Electrotherapy and Osteoarthritis Essay Example for Free

Electrotherapy and Osteoarthritis Essay Osteoarthritis has been described and defined as a condition involving the human bones that is caused by the breakdown of the joints, leading to the loss of cartilage, or what is known as the ‘cushion’ between the bone and the joint, in the affected joint or joints. Osteoarthritis is known to affect more than twenty million people every year in the United States of America alone. This degenerative disease affects persons aged above forty five, and it is found in both sexes, and it does not distinguish between races and colors and ethnicities. The hands, the feet, the spine and the large joints of the body fall prey to this debilitating disease, and until today, research has not been able to reveal the specific cause of osteoarthritis, although it is true that it can be directly attributed to the impact of ageing. Injuries in a joint, ageing and being overweight can also lead to the onset of osteoarthritis. The pain in osteoarthritis is caused due to the rubbing of the bones together after the cartilage that cushions them has been worn out. Some of the prescribed therapies to deal with the disease are exercise, stringent weight control, resting of the painful joints, pain relief medication, electrotherapy, and alternative therapies, and if the pain is excruciating, surgery. Electrotherapy is today one of the most accepted and used skills of physiotherapists, although it is by no means new. The use of heat, cold and electrical stimulation have been in use for a long time now, but the inherent problem is that the benefits and the advantages or disadvantages if any have not been analyzed or accounted for, and this means that the method is not as widely used as it can be. However, it remains a fact that electricity has been used by medical practitioners for hundreds of years now, and it is now one of the most common treatment approaches, giving new hope to millions of sufferers across the globe. (Kitchen, Sheila 2002) Take for example this table demonstrating the improvement in the management of pain in osteoarthritis using electrotherapy. Recent research has been able to prove that electricity would be able to bring immediate relief for both acute as well as chronic pain, and it must be remembered that in the case of osteoarthritis, the pain can be both acute and chronic. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of electrotherapy is not known yet, although it is true that the method can block the transmission of pain signals across the nerves, and can also cause the release of endorphins, or the natural painkillers that are created by the body to combat pain. There can be several different types of electrotherapy methods, and some of them are: TENS, or ‘transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation’, inferential current, and galvanic stimulation. One must note that all the three methods use electrotherapy to stimulate nerves and muscles, through the adhesive pads that are applied on the skin. Electrotherapy must never be used over malignancies, open infections, over pacemaker leads, and over the throat, because it may cause lowered blood pressure, and over a pregnant uterus, as it may affect the fetus. In the year 2004, a randomized double blind pilot study on the impact of electrotherapy on about sixty four osteoarthritis patients suffering from moderate to severe pain in their various joints was conducted. The aim was to study whether the therapy would be useful in alleviating the pain for these patients, and it was found that it would definitely be able to provide temporary relief from severe and intolerable pain. At the present time, stated the researchers who were involved in the experiment, pain relief for osteoarthritis is predominantly medication, and this approach could bring better relief. In the study, the approach was to apply micro to milliamp current to certain specific areas of the patient’s head. This would result in the release of endogenous opioids from the various pain management areas located within the human brain. For a period of two weeks prior to and tow weeks after the study, the subject pain was self assessed using the ‘value scale’, and none of the physicians, patients and the device operators were let in on which device was real and which, false, and the data thus collected revealed the interesting fact that electrotherapy was indeed beneficial in bringing down the pain of the patients of osteoarthritis. According to the Australian Physiotherapy Association, there is sufficient evidence available to prove that physiotherapy management of the knee joints is a very good idea, and that there is a lack of evidence to prove that electrotherapy, specifically shortwave diathermy, including ultrasound, microwave and shortwave may be useful in managing the pain. It may however be true that a recent Cochrane review was able to prove conclusively that TENS or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation may be quite effective in controlling pain in these patients. However, better designed studies have to be made before it can be stated that TENS can be used to treat pain for osteoarthritis sufferers. (Bennell K, Hinman R, Crossley K 2001) It is important that the treatment plan must be made with the complete cooperation and consultation with the patient. The treatment goals would depend on the timescale of the treatment that he or she is undergoing for his osteoarthritis, the patient profile, and the affected joints. This would ensure that the patient achieves the maximum benefits of the treatment, so that he may be able to continue living a healthy and active life. Although research has shown that electrotherapy methods like laser therapy and ultrasound do not bring in any significant levels of improvement in the long term for the pain, they do bring in immediate relief from the pain. (EMHM Vogels, HJM Hendrick et al 2003) This cannot be taken to mean that electrotherapy does not bring relief for patients of osteoarthritis; it has been found that low power laser therapy has brought great relief for the pain of sufferers of osteoarthritis in Russia and in Eastern Europe. A study showed that electrotherapy brought relief for pain, mobility, tenderness and functioning in these patients, with relatively little adverse effects. In all probability, the mechanisms treated successfully using laser electrotherapy included peripheral nerve stimulation, resolution of inflammation, enhanced chondrocyte proliferation and increased matrix synthesis. (Ghassemi, M, Marks R 1999) There can be no doubt that the studies conducted so far are by no means conclusive, and the issue of handling the joint pains of those suffering from osteoarthritis with electrotherapy must be analyzed and studies further to bring in real statistics and real results. Perhaps, very soon, there may be available some sort of revolutionary treatment for the management of pain, which these patients would be able to use without fear of side effects or other complications, so that they may be able to continue to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

