility and miscarriage. She is temporarily comforted by a wish-fulfilling false pregnancy, but when reality inevitably dashes that fantasy, she falls into a depression so deep she must be hospitalized. The sometimes-turbulent environment of the psychiatry unit rattles her and makes her fear for her sanity, and she flees. Outside, she impulsively commits a startling act with harrowing consequences for herself and others. This emotionally gripping novel is a suspenseful journey across the blurred boundaries between sanity and madness, depression and healing.
The End of My Addiction
by Olivier Ameisen"After years of battling uncontrollable addiction, I have achieved the supposedly impossible: complete freedom from craving."Dr. Olivier Ameisen was a brilliant cardiologist on the staff at one of America's top teaching hospitals and running his own successful practice when he developed a profound addiction to alcohol. He broke bones with no memory of falling; he nearly lost his kidneys; he almost died from massive seizures during acute withdrawal. He gave up his flourishing practice and, fearing for his life, immersed himself in Alcoholics Anonymous, rehab, therapy, and a variety of medications. Nothing worked.So he did the only thing he could: he took his treatment into his own hands. Searching for a cure for his deadly disease, he happened upon baclofen, a muscle relaxant that had been used safely for years as a treatment for various types of muscle spasticity, but had more recently shown promising results in studies with laboratory animals addicted to a wide variety of substances. Dr. Ameisen prescribed himself the drug and experimented with increasingly higher dosages until he finally reached a level high enough to leave him free of any craving for alcohol. That was more than five years ago. Alcoholism claims three hundred lives per day in the United States alone; one in four U.S. deaths is attributable to alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs. Baclofen, as prescribed under a doctor's care, could possibly free many addicts from tragic and debilitating illness. But as long as the medical and research establishments continue to ignore a cure for one of the most deadly diseases in the world, we won't be able to understand baclofen's full addiction-treatment potential.The End of My Addiction is both a memoir of Dr. Ameisen's own struggle and a groundbreaking call to action—an urgent plea for research that can rescue millions from the scourge of addiction and spare their loved ones the collateral damage of the disease.
The End of October: A novel
by Lawrence Wright<P><P>In this riveting medical thriller--from the Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author--Dr. Henry Parsons, an unlikely but appealing hero, races to find the origins and cure of a mysterious new killer virus as it brings the world to its knees. <P><P>At an internment camp in Indonesia, forty-seven people are pronounced dead with acute hemorrhagic fever. When Henry Parsons--microbiologist, epidemiologist--travels there on behalf of the World Health Organization to investigate, what he finds will soon have staggering repercussions across the globe: an infected man is on his way to join the millions of worshippers in the annual Hajj to Mecca. <P><P>Now, Henry joins forces with a Saudi prince and doctor in an attempt to quarantine the entire host of pilgrims in the holy city . . . A Russian émigré, a woman who has risen to deputy director of U.S. Homeland Security, scrambles to mount a response to what may be an act of biowarfare . . . Already-fraying global relations begin to snap, one by one, in the face of a pandemic . . . Henry's wife, Jill, and their children face diminishing odds of survival in Atlanta . . . And the disease slashes across the United States, dismantling institutions--scientific, religious, governmental--and decimating the population. As packed with suspense as it is with the fascinating history of viral diseases, Lawrence Wright has given us a full-tilt, electrifying, one-of-a-kind thriller. <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The End of Old Age: Living a Longer, More Purposeful Life
by Marc E. AgroninThe acclaimed author of How We Age, whose "descriptive powers are a gift to readers" (Sherwin Nuland), presents a hopeful and practical model of aging--a guide to understanding how we can all make the journey better.As one of America's leading geriatric psychiatrists, Dr. Marc Agronin sees both the sickest and the healthiest of seniors. He observes what works to make their lives better and more purposeful and what doesn't. Many authors can talk about aging from their particular vantage points, but Dr. Agronin is on the front lines as he counsels and treats elderly individuals and their loved ones on a daily basis. The latest scientific research and Dr. Agronin's first-hand experience are brilliantly distilled in The End of Old Age--a call to no longer see aging as an implacable enemy and to start seeing it as a developmental force for enhancing well-being, meaning, and longevity.Throughout The End of Old Age, the focus is squarely on "So what does this mean for me and my family?" In the final part of the book, Dr. Agronin provides simple but revealing charts that you can fill out to identify, develop, and optimize your unique age-given strengths. It's nothing short of an action plan to help you age better by improving how you value the aging process, guide yourself through stress, and find ways to creatively address change for the best possible experience and outcome.
