Therapeutic Placebo Effect:A Mind/Body Connection :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Therapeutic Placebo Effect:A Mind/Body Connection Imagine you go to your doctor for chronic back pain and she tells you that she's going to give you a drug, yet she's not sure of its effectiveness because only approximately 40% of her patients have found it to be beneficial. How sure will you be that the outcome of this treatment will be positive? However, what if your doctor tells you she is giving you the newest, most beneficial drug treatment on the market and that she is very sure of how helpful it will be? Imagine the difference just a simple positive statement from your doctor will make when you take the pill every day. Not only will you be trusting of your treatment, but that trust will lead you to be confident (Endnote 1) that you will feel better - and in most cases, you will. This is an example of the placebo effect - a self-made natural healing response of the body. No matter the fact that in both instances your doctor is giving you the same medication, her belief and yours in the treatment will most likely result in more positive effects. Many people argue that alternative methods of healing (such as hypnosis, therapeutic touch, homeopathic remedies, etc) are basically a placebo effect taking place. Yet, doesn't this fact prove the power of our minds both in health and in issues of pain management? Most modern scientists tend to separate the mind from the body, at least implicitly, suggesting the "mind" is simply a construct with little meaning. The one-cause, one- cure philosophy of science today often disregards the role of the mind in health and healing. Yet many of us even daily acknowledge the power of the mind when we say "oh, you're not sick- it's all in your mind". The placebo effect is not totally understood, yet this fact should not lead anyon e to believe that its effects should be discounted. The placebo effect has been documented to be very powerful. A placebo is a medicine or other kind of treatment that seems therapeutic, but in reality is inert and pharmacological inactive (2). The placebo effect is "a change in a patient's illness attributable to the symbolic import of a treatment rather than a specific pharmacologic or physiologic property" (3). Note that a placebo is not even necessary to result in a placebo effect.

Struggles Within the Middle East: United States Supplying Israel During

In October of 1973, a war between the Arabic states of Egypt and Syria and the state of Israel broke out known as the Yom Kippur War. Being vastly overwhelmed by the Arabic states in terms of sheer volume of troops and equipment, Israel turned toward its ally in the West, the United States. With profound diplomatic pressure from multiple Arabic states, the United States found itself in an increasingly difficult position. In an effort to create the best outcome for America in both the Middle East and the global theatre, the United States made the decision, knowing full well the possible consequences, to help supply Israel during the Yom Kippur War. On October 6th, 1973, during the Jewish holy day of atonement, Yom Kippur, a surprise attack transpired, catching Israel off-guard and potentially putting over sovereign nations in a precarious position pertaining to Middle Eastern foreign affairs. The governments of Egypt and Syria, knowing that Yom Kippur was the holiest Jewish day of prayer and fasting that the Jewish military actively participated in, knew that they would be able to catch the well-defended Israeli positions off-guard. By combining their military might, the Egyptian army created a combined force that totaled the forces of NATO in Western Europe, creating a potential security threat to first world nations. In Golan Heights, the Syrian tank force outmatched Israeli by nine to one, and in the Suez region the Egyptian forces outnumber the Israeli by a ratio of one-hundred and sixty to one. Both sides, willing to commit both their men and equipment, were willing to sacrifice in order to gain their necessary victory. W illing to sacrifice their equipment, all sides in the war were looking outward toward other nations in or... ...rael during the war. With a fear that failure to maintain the balance of power in the Middle East, while trying to drive Soviet influence out, could upset America’s interests and security in the Global theatre, United States officials made the decision that supplying Israel during the Yom Kippur War was in America’s best interest the long term. Works Cited U.S. State Department. Middle East Task Force. Situation Report #18. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1981. U.S. State Department. Middle East Task Force. Situation Report #22. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1981. U.S. State Department. Middle East Task Force. The Middle East Conflict and U.S. Oil Interests. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1981. The White House. Memorandum of Conversation, October 9, 1973. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1981.

