While virtual reality (VR) has influenced fields as varied as gaming, archaeology and the visual arts, some of its most promising applications come from the health sector. Particularly encouraging are the many uses of VR in supporting the recovery of motor skills following accident or illness. Virtual Reality for Physical and Motor Rehabilitation reviews two decades of progress and anticipates advances to come. It offers current research on the capacity of VR to evaluate, address, and reduce motor skill limitations and the use of VR to support motor and sensorimotor function, from the most basic to the most sophisticated skill levels. Expert scientists and clinicians explain how the brain organizes motor behavior, relate therapeutic objectives to client goals and differentiate among VR platforms in engaging the production of movement and balance. On the practical side, contributors demonstrate that VR complements existing therapies across various conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury and stroke. Included among the topics: Neuroplasticity and virtual reality. Vision and perception in virtual reality. Sensorimotor recalibration in virtual environments. Rehabilitative applications using VR for residual impairments following stroke. VR reveals mechanisms of balance and locomotor impairments. Applications of VR technologies for childhood disabilities. A resource of great immediate and future utility, Virtual Reality for Physical and Motor Rehabilitation distills a dynamic field to aid the work of neuropsychologists, rehabilitation specialists (including physical, speech, vocational and occupational therapists), and neurologists.

Medical, educational, and public health efforts have reduced the spread of many major diseases, yet cancer perseveres, in spite of continuing research and improvements in practice. Especially promising among therapeutic strategies are ones that recognise patients as individuals with thoughts, feelings--and speech. Rooted in deep understanding of the mutual relationship between behavior and cancer, Behavioural Oncology combines extensive clinical wisdom and empirical data to illuminate the psychological, social, and existential aspects of cancer, and to offer a framework for empathic, patient-centered care. Chapters delve into the psychobiology of long-term illness, examining stress, pain, fatigue, sensory and sleep disturbances, and other quality of life issues as well as considerations of age, gender, culture, and comorbidity. The book's emphasis on linguistic and communicative aspects of cancer--and practical skills from respecting patient narratives to delivering bad news--adds necessary depth to concepts of the therapeutic relationship. In this way, the authors warn about overmedicalizing cases to the point of losing patient identity. Major areas of the coverage include: Biology and behavior in cancer prevention and suppression. The psychology of cancer patients: emotions, cognition, and personality Social dimensions, including stigma, coping, and social support Language, communication, and cross-cultural issues Existential, spiritual, and end-of-life concerns Doctor-patient relationships The psychological benefits of complementary therapies Bringing new scope and substance to familiar mind/body constructs, Behavioural Oncology is a definitive reference for a spectrum of healthcare professionals, among them health and clinical psychologists, oncologists and family physicians, oncology nurses, and clinical social workers. Its discussion questions and summaries make it a suitable text for undergraduate and graduate courses in related topics.

This book provides an examination of the quantitative and qualitative factors affecting mortality in two major cities of the British Isles: London and Dublin. It covers a scale from individuals mentioned by name to aggregates of mortality data in the Bills of Mortality. Focusing on the Seventeenth Century, the book pays attention to the Great Plague of 1665, and to earlier years in which epidemics decimated populations. To the average person living in the seventeenth century, life was a series of challenges. Mortality among the young was high, and for those who survived early childhood, death in their fifties was fairly typical. Men and women might aspire to a longer life span, but even the healthiest practices were no guarantee when the overall quality of life was low. With fatal illnesses exemplified by typhoid fever on the one hand, and the arrival of yersinia pestis - plague through ports on the Mediterranean at regular intervals of several years, on the other, mortality became a foreseeable event.