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
by David A. KesslerMost of us know what it feels like to fall under the spell of food---when one slice of pizza turns into half a pie, or a handful of chips leads to an empty bag. But it's harder to understand why we can't seem to stop eating even when we know better. When we want so badly to say "no," why do we continue to reach for food? Dr. David Kessler, the dynamic former FDA commissioner who reinvented the food label and tackled the tobacco industry, now reveals how the food industry has hijacked the brains of millions of Americans. The result? America's number-one public health issue. Dr. Kessler cracks the code of overeating by explaining how our bodies and minds are changed when we consume foods that contain sugar, fat, and salt. Food manufacturers create products by manipulating these ingredients to stimulate our appetites, setting in motion a cycle of desire and consumption that ends with a nation of overeaters. The End of Overeating explains for the first time why it is exceptionally difficult to resist certain foods and why it's so easy to overindulge. Dr. Kessler met with top scientists, physicians, and food industry insiders. The End of Overeating uncovers the shocking facts about how we lost control over our eating habits and how we can get it back. Dr. Kessler presents groundbreaking research, along with what is sure to be a controversial view inside the industry that continues to feed a nation of overeaters from popular brand manufacturers to advertisers, chain restaurants, and fast food franchises. For the millions of people struggling with weight as well as for those of us who simply don't understand why we can't seem to stop eating our favorite foods, Dr. Kessler's cutting-edge investigation offers new insights and helpful tools to help us find a solution. There has never been a more thorough, compelling, or in-depth analysis of why we eat the way we do.
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
by David A. KesslerDr. David A. Kessler, the dynamic and controversial former FDA commissioner known for his crusade against the tobacco industry, is taking on another business that's making Americans sick: the food industry. In The End of Overeating, Dr. Kessler shows us how our brain chemistry has been hijacked by the foods we most love to eat: those that contain stimulating combinations of fat, sugar, and salt.Drawn from the latest brain science as well as interviews with top physicians and food industry insiders, The End of Overeating exposes the food industry's aggressive marketing tactics and reveals shocking facts about how we lost control over food—and what we can do to get it back. For the millions of people struggling with their weight as well as those of us who simply can't seem to eat our favorite foods in moderation, Dr. Kessler's cutting-edge investigation offers valuable insights and practical answers for America's largest-ever public health crisis. There has never been a more thorough, compelling, or in-depth analysis of why we eat the way we do.
The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction
by Henry T. GreelyWithin 40 years many people will stop having sex for reproduction. After IVF and preimplantation genetic diagnosis, parents will pick embryos for implantation, gestation, and birth. It will be easy, safe, lawful, and free, Henry Greely predicts. He explains the new technologies and sets out the deep ethical and legal challenges facing humanity.
The End of Stigma?: Changes in the Social Experience of Long-Term Illness
by Gill GreenThis innovative book investigates the roots of contemporary experiences of stigma, throwing new light on the phenomenon by examining a variety of long-term conditions. Behaviour, lifestyle and identity are no longer the results of mass-production by social class and nation, but increasingly the quirky and unique eccentricities of the individual as consumer, reflexive citizen and free agent. But if the hallmark of the post-modern world is endless variety and unlimited sub-cultural freedom, should we not be witnessing "The End of Stigma"? The book takes Fukuyama’s notion of "The End of History" and examines contemporary challenges to the stigma associated with chronic illness. Award-winning author Gill Green examines cases of HIV, mental illness and substance misuse, to provide new insights into stigma in health. She demonstrates that people with long-term conditions refuse to be defined by their condition and highlights their increasingly powerful voice. The End of Stigma? will be of interest to a wide range of students and health professionals in medical sociology, health studies and social care.
The End of Trauma: How the New Science of Resilience Is Changing How We Think About PTSD
by George A. BonannoWith &“groundbreaking research on the psychology of resilience&” (Adam Grant), a top expert on human trauma argues that we vastly overestimate how common PTSD is in and fail to recognize how resilient people really are. After 9/11, mental health professionals flocked to New York to handle what everyone assumed would be a flood of trauma cases. Oddly, the flood never came. In The End of Trauma, pioneering psychologist George A. Bonanno argues that we failed to predict the psychological response to 9/11 because most of what we understand about trauma is wrong. For starters, it&’s not nearly as common as we think. In fact, people are overwhelmingly resilient to adversity. What we often interpret as PTSD are signs of a natural process of learning how to deal with a specific situation. We can cope far more effectively if we understand how this process works. Drawing on four decades of research, Bonanno explains what makes us resilient, why we sometimes aren&’t, and how we can better handle traumatic stress. Hopeful and humane, The End of Trauma overturns everything we thought we knew about how people respond to hardship.
