Stroke patients in physical therapy
Article: Balance and Mobility Following Stroke: Effects of Physical Therapy Interventions With and Without Biofeedback/Forceplate Training The article that I've chosen is about a study that is attempting to find out if the addition of biofeedback/forceplate training to a normal physical therapy program for improving balance and mobility in hemiplegics is more successful at improving balance and mobility than a normal physical therapy program alone. The authors of the article noted that a majority of adults who fall are CVA patients. Often times strokes result in hemiplegia which may have adverse effects on a persons ability to maintain proper balance. Poor balance is the most common reason for a person to fall. The authors note that, according to age-matched control group results, in hemiplegic pt.'s there is an increase in postural sway, an impaired symmetry of weight bearing, and a reduction in patients' limits of stability compared to people of a similar age. A fear of falling also develops in pt.'s that have fallen which results in them avoiding many functional activities. This avoidance of activities often results in "a decline in independence." The authors of this article note that there were studies similar to this one but differ in the fact that those studies compared biofeedback/forceplate training alone to a normal physical therapy program. The study included a
Introduction to Sports Therapy Techniques
Introduction to Sports Therapy Techniques L.O.1 As a Sports Therapist, sports massage is an important part of the profession. Sports massage is a skill and involves the use of many different techniques, each with their own benefits. Effleurage is one such technique and is carried using the palms of both hands, the pressure applied through Effleurage is towards the heart and is done so by using long strokes up the limb and then returning back down with a lighter pressure. Throughout this technique, the hands remain in constant contact with the limb, helping to warm and relax the muscles while applying the oil or other massage media at the same time. Throughout Effleurage, strokes run the full length of the muscles and pressures range from superficial to deep, strokes also run longitudinal to the muscles fibres as well as transversely to the muscle fibres. Petrissage will often continue on from Effleurage and is another technique used in sports massage. Petrissage, like Effleurage, involves the use of both hands which rhythmically and smoothly glide across the muscle, each hand alternatively grasping, squeezing and lifting the tissue in succession. As with all massage techniques, Petrissage helps stimulate circulation as well as loosening soft tissues through the grasping and squeezing involved in the technique. Friction is another technique that can be used and while
drug testing
By Antonio Braganza Drug Testing Important Questions Addressed and Answered At what point is seeking personal information in the workplace a violation of one's privacy? Is it only justified at certain jobs? Should all drug use be treated the same? Should drug testing be at the discretion of the employer or employee? These are some of the questions that have made drug testing such an ethical dilemma. It is such a complex subject that there appears to be no clear solution to it. Although employers should have access to some information, such as education, a line must be drawn as to what is relevant information and what is a violation of one's privacy. Is Drug Testing Ethical? Unfortunately the question of whether drug testing is ethical or not is by no means a yes or no question. So many factors need to be taken into account before deciding the answer to this question. And even then, the decision may or may not be "correct." Joseph R. Desjardins and Ronald Duska have come up with two arguments that they believe establish the results of drug testing as relevant information. The first argument states that the drug can affect or hinder performance at a particular job. The second states that drug use may harm the individual, fellow employees, and/or a third party, such as customers (Shaw 100). The first argument claims that drug use affects one's performance in
Person Centred Therapy Core Conditions
The Importance of Unconditional Positive Regard in Person-Centred Counselling According to Perry (1993), 'A primary goal for the person-centred counsellor is to see, feel and experience the world of the client as it is seen, felt and experienced by the client' (p.53). One of the distinguishing features of person-centred counselling, and one which enables the above goal to be met, is the notion that the therapist must have unconditional positive regard (UPR) for the client, viewing them as a person of worth regardless of their values, behaviour or the issues they present within the counselling session. The underlying premise is a profound belief in the potential of all human beings as well as the ability to convey acceptance and respect for all. However, UPR also represents an area of contention for many theorists who question whether it is always possible to view the client in a positive light and whether this process requires the therapist to disregard his/her own values and beliefs. The following essay will explore the importance of UPR in therapeutic practise, how the therapist acquires UPR and how it can be applied to diverse client groups. Carl Roger's theory is built upon Malow's 'actualising tendency' which suggests all human beings, regardless of their circumstances, strive to reach their potential and make the most of their existence. Closely interlinked with the
Development of Music as a Therapy
Running head: Development of Music as a Therapy Development of Music as a Therapy Lorie Ceal Grand Canyon University Intro to Human Communication Theory June 21, 2009 Development of Music as a Therapy The development of music as a therapy spans a vast amount of time. On the History of Music Therapy website we discover that music has always been used for therapeutic reasons. The evidence lies in; "cathartic and hypnotic uses of music in primitive tribes, Apollo - who was the god of music and medicine, drumming healers of India at Delphi, and cave drawings of musical shamans". (History of Music Therapy, n.d.) There seems to have always been a connection between music and emotion. It has a history of influence on both the emotional and physical aspects of one's health. "Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle all wrote about how music affects health and behavior." (United Health Services, 2009) Plato stated that musical training was important because "rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful". (History of Music Therapy, n.d.)Even though music was thought of as a healing agent for body, mind and soul in ancient times, according to the History of Music Therapy, It is a "fairly recent phenomenon in Western culture". (History of Music Therapy, n.d.) Dr Richard Brown wrote the
Drug Abuse