Strategic Urban Health Communication Charles C. Okigbo, editor People are bombarded with messages continuously and sorting through them constantly. In this milieu, critical ideas about health promotion and illness prevention are forced to compete with distracting, conflicting, even contradictory information. To get vital messages through, communication must be effective, targeted, artful-in a word, strategic. Strategic Urban Health Communication provides a road map for understanding strategy, enhancing strategic planning skills, and implementing strategic communication campaigns. Deftly written chapters link the art and science of strategic planning to world health goals such as reducing health inequities and eradicating diseases. Flexibility is at the heart of these cases, which span developed and developing countries, uses of traditional and digital media, and chronic and acute health challenges. And the contributors ground their dispatches in the larger context of health promotion, giving readers useful examples of thinking globally while working locally. Included in the coverage: Urbanization, population, and health myths: addressing common misconceptions. Integrating HIV/family planning programs: opportunities for strategic communication. The role of sports in strategic health promotion in low-income areas. The Internet as a sex education tool: a case study from Thailand. Advertising and childhood obesity in China. Health communication strategies for sustainable development in a globalized world. Balancing depth of understanding of audiences and methods of reaching them, Strategic Urban Health Communication is a forward-looking resource geared toward professionals and researchers in urban health, global health, and health communication.

This book brings together world experts in the field of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs) who practice an integrated and holistic approach in their care for patients to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive evaluation of a range of issues associated with the biopsychosocial treatment of FGIDs. Examining topics such as neurological and biological aspects of FGIDs, common concerns faced in relation to diagnosis, and ongoing medical decisions and interventions, each chapter provides crucial practical recommendations, as well as future directions of psychosocial work in multi-team environments. Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders considers individual conditions in detail, including the current Rome IV diagnostic criteria for FGIDs required to make a positive diagnosis, the role of psychological and other biopsychosocial and biofeedback aspects of treatment, and general recommendations with regard to diet and medications. Each chapter also provides an up-to-date consolidation and evaluation of the current literature as well as practical recommendations, which can then be applied by the reader in their own interaction with FGID patients. Topics covered include: the common concerns and issues faced by individuals with FGIDs in relation to pre-and post-diagnosis, ongoing medical decisions and interventions review of current evidence-based biopsychosocial treatment practices for each FGID condition the differences and challenges associated with FGIDs across individual life stages special topics such as the relationship with eating disorders and the role of psychotropic medications modern patient centred initiatives such as patient empowerment, distance and e-therapies the future challenges facing FGID treatment. Throughout the entire book, common themes and practical recommendations are described. Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, has broad applicability across multiple spheres, including treatment, research and teaching and is accessible to those working in gastroenterology and primary care alike.

This book describes those psychological features specifically characteristic of patients with congenital heart disease, from birth to adulthood. The combination of case studies, descriptions of life experiences and psychological recommendations and collaboration with non-profit organizations in the field ensure that it will serve as an excellent day-to-day learning tool. Technological advances in cardiology and cardiac surgery have resulted in an increase in the number of adults with congenital heart disease, creating a new emergency. From when they are born, these patients and their relatives require extensive support for many reasons, including the uncertainty and restrictions in their lives, frequent hospitalizations and difficulties in the work and social spheres. Clinical Psychology and Congenital Heart Disease explains how psychology can contribute to healthcare treatment of patients with congenital heart disease and their families. Emphasis is placed on the need for a multidisciplinary approach to ensure the well-being of the patient and the clinician is provided with insights and instruments that will assist greatly in the provision of appropriate support.

This is the third volume in an annual series on health psychology the aim of which is to provide practitioners, lecturers, graduate students and researchers working in the field of health psychology and related disciplines with a stimulating and useful overview of the field. Each volume has review-type chapters covering the following areas of health psychology:

• General Concepts and Methodology
• Health Behaviour and Health Promotion
• Illness Behaviour and Health Care

Christoph Klotter widmet sich der Frage, auf welche Weise Ernährungsgewohnheiten unsere kulturelle und soziale Identität prägen und warum ausgerechnet das Thema Essen so wichtig für unser Selbstverständnis ist. Der Autor erläutert die Geschichte der Esskultur von Pythagoras und Platon bis hin zu den Ernährungsformen der modernen Avantgarde. Dabei geht er auf die Bedeutung von Essgewohnheiten innerhalb der Familie, verbreitete Essstörungen, Bewegungen wie Vegetarismus und Veganismus sowie kulturelle und ethische Fragen des Fleischkonsums ein.