About the Writer Willy Russell :: Willy Russell Playwright biographies Essays

About the Writer Willy Russell William Russell was born in Whiston - just outside Liverpool, in 1947. At primary school he enjoyed reading, football and gardening, these were the only subjects he likes, but at secondary school he was consigned to the factory fodder D stream. It was in this surprising environment that he conceived the idea of being a writer. His only experience of factory work caused him to fail to obtain a printing apprenticeship, so his mother suggested he trained to be a women's hairdresser. He trained and worked as a women's hairdresser for five years, eventually running his own salon. After this he was seeking a career that would give him a greater opportunity and understanding of being a writer. He decided to become a student, having now passed O level English at night classes. No local education authority would give him a bursary, so he spent some time girder cleaning at Fords in order to fund his college O & A level studies. He only did this long enough so that he could afford the course; he spent no time extra doing this job as climbing up on dirty, oily girders was a very dangerous job which many of his colleagues were injured on. You can see in the play that Russell is commenting on society as Russell is almost like Rita, she lives near Liverpool with little education and works in a hairdresser, trying to get the opportunity to have choice by getting an education. During the play, Russell shows that the class system is a part of modern society and Rita wants to change classes, from working to middle, but has little education. She wants Equal opportunities in that the way that women are expected to have babies and stay at home all day, but in his play Rita breaks away from everyone else and gets an education and he shows in the play, how hard it really is to get an education and all the troubles that someone of a lower class has to go through to achieve there goals. I think that Russell wrote this play because he had a hard time in his own life, and he wanted to express to other people that you need to have a choice or you will begin to experience a feeling of being trapped in society. I think that Russell used humour in his play because it would make the audience watching the play understand the issues brought up. I think the play runs better as a comedy, with the humour aspects of the play rather than a more serious drama.

Models of Organized Crime Executive Summary Essay

The difference between the patron-client and bureaucratic model is based on who is appointed the leader. The organization is based on trust and loyalty similar to the family. The main role as a patron-client is to show leadership by providing financial assistance and safety for the client. The client returns the favor by acting out different duties coming from the patron. The patron-client has the advantage because they are the sole providers for all communication for the client. Income is providing from executing from murders, thefts, frauds and drug trafficking. The patron client dominates a particular location for his organization. The group is also connected with police officers who are specialized in criminal operatives. The bureaucratic model is more focus on setting goals. Bureaucratic have a higher clientele but are selective with who is inducted into their group. All orders come from the boss in order to execute the next chain of events. The most important operation in the business is hierarchy. In order for the plan to be successful, all members must fully understand their role. This process is crucial for the structure to the organization and the members. The members must be able to carry out the task. If a step was missed by a member, they will eliminate from the project. The organization cannot afford for their hard work to be flush down the drain because an associate could not be trusted. Weber’s and Taylor’s models of the bureaucratic theory are most effective when used for larger events. Once a plan is started the bureaucratic should be introduced in order to control all lines of communication and any rules that were initially set. The patron-client is more decentralized and does not require control over unit members. Parton-clients are more favorable in social networks because there not fully involved with the plan. Bureaucratic model are vulnerable to cops  because upper management is stricter. The patron-client provides information for the job. For instance, the investigator will provide the client information so the whereabouts will not be an issue making the job easier to perform. In conclusion, each model has its expression of criminal cooperation with different socioeconomic conditions and law enforcement strategies to avoid media attention. Crime groups are broken down into different characteristics. Members of organized crime groups normally attack public officials and law enforcement agents. . Understanding organized crime is important because it gives the government the ability to know how they work so can be bought to a stop. References Connor, O. (2012). Organized Crime Investigation. Retrieved from http:// http://www.drtomoconnor.com/3220lect07a.htm/ Mallory, S. (2007). Understanding Organized Crime. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers

