Kym Orsetti Furney was a 34-year-old physician, specializing in Internal Medicine, busy with her exciting job and enjoying life with her husband and young daughter in 2000, when she suddenly began to experience dizziness repeatedly, which rapidly led to a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Her world was rocked for a time, but Furney has recovered from the shock and - empowered by information, acceptance and support - continues working as a doctor, teaching and taking care of her family, despite the challenges of MS. For all people dealing with a personal or family diagnosis now, she offers help, hope and insights by explaining all the medical perspectives, but also reflecting on her own personal experiences after diagnosis. Never forgetting the fear and hopelessness she felt at the time she learned of her own MS, she discusses the many challenges, from depression and overcoming fear of injection medications, to how and when to tell others about having MS and understanding the impact MS may have on one's career. Readers will find a strong connection with this talented physician and the thoughts and emotions that she has had facing MS. Furney's well-researched and compassionate writing will not only empower people newly diagnosed with MS, but will give family members insight into the physical and emotional challenges for their loved one, challenges that she or he may not immediately be able to voice. This work also offers invaluable insights for healthcare professionals, psychologists, psychiatrists, physical and occupational therapists.

Natural toxins form a major component of the molecular tools used increasingly frequently by the ever growing number of laboratories of various kinds. Evidence for this is provided not only by the increasing number of firms including such toxins in their catalogues but also by the large number of demands received by those who discover new toxins. Twenty chapters survey important aspects of toxin origin, their structure and molecular mechanism, and their cellular and pathogenic effects. In addition, the text provides comprehensive and specific methodology for the application of these toxins in the research laboratory. This begins with the description of the method of extraction, biochemical and pharmacological characterization, and assessment of purity, and continues with methods for chemical modification, e.g. labelling, and eventually describes applications in pharmacological studies in vivo and/or in vitro. The length of this book has been kept reasonable by concentrating on animal toxins,...

As more therapists consider using coaching skills to diversify their practices, the need for information and advice from those who have successfully made the transition from therapist to coach is crucial. The New Private Practice: Therapist-Coaches Share Stories, Strategies, and Advice is the first book designed to specifically meet this need. The book, a compilation of essays from successful therapist-coaches working in the field, offers personal narratives, trade secrets, honest discussions about what to charge and how to find clients, as well as clear-cut, how-to-get-started advice. By the end of the book, readers will have a good overview of executive, personal, peak performance, and special niches coaching. Each chapter offers insight and information, as the therapist-coaches tell how they broke into coaching, what it took to build their practices, and what it's like to spend a day in their shoes. The book is edited by Lynn Grodzki, one of the pioneer therapist-coaches and author of the best-selling Building Your Ideal Private Practice. In her introduction, she explains the differences and similarities between coaching and psychotherapy, the challenges and benefits faced by therapists who add coaching to their skill sets, and how the coach-client relationship compares to the therapist-client relationship.

My memoirs are rather slanted. They include only the successes and none of the failures. Clinical vignettes that illustrate the healing process follow my career from a medical internship at Georgetown, through a fellowship in Psychiatry at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital. The discovery of the warming point in schizophrenia at D.C. General was followed by the almost miraculous healing of several thousand acutely ill schizophrenics during two years as Chief Psychiatrist. There is a detailed case history of the full recovery of a chronic schizophrenic considered untreatable. Patients with drug-resistant suicidal depression were successfully treated through a unique form of psychosurgery. "Couldn't put it down, a page turner. The book is well written, interesting, and above all full of love. Publication is imperative so that what you did at D.C. General to help unravel the mystery of schizophrenia will not be forgotten, and that new generations of psychiatrists will be inspired to follow where you have led." -Francis F. Barnes, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and former Chief Psychiatrist at Sibley Memorial Hospital. "Absolutely fascinated by your book. Did not put it down until I had read the entire book and highlighted so much of it. So thoughtful and so beautiful that it needs to be shared with as many people as possible." -Richard Miller, ESQ., Trial lawyer in Kansas City, MO. "Fascinated with your book. It's spell binding." -Mrs. Patricia Normile, Professor of Economics at Montgomery College in Maryland. "Very well written, flow easily and interestingly and is informative, uplifting and encouraging. A humane work." -Mr. Thomas Cormick, West Point grad and Federal Career Officer.

This book analyzes power in new, more complex ways, and incorporates current cutting edge debates in patients' ability to resist medical power. Part One is devoted to sociolinguistic and cognitive approaches to doctor-patient discourse. Chapters analyze the patterns of talk that are produced by the situational demands of the medical setting and provide a detailed examination of the interplay of clinical reasoning and language use in the organizational context of health care delivery. Part Two examines the production of doctor-patient communication. Chapters address the social production of doctor-patient discourse, examine the relationship between social structure and social interaction, and explore the relationship between power and resistance.

How does a doctor or therapist bridge the gap between particulars and generalizations regarding patients and various phenomena or diseases? The authors of this volume illustrate the multiple ways practitioners in the fields of clinical psychology and medicine address the tension between the universal nature of scientific knowledge and its particular applications. They discuss the fact that some decisions, if made erroneously, have impacts that cannot be reversed. An error in the realms of medicine, ecology, peace, and war brings with it psychological strategies that differ from those a practitioner faces where errors are correctable. How does a doctor or therapist bridge the gap between particulars and generalizations regarding patients and various phenomena or diseases? The authors of this volume illustrate the multiple ways practitioners in the fields of clinical psychology and medicine address the tension between the universal nature of scientific knowledge and its particular applications. They discuss the fact that some decisions, if made erroneously, have impacts that cannot be reversed. An error in the realms of medicine, ecology, peace, and war brings with it psychological strategies that differ from those a practitioner faces where errors are correctable. The disciplines of psychology and medicine have two shared goals. The first is that both disciplines seek a basic understanding about how human beings exist in their ordinary biological and psychological worlds and the second is the attempt to describe and treat disruptions of each person's healthy state of being. Therefore, the four coeditors uncover areas of mutual interest between the two disciplines and the basis for the conflicts that have arisen in their fields.

Recent evidence indicates that humor is an important aspect of a person's health, and studies have shown that increased levels of humor help with stress, pain tolerance, and overall patient health outcomes. Still, many healthcare providers are hesitant to use humor in their practice for fear of offense or failure. Understanding more of how and why humor works as well as some of the issues related to real-world examples is essential to help practitioners be more successful in their use and understanding of humor in medical care. Through case studies and real-world applications of therapeutic humor, the field can be better understood and advanced for best practices and uses of this type of therapy. With this growing area of interest, research on humor in a patient care setting must be discussed. Cases on Applied and Therapeutic Humor focuses on humor in medical care and will discuss issues in humor research, assessment of the effectiveness of humor in medical settings, and examples of medical care in specific health settings. The chapters will explore how propriety, effectiveness, perception, and cultural variables play a role in using humor as therapy and will also provide practical case studies from medical/healthcare professionals in which they personally employed humor in medical practice. This book is ideal for medical students, therapists, researchers interested in health, humor, and medical care; healthcare professionals; humor researchers; along with practitioners, academicians, and students looking for a deeper understanding of the role humor can play as well as guidance as to the effective and meaningful use of humor in medical/healthcare settings.