Queer Entanglements provides the first comprehensive account of the intersections of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans, and non-binary people's lives with the lives of animals. Exploring diverse topics such as domestic violence, grief following the loss of an animal, veganism, cruelty-free makeup products, Pride events, and community activism, the book offers a theoretical and empirical basis for understanding the contexts that bring together human and animal lives. By using real-world examples, it provides a lively and engaging view of what it means to think about the connections between animal and human lives, even when human experiences operate at the expense of animal wellbeing. This critical, intersectional, and interdisciplinary perspective on human-animal relations will be of interest to scholars and students in human-animal studies, psychology, sociology, social work, and cultural and gender studies.

When experiencing mental health challenges, we all deserve treatments that actually work. Whether you are a healthcare consumer, student, or mental health professional, this book will help you recognize implausible, ineffective, and even harmful therapy practices while also considering recent controversies. Research-supported interventions are identified in this book and expanded upon in a companion volume. Chapters cover every major mental disorder and are written by experts in their respective fields. Pseudoscience in Therapy is of interest to students taking courses in psychotherapy, counseling, clinical psychology, and behavior therapy, as well as practitioners looking for a guide to proven therapeutic techniques.

This book provides a timely synthesis and discussion of recent developments in mindfulness research and practice within mental health and addiction domains. The book also discusses other Buddhist-derived interventions - such as loving-kindness meditation and compassion meditation - that are gaining momentum in clinical settings. It will be an essential text for researchers and mental health practitioners wishing to keep up-to-date with developments in mindfulness clinical research, as well as any professionals wishing to equip themselves with the necessary theoretical and practical tools to effectively utilize mindfulness in mental health and addiction settings.

Mattering, which is about feeling valued and adding value, is essential for health, happiness, love, work, and social well-being. We all need to feel valued by, and add value to, ourselves, others, co-workers, and community members. This book shows not only the signs, significance, and sources of mattering, but also presents the strategies to achieve mattering in our personal and professional lives. It uses research-based methods of change to help people achieve a higher sense of purpose and a deeper sense of meaning. Each chapter gives therapists, managers, teachers, parents, and healthcare professionals the tools needed to optimize personal and collective well-being and productivity. The volume explains how promoting mattering within communities fosters wellness and fairness in equal measure. By using the new science of feeling valued and adding value, the authors provide a guide to promoting happier lives and healthier societies.

Whether caused by illness, accident, or incident, brain injury requires multi-tiered resources for the patient and considerable external care and support. When recovery is sidelined by depression, anger, grief, or turmoil, family members and the support network have critical roles to play and need their own guidance and compassionate therapeutic interventions. Psychotherapy for Families after Brain Injury offers theoretical frameworks and eclectic techniques for working effectively with adult patients and their families at the initial, active and post-treatment phases of rehabilitation. This practical reference clarifies roles and relationships of the support network in interfacing with the loved one and addresses the understandably devastating and sometimes derailing emotions and psychosocial adversities. The content promotes psychoeducation and guided exercises, delineates "helpful hints" and coping tools and proffers multimedia resources to overcome hurdles. Constructs of awareness, acceptance and realism for all parties are woven throughout, along with ideas to enhance the support network's commitment, adjustment, positivity, hope and longevity. Case excerpts, instructive quotes from caregivers and nuggets of clinical advice assist in analyzing these and other topics in salient detail: The impact of brain injury on different family members. Treatment themes in early family sessions. Family therapy for moderate to severe brain injury, concussion and postconcussion syndrome. Family therapy after organic brain injury: stroke, anoxia, tumor, seizure disorders. Family group treatment during active rehabilitation. End-of-life and existential considerations and positive aspects of care giving. Aftercare group therapy for long-term needs. The hands-on approach demonstrated in Psychotherapy for Families after Brain Injury will enhance the demanding work of a range of professionals, including neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, rehabilitation psychologists, family therapists, marriage and family counselors, psychiatrists, behavioral/mental health counselors, clinical social workers, rehabilitation specialists such as speech-language pathologists, physical and occupational therapists, and graduate students in the helping professions.