Foundation by Isaac Asimov Essay

Foundation is the first novel in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). Foundation is a collection of five short stories, which were first published together as a book by Gnome Press in 1951 which, together, form a single plot. Foundation saw multiple publications—it also appeared in 1955 as part of Ace Double D-110 under the title â€Å"The 1,000-Year Plan†. Four of the stories were originally published inAstounding Magazine (with different titles) between 1942 and 1944, and the fifth was added when they first appeared in book form. A further two books of short stories were published shortly after, and decades later, Asimov wrote two further sequel novels and two prequels. Later writers have added authorized tales to the series. The Foundation Series is often regarded as one of Isaac Asimov’s best works, along with his Robot series. Plot summary Foundation tells the story of a group of scientists who seek to preserve knowledge as the civilizations around them begin to regress. The Psychohistorians (0 F.E.) (First published as the book edition in 1951) Set in the year 0 F.E., The Psychohistorians opens on Trantor, the capital of the 12,000-year-old Galactic Empire. Though the empire appears stable and powerful, it is slowly decaying in ways that parallel the decline of the Western Roman Empire. Hari Seldon, a mathematician and psychologist, has developed psychohistory, a new field of science and psychology that equates all possibilities in large societies to mathematics, allowing for the prediction of future events. Using psychohistory, Seldon has discovered the declining nature of the Empire, angering the aristocratic members of the Committee of Public Safety, the de facto rulers of the Empire. The Committee considers Seldon’s views and statements treasonous, and he is arrested along with young mathematician Gaal Dornick, who has arrived on Trantor to meet Seldon. Seldon is tried by the Committee and defends his beliefs, explaining his theories and predictions, including his belief that the Empire will collapse in 500 years and enter a 30,000-year dark age, to the Committee’s members. He informs the Committee that an alternative to this future is attainable, and explains to them that creating a compendium of all human knowledge, the Encyclopedia Galactica, would not avert the inevitable fall of the Empire but would reduce the dark age to one millennium. The skeptical Committee, not wanting to make Seldon a martyr, offers him exile to a remote world, Terminus, with others who could help him create the Encyclopedia. He accepts their offer, prepares for the departure of the â€Å"Encyclopedists† and receives an imperial decree officially acknowledging his actions. The Encyclopedists (50 F.E.) (published May 1942 as â€Å"Foundation†) Set in 50 F.E., The Encyclopedists begins on Terminus, which has no mineral resources but one region suitable for the development of large city, named Terminus City. The colony of professionals, devoted to the creation of the Encyclopedia, is managed by the Board of Trustees of the Encyclopedia Galactica Foundation, composed solely of scientists. The affairs of Terminus City itself are handled by the city’s mayor, Salvor Hardin, who is virtually powerless due to the influence of the Board of Trustees. However, Hardin does not accept the status quo, which he believes puts Terminus in danger of political exploitation by the neighboring prefects of the Empire, which have declared independence and severed contact with Trantor. Hardin, recognizing the imminent downfall of imperial power due to the loss of the Empire’s outermost region, decides that the only way to ensure Terminus’s continued survival is to pit the four neighboring â€Å"kingdoms† against one an other. Hardin manages to avoid an attempt by the Kingdom of Anacreon to establish military bases on Terminus and to take advantage of nuclear power, which Terminus retains but which the Four Kingdoms do not. Hardin succeeds in diverting Anacreon from its initial goal and furthers his goal of the establishment of a stable political system on Terminus. Hardin’s efforts, however, are still resisted by the Board of Trustees and its chairman, Dr. Louis Pirenne. To remove this obstacle, Hardin and his chief advisor, Yohan Lee, plan a coup d’etat designed to remove the Board of Trustees from its politically powerful position on the same day that, in the city’s Time Vault, a holographic recording of Hari Seldon is programmed to play. The recording will contain psychohistoric proof of Hardin’s success or failure; Hardin realizes that his coup is a great gamble due to the possible case that his beliefs are incompatible with Seldon’s original goals. The next day in the Time Vault the holographic video of Hari Seldon appears. He is in his wheelchair and his voice is old and soft. He reveals that the Encyclopedia Galactica is a distraction intended to make the colony’s creation possible. The true purpose of the Foundation is to form one nucleus of a Second Galactic Empire and shorten the predicted period of chaos to a mere thousand years, rather than thirty thousand years. After the