beyond beef :: essays research papers

Jeremy Rifkin’s book, Beyond Beef, is an indictment against the cattle culture that has come to shape our world. America’s obsession with beef has led to increased hunger, disease and environmental destruction. Rifkin, without a doubt, is anti beef and with painstaking verisimilitude attempts to shed light on the horrific conditions which are brought about by the entire industry. Furthermore, his book is somewhat of a continuity of Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle, the first attempt made at exposing the exploitations of the meat slaughtering industry. Ironically and rather unfortunately, the present situation is that while the poor nations of the world are starving their own populations to produce and export beef, the rich, who are able to afford beef, are dying from diseases. Rifkin has several chapters dedicated to the host of illnesses those beef eating individuals are susceptible to. The titles include, â€Å"Sacrifice to Slaughter,† "Cows Devour People, â€Å"and "Marbled Specks of Death." One point he makes is that because of the widespread use of antibiotics among the cattle industry, the â€Å"human population is increasingly vulnerable to mor virulent strains of disease-causing bacteria† (12). Rifkin further attests that beef, but ranks second as the food posing the greatest cancer risk. The reason is simple: beef is the most dangerous food for herbicide contamination and ranks third in insecticide contamination. Eighty percent of all herbicides in the United States are sprayed on corn a nd soybeans which are used primarily as feed for cattle and other livestock. When consumed by the animals, the pesticides accumulate in their bodies. The pesticides are then passed along to the consumer in the finished cuts of beef. Large feedlots have other sources of potential chemical contamination in beef including use of â€Å"industrial sewage and oils in feedlot mixtures and aerial spraying of insecticides on feedlot cattle† (13). Furthermore, Rifkin indicts the human civilization and sheds light into the barbarous actions of men in the early development of the cattle culture. One of the most effective is in the chapter, "The Great Bovine Switch," an expose of the atrocities committed by the United States Army and cattlemen. Rifkin states that the cattle culture was responsible for the demise of many Indians, When we get rid of all the Indians and buffalo, the cattle... Will fill this country...These men [the buffalo hunters] have done...more to settle the vexed Indian question than the entire regular army has done in the last thirty years.