For decades, community-centered social services have been promoted as an admirable ideal. Yet the concept of decentralized services delivered where people live has proved to be an elusive ideal as well, with the promise of empowerment often giving way to disinterest and apathy. Community-Based Interventions examines the reasons community programs tend to founder and proposes a realistic framework for sustained success. The book's theoretical, philosophical and political foundations begin with the importance of context, as in local knowledge and community self-definition and engagement. Innovative, often startling, approaches to planning, design and implementation begin with the recognition that communities are not "targets" or "locations" to be "fixed," but social realities whose issues require concrete answers. The variety of examples described in these chapters demonstrate the power of community interventions in providing effective services, reducing inequities and giving individuals greater control over their health, their environment and in the long run, their lives. Included in the coverage: Redefining community: the social dimensions. A new epidemiology to inform community work. The role of research in designing community interventions. The conceptual flow of a community-based project. Building autonomy through leadership from below. Relating social interventions to social justice. Attuned to the current era of health and mental health reform, Community-Based Interventions represents a major step forward in its field and makes an inspiring text for social workers, clinical social workers, public health administrators and community activists.

A lifestyle medicine expert reveals his secrets for future-proofing your health and preventing illness.

​Starting with the experience of his own illness, Dr Ayan Panja, NHS GP and lifestyle medicine expert, brings a unique personalized framework to tailor targeted lifestyle-based interventions to you, with his groundbreaking new book Health Fix.

Unlike many approaches to health and wellbeing, Health Fix focuses on the ‘why’ rather than just the ‘what’ with a toolkit:

• Learn how to elegantly tighten up on the 8 factors which affect your health the most day-to-day
• Improve your ability to control your habits
• Understand the interplay between your symptoms and your biology
• Experience the subtle power of ‘how, what and when’
• Generate your own targeted lifestyle prescription
• Apply the ‘fixes’ that are relevant to you only
• Feel the difference within 8 weeks

The unique Health Fix toolkit will help you change your health for the good by understanding the story of YOU.

Concepts like Health and Well-being are not exclusive products of the Western culture. Research has widely demonstrated that the representation of the body and of its pathologies, as well as treatment and healing practices vary across cultures in relation to social norms and beliefs.The culture of India is a melting pot of nine main Darshanas, or philosophical systems, that share the common core of a realization of the self in society. India's traditional health system, Ayurveda, is a result of the practical application of the Darshanas to the observation of human nature and behavior. Ayurveda conceptualizes health, disease and well-being as multidimensional aspects of life, and it seeks to preserve a balance in individuals among their biological features, their psychological features and their environmental demands. The Ayurveda approach to health is remarkably similar to the eudaimonic conceptualization of well-being proposed by positive psychology, and the basic tenets of Ayurveda are deeply consistent with the latest developments of modern physics, which stresses the substantial interconnectedness among natural phenomena and their substrates. This text shows how the approach to health developed in Ayurveda can be fruitfully integrated in a general view of health and well-being that encompasses cultural and ideological boundaries. Specifically, it details the conceptualization of health as an optimal and mindful interaction between individuals and their environment.

This book, with contributions emanating from the 21st World Congress of Psychosomatic Medicine held in Seoul in August 2011, presents the latest evidence-based information about the mechanisms, assessment, and management of psychosomatic disorders from a biopsychosociocultural perspective. Somatization is a process characterized by excessive or inappropriate focus on physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. It is highly prevalent in primary care medicine, as somatoform (psychosomatic) disorders tend to be chronic and can cause significant personal suffering and social problems as well as financial burden.