video ends, the Board of Trustees admits they were wrong to Hardin and schedule a meeting to discuss their next action. Hardin smiles, knowing they would be giving orders no longer. Out there in Terminus City Yohan Lee’s men were already in control. In two days time Anacreon would be landing in force, but that was fine, in six months they would be giving orders no longer as well. Salvor Hardin had guessed the solution, and as Hari Seldon said, it was obvious. The Mayors (80 F.E.) (published June 1942 as â€Å"Bridle and Saddle†) Set in 80 F.E., three decades after the events of The Encyclopedists, The Mayors is set in a time where the Encyclopedia Foundation’s scientific understanding has given it significant leverage over the Four Kingdoms, though it is still isolated from the Galactic Empire. Exercising its control over the region through an artificial religion, Scientism, the Foundation shares its technology with the Four Kingdoms while referring to it as religious truth. Maintenance technicians comprise Scientism’s priesthood, trained on Terminus. A majority of the priests themselves are unaware of the true importance of their â€Å"religion†, referring to advanced technology as â€Å"holy food†. The religion is not suppressed by the secular elite of the Four Kingdoms, reminscient of Western European rulers of the early medieval period, who use it to consolidate their power over the zealous populaces. Salvor Hardin, as Mayor of Terminus City, is the effective ruler of the Foun dation, and has been reelected as mayor continuously since his political victory over the Encyclopedia Galactica Board of Trustees. However, his influence is suddenly checked by a new political movement led by city councillor Sef Sermak, which encourages direct action against the Four Kingdoms and a cessation of the scientific proselytizing encouraged by Hardin’s administration. The movement, whose followers refer to themselves as Actionists, is wildly popular, and Hardin is unable to appease Sermak and the Actionist leadership. The kingdom that is most concerning to the Actionists is that of Anacreon, ruled by Prince Regent Wienis and his nephew, the teenaged King Lepold I. Wienis plans to overthrow the Foundation’s power by launching a direct military assault against Terminus, making use of an abandoned Imperial space cruiser redesigned by Foundation experts to fit the needs of the elite Anacreonian navy. However, Hardin orders several secret technological devices to be incorporated into the ship’s design prior to its completion. Wienis plans to launch his offensive on the night of his nephew’s coronation as king and sole ruler of Anacreon. Hardin attends the coronation ceremony and is arrested, but has arranged with Anacreonian High Priest Poly Verisof, who is aware of the true nature of Scientism, to foster a popular uprising against Wienis. Convincing the Anacreonian populace that an assault against the Foundation and Terminus is blasphemous, Verisof leads an infuriated mob to the royal palace and surrounds it, demanding Hardin’s release. Meanwhile, the crew of the space cruiser mutinies against its commander, Admiral Prince Lefkin, Wienis’s son. Lefkin confronts the mutineers and, captured, is forced to broadcast a message to Anacreon demanding Wienis’s arrest and threatening a bombardment of the royal palace if that and other demands are not met . Wienis, maddened by his failure, orders Hardin’s execution, but his royal guardsmen refuse to obey him. Attempting and failing, due to a protective energy field, to kill Hardin personally, Wienis commits suicide. Hardin is proven correct again upon his return to Terminus City by another Seldon recording, set to play at this date. Though Actionists continue to hold a significant amount of power, an attempt to impeach the mayor fails and his popularity is renewed among the city’s residents. It is also confirmed by Hari Seldon that the Foundation’s immediate neighbors, the Four Kingdoms, will now be virtually powerless and incapable of resisting Scientism’s advance. The Traders (About 135 F.E.) (published October 1944 as â€Å"The Wedge†) The events of The Traders are set around 135 F.E., at a time during which the Foundation has expanded greatly and has sent out officially sanctioned Traders to exchange technology with neighboring planets for what amounts to greater political and economic power. Master Trader Eskel Gorov, also an agent of the Foundation government, has traveled to the worlds of Askone, where he hopes to trade nucleics. Gorov, however, is met with resistance by Askone’s governing Elders due to traditional taboos that effectively ban advanced technology. Gorov is imprisoned and sentenced to death; the Elders refuse Foundation requests for clemency. Trader Linmar Ponyets is ordered by the Foundation to try and negotiate with the Elders, and travels to the central Askonian planet. Ponyets meets with the Elders’ Grand Master and deduces that, though he is determined to have Gorov executed, he may be willing to exchange the captive for a suitable bribe, which Ponyets realizes would be a sum o f gold. Ponyets clumsily fashions a transmuter that will convert iron into