Five Forces of Competition Essay

Air travel has changed the way people live and experience the world today. The airline industry is a strategic sector that plays a fundamental role in the globalization of other industries since it promotes tourism, world trade, foreign investment and, therefore, leads to economic growth. However, all airlines within the industry operate in a highly dynamic environment where various legal, social, technological and economic forces interact with each other, thus influencing their decisions and actions In the industry where airlines can face severe financial distress due to oil crisis, recessions and terrorist attacks, In order to survive, as well as succeed, the business needs to assess its competitive environment and identify key factors that may influence its actions (Porter, 1998, p. 5). The airline industry is very competitive and Michael Porter’s five-forces model can be used to analyse the intensity of the competition and the profitability of this industry. Porter’s five forces model is a business unit strategy tool which is used to make an analysis of the value of an industry structure (Hubbard, 2004, pg 35). The analysis is made by the identification of 5 fundamental competitive forces. These include: Threat of new entrants is high  One of the forces identified by this model is the threat of new entrants which refers to the possibility of new competitors entering the industry and undermining the profits of the established businesses. In the world today, the airline industry is so saturated that there is hardly space for a newcomer to enter the market. The biggest for this is the cost of entry. The airline industry is one of the most expensive industries, due to the cost of buying and leasing aircrafts, safety and security measures, customer service and manpower. Other barriers to entry which will recess new comers into the airline industry include Government restrictions and high capital costs to develop new airlines. However, the entry barriers for new airlines is lower today since the Australian domestic airline market was deregulated in 1990. This has produced far greater competition than before deregulation in most markets. The deregulation has allowed Jetstar and Tiger Airways enter the market and reduce the market share for Virgin Blue and with the added competition, together with pricing freedom, means that there is a major onstraint on profitability for the airline industry. Moreover if borrowing is cheap the likelihood of more airlines entering the industry is higher. Bargaining power of Buyers is high The bargaining power of buyers is another force that can affect the competitive position of a company (Porter, 1998, p. 48). This refers to the amount of pressure customers can place on a business, thus, affecting its prices, volume and profit potential (Porter, 1998, p. 45). The various airlines flying from the Gold Coast airport are competing for the same customer, which also results in strengthening the buyer power. Individuals wishing to travel to and from the Coolangatta airport are presented with various choices when selecting an airline but price is usually the most important factor, especially for students and families. Hence, the bargaining power of customers in the airline industry is very high since they are price sensitive and search for the best deals available. Virgin Blue attracts travellers that are price sensitive by offering them low fares and those that are convenience oriented by providing them with frequent flights. Qantas on the other hand has created a frequent flyer program to create switching costs which may be a significant factor to a traveller when choosing which airline to fly with. Bargaining Power of Suppliers is high Suppliers can also exercise considerable pressure on a company by increasing prices or lowering the quality of products offered which are mainly dominated by Boeing and Airbus. The bargaining power of suppliers depends on supplier concentration, substitute supplies, switching costs, threat of forward integration and buyer information. However, other suppliers who work with the airline such as the providers of on board snacks do not have the same bargaining power as they are a larger industry which allows for Virgin Blue to have a choice over who they are purchasing from. Virgin Blue will purchase their on board snacks from the supplier which is the most economic so Virgin Blue can make a higher profit margin from the goods when they are sold. Threat of Substitutes is low for international carriers/ little higher for short distance The availability and threat of substitutes is another factor that can affect competition within the airline industry. It refers to the likelihood that customers may switch to another product or service that performs similar functions (Stahl, M, Grigsby D 1997, pg 145). Substitutes for air travel include travelling by train, bus or car to the desired destination. The degree of this threat depends on various factors such as money, convenience, time and personal preference of travellers. The competition from substitutes is affected by the ease of with which buyers can change over to a substitute. A key consideration is usually the buyers switching costs, however due to their low fare non-stop flights, Virgin Blue, Jetstar and Tiger airways can lure both price sensitive and convenience oriented travellers away from these substitutes. Competitive Rivalry is high  Industries that are very competitive generally earn low profits and returns since the cost of competition is high. The airline industry is usually characterized by the cut-throat competition that exists among the rival airlines due to its low cost nature. Since the carriers are involved in a constant struggle to take away the market share from each other, industry growth is average and as it is easy for buyers to switch between the airline companies, depending on price, the rivalry is increased. Rivalry is also high in the airline industry due to high fixed costs, as much of the cost of a flight is fixed, there is a great opportunity for airlines to sell unsold seats cheaply, which resolve in pricing wars between the airlines (Hubbard, 2004, pg 38). The airlines are continually competing against each other in terms of prices, technology, in-flight entertainment, customer services and many more areas. The net result of this competition between companies is an overall slow market growth rate. In conclusion we can understand that the airline industry is very competitive and Michael Porters five-forces model can be used to explain why the potential for returns is so low in this industry. Firstly, the threat of new companies entering the industry is high and the entry barriers are low. Secondly, the bargaining power of customers is high since they are price sensitive and search for the best deals. The third force, bargaining position of suppliers, is strong since they are concentrated and this limits the control airlines have over suppliers to reduce prices and earn higher profits. The availability and threat of substitutes is another factor that can affect a company’s competitive position. However, the degree of this threat depends on various factors such as time, money, convenience and personal preferences of travellers. The final force in Porters model is competitive rivalry between the companies within an industry. Cut-throat competition exists among the airlines and since there is a constant struggle for market share, the over all profit potential of this industry is low.