Providing detailed information on structural HIV prevention interventions, this book is intended for health care practitioners and researchers to plan, implement, and evaluate such interventions in their own communities. As defined by the CDC, structural interventions focus on the physical, social, cultural, political, economic, legal, and/or policy aspects of the environment. Designed to reach a large number of individuals, structural interventions usually occur across entire communities, cities, or countries. As a result, the resources required to initiate structural interventions can far exceed those required for smaller-scale behavioral programs. However, changes from structural interventions have the potential to last over time, even after the programs have ended, resulting in effective use of public and private prevention resources. Because the reach of structural interventions is typically larger than that of individual- or group-focused interventions (for example, the 100% Condom Use Program, which was implemented countrywide in Thailand), their influence may be equally-if not more-significant.This book is a resource for health practitioners, educators, and researchers who seek HIV/AIDS structural prevention programs that have been shown to be effective in their regions or for their target populations (e.g. injection drug users, commercial sex workers, or the general public). With extensive case studies, the book classifies interventions according to the desired outcomes (specific behavior or policy changes) so that the reader may focus on examples of programs with similar goals and target populations to their own. Addresses the quintessential public health ethical dilemma regarding which types of environmental changes should be mandatory via legislation and which should be voluntary, promoted via programmatic, practice, and policy change.

This book highlights (1) the significance of reciprocity for the maintenance of self-esteem in old age and (2) the negative implications for the well-being of dependent older people when that significance goes unrecognized and, as a consequence, opportunities to give back to society, as well as take from it, are not facilitated by those in a position to do so. The discussion draws on research undertaken in the UK and Southern India into the extent to which having the self-perception of being valued in the world is important to older people in receipt of care support and whether, in their experience, this is recognized by others. The author presents an analysis of theoretical insights from leading thinkers across a broad range of literature and from several disciplines, including social theory, social work, philosophy, and gerontology. The author also gives voice to the perspectives of those dependent older people not often heard because of marginalizing and disempowering processes that contribute to their having little opportunity to be heard in the first place. The emphasis of this book is on aspiration to a meaningful life and continuing personal growth as offering a challenge to dominant discourses the equate old age with decline.

The field of public health is primarily concerned with understanding and improving physical health from a large group perspective (i.e., communities and whole populations). The field of social neuroscience, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with examining brain-behavior relationships that unfold in a social context. Both of these are rapidly developing fields of inquiry, and their boundaries have only recently begun to overlap. This book discusses collaborative research findings at the intersection of social neuroscience and public health that promise to fundamentally change the way scientists, public health practitioners, and the general public view physical health within the larger social context. Eighteen chapters are organized under the following major sections: cognition and health outcomes; neuroscientific aspects of health communication; health behavior and the neurobiology of self-regulation; neurobiological processes in health decision making; ecological and social context; neuroscience methods; and future directions.

More people were killed by smallpox during the twentieth century-over 300 million-than by all of the wars of that period combined. In 1918 and 1919, influenza virus claimed over 50 million lives. A century later, influenza is poised to return, ongoing plagues of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis infect millions, and Ebola, Zika, and West Nile viruses cause new concern and panic. The overlapping histories of humans and viruses are ancient. Earliest cities became both the cradle of civilization and breeding grounds for the first viral epidemics. This overlap is the focus of virologist/immunologist Michael Oldstone in Viruses, Plagues and History. Oldstone explains principles of viruses and epidemics while recounting stories of viruses and their impact on human history. This fully updated second edition includes engrossing new chapters on hepatitis, Zika, and contemporary threats such as the possible return of a catastrophic influenza, and the impact of fear of autism on vaccination efforts. This is a fascinating panorama of humankind's longstanding conflict with unseen viral enemies, both human successes-such as control of poliomyelitis, measles, smallpox and yellow fever, and continued dangers-such as HIV and Ebola. Impeccably researched and accessibly written, Viruses, Plagues and History will fascinate all with an interest in how viral illnesses alter the course of human history.