A drug is “a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being” (Dictionary 1). Even though most teens are using drugs as an enhancement, drug abuse for teens is a world wide spread problem. Drug abuse is especially bad in the United States. In a survey, the website teenhelp.com reported that 34.3 percent of high school seniors used marijuana in the last year. Marijuana is the most used drug of teens but over the past 12 months 5.3 percent of high school seniors has used cocaine and 10 percent used stimulants and 4.2 percent used inhalants. Causes of drug abuse have had efforts to solve but they do not work. If drug abuse is still present, the consequences can get worse. There are many causes to drug abuse. The number on reason why students do drugs is because they are stressed and want an escape from reality. “An accompanying study showed that parents severely underestimate the amount of stress their teen is under and the impact it has on their life” (“Top 10 Reasons of Drug Abuse”). Parents do not know what teens go through so if they are not watching them they can form bad habits such as drug abuse. Another major reason why teens use drugs is because of peer pressure or social acceptance. “If your teen’s friends think it’s cool to se drugs or alcohol, or if your
Drug abuse
A Perspective on the Drug Abuse Situation, Policies and Social Work Intervention in the United Kingdom Abusing drugs can apply to legal or illegal substances and they can be taken in a wide variety of ways to get them into the blood stream. It refers to a situation whereby most of the person's life is taken over by the need to obtain and consume drugs. It is better call a person drug dependent, where dependency is a compulsion to keep taking drugs. Dependency can be physical, psychological or both. In the former case, the heavy use of drugs like alcohol, heroin or tranquillisers changes the body chemistry so that the withdrawal of the drug causes symptoms that can be very severe and requires more of the drug or supportive withdrawal under medical supervision. Psychological dependency can be applied to a number of activities like exercise, eating chocolates or the need to take substances. This essay examines the policy prevailing in the United Kingdom towards managing the drug misusers and the role of social worker in working with the drug abusers. Substance abuse shows steady rise in the world and contributes significantly to the burden of health. Alcoholism is one of the commonest substances of abuse in most of the societies of the world. Alcoholism is man's oldest universal problem. Alcoholism is seen as the world's highly prevalent public health problem and therefore, it
Drug abuse
A critical commentary on drug abuse Drug abuse is an evident problem in today's society, particularly in Britain which has the highest number of drug deaths in Europe. This issue causes the destruction of thousands of lives every year, not only those who are taking the drugs, but the surrounding people, friends and family also suffer. The money and means required to supply these drugs is derived from crime which harms millions of others, through theft, fraud, forgery, and other crimes. Despite government attempt of control this predicament has only grown in recent years with drug users increasing. Something drastic needs to be done about it before something drastic happens. On the Tuesday 1st August 2006, an article was published in The Independent showing new research which the government has taken little notice of as it is highly controversial. It emphasises the punishment system for drug abuse. In this article there is a table representing the drugs available on today's market, the number of users, the number of deaths caused by the drug and also a point scoring system showing exactly how dangerous it is. This information shows illegal drugs such as ecstasy and L.S.D. which are both Class A drugs low down in the list in terms of danger. Some legal drugs which appear to be more socially acceptable such as alcohol and tobacco appear more dangerous. This strikes me as
A Case for Electro-Convulsive Therapy: The Never Ending Contraversy
[Name of the writer] [Name of the instructor] [Subject] [Date] A Case for Electro-Convulsive Therapy: The Never Ending Contraversy Electroconvulsive therapy is the treatment of choice for severe depressive episodes. Although little definitive research exists to explain its effectiveness, since its development in 1938 it has proven effective for the treatment of depression with psychotic features and suicidal ideation. The procedure is explained and implications for the mental health counselor are discussed. Changes in professional understanding of mental illness have led to the increasing use of somatic, or biological, therapy as part of the successful treatment of some of the more common disorders. Somatic therapies are physical in nature, and the most commonly used of these are medication and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Many psychiatrists returned to the biological model in the 1980s and use both medication and ECT to treat the more severe or serious illnesses: (a) depression, (b) mania, (c) schizophrenia, (d) severe anxiety disorders, and (e) dementia. These disorders are common, handicapping, and often resistant to treatments other than ECT (Rey & Walter, 1997). In addition, they are the most likely disorders to have biological causes, and somatic therapies are seen as correcting an underlying biological imbalance. Electroconvulsive therapy is widely used
Are psychological therapies equally effective in treating mood disorders than drug treatment?
Are psychological therapies equally effective in treating mood disorders than drug treatment? Mood disorders, or affective disorders as they are also known, are characterized by the DSM-IV (as cited in Brown et al 1998) as a pathological change in a person's mood or emotional state which is inappropriate for that persons circumstances which has no organic cause. There are four main categories of mood disorders which are divided into the following groups; depressive episodes, manic episodes, mixed episodes and hypomanic episodes (American psychological association 2000). One of the most common mood disorders is depression, and as a first choice, initial treatment is usually medication, mainly because drugs are cheaper to administer than psychotherapy (Beck et al 1979). Although, pharmaceuticals are usually prescribed as a first call of duty, previous research suggests that many people do not respond to them. According to Beck (1979) only 65% of people appear to show improvements in mood when taking medications therefore the remaining 35% of sufferers need to be provided with an alternative treatment such as cognitive behavior therapy. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the methods used to treat mood disorders and to conclude whether drug treatments or psychological therapies provide more benefits to patients or if they are of equal value. Drug treatments for mood