The End of World Population Growth in the 21st Century: New Challenges for Human Capital Formation and Sustainable Development (Population and Sustainable Development)
by Warren C. SandersonThe 20th century was the century of explosive population growth, resulting in unprecedented impacts; in contrast, the 21st century is likely to see the end of world population growth and become the century of population aging. We are currently at the crossroads of these demographic regimes. This book presents fresh evidence about our demographic future and provides a new framework for understanding the underlying unity in this diversity. It is an invaluable resource for those concerned with the implications of population change in the 21st century. The End of World Population Growth in the 21st Century is the first volume in a new series on Population and Sustainable Development. The series provides fresh ways of thinking about population trends and impacts.
The End of a Global Pox: America and the Eradication of Smallpox in the Cold War Era (Flows, Migrations, and Exchanges)
by Bob H. ReinhardtBy the mid-twentieth century, smallpox had vanished from North America and Europe but continued to persist throughout Africa, Asia, and South America. In 1965, the United States joined an international effort to eradicate the disease, and after fifteen years of steady progress, the effort succeeded. Bob H. Reinhardt demonstrates that the fight against smallpox drew American liberals into new and complex relationships in the global Cold War, as he narrates the history of the only cooperative international effort to successfully eliminate a disease. Unlike other works that have chronicled the fight against smallpox by offering a "biography" of the disease or employing a triumphalist narrative of a public health victory, The End of a Global Pox examines the eradication program as a complex exercise of American power. Reinhardt draws on methods from environmental, medical, and political history to interpret the global eradication effort as an extension of U.S. technological, medical, and political power. This book demonstrates the far-reaching manifestations of American liberalism and Cold War ideology and sheds new light on the history of global public health and development.
The End of an Antibiotic Era: Bacteria's Triumph over a Universal Remedy
by Rinke van den BrinkIn this monograph, journalist Rinke van den Brink takes a closer look at the limitations and risks of today’s antibiotic use. Though all developed societies have grown accustomed to successfully treating bacterial infections with these wonder drugs, the author focuses on the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant infections. By examining recent mass outbreaks, readers will gain a better understanding of the global impact of antimicrobial resistance – one of the most serious public health threats today. Following this somewhat disquieting review of the status quo, interviews with a number of specialists provide an outlook on possible solutions. In a world that is more connected than ever, partnerships between different healthcare systems are becoming all the more important. Rinke van den Brink uses the example of a border-spanning collaboration between the Netherlands and Germany to demonstrate how effective lines of communication can be established. The book offers a wealth of useful background information for healthcare personnel. Not only does it share insights into the functional microbe-antibiotic relationship; it also discusses how clinics can effectively address outbreaks, helping readers to learn from past experiences and develop effective new strategies.
The End of the Beginning: Cancer, Immunity, And The Future Of A Cure
by Michael KinchA fascinating history of our understanding and the treatment of cancer by one of the leading figures in the field—who is also a pioneer on the cusp of a breakthrough. For the first time since a 5th century Greek physician gave the name “cancer” (karkinos, in Greek) to a deadly disease first described in Egyptian Papyri, the medical world is near a breakthrough that could allow even the most conservative doctors and pragmatic patients to use the other “c word” – cure – in the same sentence as cancer. A remarkable series of events has brought us to this point, thanks in large part to a new ability to more efficiently harness the extraordinary power of the human immune. The End of the Beginning is a remarkable history of cancer treatment and the evolution of our understanding of its dynamic interplay with the immune system. Through Michael Kinch’s personal experience as a cancer researcher at Washington University and the head of the oncology program at a leading biotechnology company, we witness the incredible accumulation of breakthrough science and its rapid translation into life-saving technologies that have begun to dramatically increase the quality and quantity of life for cancer patients. Expanding upon Kinch’s own remarkable projects to encompass the vaccines being deployed to eliminate cervical cancer, the development of cancer-specific “smart bombs” in the form of monoclonal antibodies, cellular therapies, and checkpoint inhibitors—The End of the Beginning reveals the incredible transformation of cancer treatment happening today. Kinch details the remarkable history of people, science, technology and disease and presents thrilling next-generation technologies that hold the promise to eliminate cancer for some, and perhaps ultimately, for all.