gold. The Grand Master informs Ponyets that others who have attempted this have failed and have been punished with execution for both their attempt and for their failure; Ponyets succeeds and convinces the Grand Master that the gold is appropriate for Askonian religious decoration, which pleases the Elders. Councilor Pherl, the Grand Master’s protà ©gà ©, appears to be wary of Ponyets. Meeting with the Councilor, Ponyets discovers that Pherl is instead quite willing to work with him, if only due to the chances of eventually attaining the Grand Mastership himself. Pherl, from a different ethnic background than traditional Grand Masters and a young man, believes that a stable supply of gold will be able to dramatically increase his power, and Ponyets provides him with the transmuter. It appears that the friendly Pherl will ascend to the Grand Mastership, while Gorov is released quickly. Ponyets discusses his success with Gorov, who criticizes his techniques due to what he perceives as Ponyets’s lack of morality. Ponyets replies by reminding Gorov of an alleged statement made by Salvor Hardin: â€Å"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right!† The Merchant Princes (About 155 F.E.) (published August 1944 as â€Å"The Big and the Little†) Set around 155 F.E., The Merchant Princes takes places against the backdrop of a powerful Foundation, which has subjugated the neighboring Four Kingdoms and expanded its commercial and technological empire throughout numerous stellar systems. However, it continues to meet resistance, and three Foundation vessels have vanished near the planets of the Republic of Korell, a nation suspected of independent technological development. Master Trader Hober Mallow is assigned to deal with Korell and also to investigate their technological developments and find the missing ships. Those who have assigned this mission to Mallow, Foreign Secretary Publius Manlio and the Mayor’s secretary, Jorane Sutt, believe that a â€Å"Seldon Crisis† is underway; they fear that domestic tensions caused by the great autonomy given to Traders and shaky foreign relations may give rise to a nuclear conflict involving the Foundation. Sutt and Manlio, believing that they can weaken the Traders by staging an embarrassing diplomatic incident, plant an agent aboard Mallow’s ship. The agent, a respected Trader, invites a Foundation missionary onto the ship once it reaches Korell. Such missionaries are forbidden to enter Korell, and an angry mob immediately surrounds the ship, demanding the missionary. This rapid response in a remote location arouses Mallow’s suspicions, and Mallow gives the missionary to the mob, despite the frantic intervention of the agent. Later, Mallow meets with Korell’s authoritarian ruler, Commdor Asper Argo, who appears friendly and welcomes Foundation technological gifts. Argo refuses to allow Scientism on Korell, and Mallow agrees not to encourage missionary work in the Republic. Mallow is invited to tour a steel foundry belonging to Korell’s government, where he notes guards carrying atomic handguns. He is surprised to discover that these weapons bear the markings of the Galactic Empire, which the Foundation assumes has fallen by this time. Mallow’s discoveries lead him to believe that the Empire may be attempting to expand into the Periphery again, and has been providing weapons to client states such as Korell. Leaving the Republic and his ship, he journeys alone to the planet Siwenna, which he believes may be the capital of an Imperial province. He finds Siwenna a desolate and sad place, and meets the impoverished patrician Onum Barr in the latter’s isolated mansion, which is slowly crumbling. Barr, a former provincial senator and a leading citizen, had served in the Imperial government on Siwenna during a fairly stable time several decades earlier, before a series of corrupt and ambitious viceroys who each harbored dreams of becoming Emperor. After the previous viceroy rebelled against the Emperor, Barr participated in a revolution that overthrew the viceroy. However, the Imperial fleet also sent to remove the viceroy wanted to conquer a rebellious province even if it was no longer in rebellion, and began a massacre that claimed the lives of all but one of Barr’s children. Mallow is tried for murder upon his return to Terminus, due to turning over the Foundation missionary to the mob. However, he is able to convince the court that the â€Å"missionary† was in fact a Korellian secret policeman who played a part in the conspiracy against the Traders manufactured by Sutt and Manlio. Acquitted, Mallow is received with delight by the population of Terminus, which will almost undoubtedly select him as Mayor in the elections scheduled to take place in the following year. To prepare for the election, Mallow engineers the arrest of Sutt and Manlio, and eventually takes office. However, he is soon faced with tensions between the Foundation and Korell, which declares war on the Foundation, using its powerful Imperial flotilla to attack Foundation ships. Instead of counterattacking, Mallow takes no action, waiting until the lack of Foundation goods forces Korell to surrender.

