Article Abstract:
Control programs for tuberculosis (TB) in the U.S. have been affected by politics for 20 years, eventually becoming ineffective. New TB cases began to rise about 10 years after Congress replaced TB program funding with discretionary block grants to the states. Although HIV infection was a significant factor in the resurgence of TB around 1984, dismantled public health services also were responsible. TB can be eliminated by having patients follow a multidrug therapy, providing patient education and follow up, and preventing drug resistant TB. New U.S. funding for TB has promoted a 9% decrease in cases since 1993. Isoniazid chemotheraprolaxis used in industrialized countries is helpful in preventing infection from developing into active disease. Delivery of TB medication poses a problem in developing countries because of the difficulty in getting to a clinic.
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Article Abstract:
Many physicians believe that nocebos can make you sick. Nocebos are essentially negative beliefs people have that make them susceptible to the power of suggestion. Scientists have estimated that 80% of the population is susceptible to suggestion. Some researchers have found that positive beliefs have led to better survival rates in breast cancer patients. The Framingham Heart Study has found that women who thought they might have a heart attack were 3.7 times more likely to die from heart disease. The idea that belief systems could have a negative effect on health is supported by animal studies showing that an area of the brain can cause severe heart arrhythmias when stimulated.
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Article Abstract:
The National Committee for Quality Assurance has recognized the growing field of behavioral health care and so released national accreditation standards for managed care programs linking psychiatry and primary care in Jan 1997. The standards attempt to make the organizations accountable, increase treatment effectiveness through prevention and early diagnosis, and provide a way to assess quality. Managed behavioral care programs should review their own practices before applying for the accreditation and many are likely to receive a one-year provisional accreditation.
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