This book, designed for professionals, introduces a psychobiological model for understanding the paths that lead people to illness and provides recommendations for alterations of maladaptive pathways so that health is regained. Research findings are incorporated to identify causal variables for illness that can be targets for change. Evidence based recommendations for healthy behaviors and therapies are described. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize recognition of turning points on the path to illness that, through informed decision making and implementation of behavioral change, can be re-directed to pathways to health. This book presents case material to illustrate the directions that lead people to illness or to health. The pathways metaphor provides an organizing force, both in addressing variables contributing to illness onset, and in identifying interventions to restore health. This approach will guide the clinician to understanding how people become ill and the types of interventions that are appropriate for stress related illnesses. The clinician will also become better informed about ways to help clients make better decisions, mobilize clients' survival skills, and implement an interactive model of care. The book includes chapters on stress-related illnesses with high prevalence in today's society. For each illness, the genetic-psychobiological etiology is explored with enough detail so that the clinician understands the best method of patient assessment and treatment. One of the strengths of the book is the step-wise system of interventions that are applied to the stress-related illnesses. Beginning with re-establishment of normal daily psychobiological rhythms and continuing to evidence based state of the art interventions, the professional is presented with detailed intervention plans. For example, the section on "Applications to common illnesses: metabolic disorders of behavior: diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia" considers the confluence of genetics, behavior, and maladaptive mind body interactions to produce the metabolic syndrome. Then the personal and professional assessments are described to establish the baseline for recommending treatment while fully engaging the patient. Finally, multilevel interventions are formulated for these disorders. The plan begins with clinician guided self care recommendations to re-establish the normal rhythm of appetite and satiety. The next level of interventions consists of skill building techniques, such as relaxation and imagery. Lastly, psychotherapy and advanced applied psychophysiological interventions are detailed. Case examples are used throughout to illustrate the pathways to illness, the turning points, and the pathways to health. From the patients' viewpoints, the pathways metaphor is a motivator. The patient is guided to understand the paths that led to illness. Subsequently, the patient becomes empowered by the pathways framework to begin to make choices that lead to health.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of research on the early origins of adult health. A growing body of evidence documents that maternal health before conception, prenatal and perinatal exposures, and conditions in childhood play critical roles in health over the life course. Scientific understanding of the multiple and interacting influences on child health and their role in later health continues to evolve rapidly, but greater attention to how families shape the conditions of early life that underlie childhood health is needed. This volume aims to advance understanding of this topic, with attention to mechanisms through which health disparities emerge and are sustained across the lifespan.

This volume brings together two parallel fields of interest. One is the understanding among psychologists and other social scientists of the limits to psychometric measurement, and the challenges in generating information about quality of life and wellbeing that enable comparison across time and place, at both individual and population levels. The second is the interest among anthropologists and others in the lived experience of chronic illness and disability, including the unpredictable fluctuations in perceived health and capability. Chronic conditions and physical impairments are assumed to impact negatively on people's quality of life, affecting them psychologically, socially and economically. While some of these conditions have declined in prevalence, as a result of prenatal diagnosis, early successful interventions, and changes in medical technology and surgery, many of these conditions are on the increase as a consequence of improved life-saving medication and technology, and greater longevity. 'Quality of life' is often used as an indicator for successful and high quality health services, and good access to medical attention and surgery - for hip replacements or laser surgery to improve vision, for instance. But it is also used as an argument against interventions, when such interventions are seen to prolong life for its own sake. Yet we also know that people vary their idea of quality as a result of the context of fluctuations in their own health status, the presence or absence of pain or discomfort, and as a result of variations in social and economic contextual factors. In exploring these questions, this volume contributes to emerging debates related to individual health outcomes, but also to the social and other individual determinants that influence everyday life. Understanding these broader contextual factors will contribute to our knowledge of the kinds of services, support systems, and infrastructure that provide people with good 'quality of life' and a sense of wellbeing, regardless of their physical health, capability and functioning. The volume includes scholars from all continents who have been encouraged to think critically, and to engage with the descriptive, methodological, social, policy and clinical implications of their work.

Explorees the cultural origins and psychological aspects of body identity disorders. Discusses the influence of contemporary virtual and cyberspace imagery on self-image. Draws on author's professional experience largely dedicated to exploring disorders wherein body identity is the chosen field for communication and exchange. Re-examines such illnesses as anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder, and others