Ethical Actions Essay

Was there anything in either the University Of Phoenix Student Code Of Conduct or the Student Code of Academic Integrity that surprised you? If so, what was it? Why were you surprised? If not, why not? There was nothing that surprised me about the University Of Phoenix Student Code Of Conduct or the Student Code of Academic Integrity. I feel that it is important to have rules and regulations that are enforced to keep the faculty staff and students safe and also provide us with a safe environment to learn. By insuring that these rules are enforced and imposing strict penalties for those that do not comply with these rules the University of Phoenix sets an example of fairness and equality. What did you learn about the behaviors considered important for an ethical learner or student in the University of Phoenix learning community? I learned that the behaviors considered important for an ethical learner or student in the University of Phoenix learning community is that being honest truly is the best policy; being truthful within ourselves and with each other is an important ethical mission; that a disruptive learning environment can make people uncomfortable and hinder our academics. Our different cultures and individualities should not become a factor in how we treat and/or respect each other. Rules are put in place at the University to assure us that we are able to fully become involved in the learning process. Being open-minded and listening to what others have to say is also an important aspect of respect. I learned that the ethical learners behavior deals with us being honest and as well as our character and how we present it to the world. Our behavior as an ethical learner also deals with our values and actions that we show every day.

Web Conferencing Programs

Corporate Memos Dawn Cramer Technical Writing Fundamentals January 14, 2013 Nancy Delain MEMORANDUM Date: January 14, 2013 To: Manager From: Dawn Cramer Subject: Web Conferencing Programs Earlier you asked me to research web conferencing programs in order to hold weekly status meetings. I have found several programs that will work but based on my findings I believe that the best choice would be Infinite Conferencing. The following points summarizes why I chose this program. 1. The number of participants that can be accommodated is 1,000.The ability to transfer files and record the meetings. No required installation to take up memory as well as specific application control and user authentication. 2. The cost is very low and there is remote and IT support as well as Email and instant chat support. There are two types of manuals available either an online manual or a PDF manual. | Infinite Conferencing| InterCall| ClickMeeting| Ready Talk| Adobe Connect Pro| Monthly Price| $35. 00| $42 . 00| $10. 00| $49. 00| $55. 00| No Required Installation | yes| no| yes| yes| Yes| 128-Bit AES Encryption| yes| yes| no| yes| yes|Maximum Web Attendees | 1000| 125| 1000| 25| 50| File Transfer| yes| yes| yes| yes| Yes| Record Meetings| yes| yes| yes| yes| yes| Support| yes| yes| yes| yes| yes| Online/PDF Manuals | yes| yes| yes| yes| yes| The reason that I did not choose InterCall is because the maximum web attendee is only 125 and they require an installation. Another reason I did not chose this program is because the cost is higher. The reason I did not choose ClickMeeting is because there is no encryption to protect company information even though the cost is much lower.The reason I did not choose Ready Talk is because the maximum web attendee is only 25 people and the cost is even higher. These are the same reasons that I did not choose Adobe Connect Pro even with the maximum web attendee at 50 people. References: Infinite. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. infiniteconferenc ing. com/services/web_conferencing. php Find the Best. (2013). Retrieved from http://web-conferencing. findthebest. com/ Tech Media network. (2013). Top Ten Reviews. Retrieved from http://web-conferencing-services. toptenreviews. com/