Insomnia is a sleep disorder which effects people worldwide. This text provides those with sleep problems or chronic insomnia an overview of research on the causes of sleep loss and the physical effects of insomnia, as well as possible treatments. Disorders are summarized and illustrated with real-life stories about sleep experiences and remedies. This is a concise guide to help readers improve their sleep habits and lives.

When childbirth moved from women's homes into hospitals, women lost more than they had bargained for. As the event became increasingly male-dominated and medically oriented, women's control of the experience all but vanished. Worse, recent clinical trials have demonstrated that most modern interventions and technological practices have not improved delivery outcomes and are not necessary in normal labor and birth. From pre-classical to present times, this work describes childbirth practices as they have developed through the ages. The author describes and critiques the evolution of modern midwifery and obstetrics, focusing especially on how, why, and when the process of childbirth became an increasingly sterile, male-dominated, and medically oriented event. Each chapter focuses on a different period, from the age of the female midwife (who oversaw the childbirth process for several centuries), through the origins of modern obstetrics and gynecology, and finally, to the increasing influence of technology in the practices that have prevailed for most of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

A nostalgic look back at "school days" for a student nurse.