RFID Tags and Invasion of Personal Privacy Essay - 670 Words

RFID Tags and Invasion of Personal Privacy Historically, the advent of innovative, influential technology has reformed our lives in post-industrial America, creating new amenities on hand, along with altering conventional laws governing this facet of modern living. The revolutionary and global capability of telecommunications has shaped new means for dealing with information, and changed the role of a private citizen among this new technology. Traditionally in America, private citizens have been separate from government or public involvement in personal matters such as identity, and unique characteristics defining that identity. Lately, radio frequency identification (RFIDs) is an upcoming method for tracking objects or even†¦show more content†¦Use of a credit card, debit card or check can directly link someones identity to the product purchased. In addition to this function, the FDA approved the â€Å"Verichip†, a microchip embedded under the skin, which is able to convey medical information in an emerge ncy (Dipert 52). Persons, aware or unaware of the tag, have little control over their personal information within these databases, whether it is consumer or medically related. Senator Debra Bowen proposed a bill in Redondo Beach, California contending that the organization using the tag and its information capability must: have customer consent, detach or destroy the tag after leaving the store, and the customer be guaranteed anonymity (Anonymous 91). It wasn’t until this planned legislation protecting citizens’ personal information existed, that privacy was defended against the RFID technology. Initiative is in place to use RFID technology in the market. For instance, Wal-mart projects 250 stores with active tag system by June 2005 (Dipert 54). The San Francisco Public Library has also planned to spend $1 million on a RFID system, to associate personal identity to book checkouts (Anonymous 92). Under these conditions, corporations or the government may have the ability to monitor anyones personal information or activity. In order to realize the effect of RFID tags, in addition to new laws, advocates of civil rights such as the ACLU and CASPIAN have to beShow MoreRelatedThe Key Facts About Raydar Electronics1343 Words   |  6 PagesKEY FACTS: †¢ Raydar Electronics was a Manhattan based company and rated among top five makers and integrators of RFID tags and readers in United States. †¢ This organization developed and sold an inventory tagging technology which permits its customers to streamline their supply chains. †¢ But organizations like Raydar electronics were considered as enemy by consumer advocates, politicians, religious leaders and also executives from other organizations. †¢ Raydar clients rarely ran out of supply whichRead MoreA Radio Frequency Identification ( Rfid )879 Words   |  4 Pages As technology advances so does the threat to our privacy as citizens, we enter into this technological world worried only with what’s new and hot and not diving deeper into how these devices are collecting data on us. 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