Monday, November 30, 2009

Living Long Loving It or Pathological Gambling

Living Long & Loving It: Achieving a Healthy and Active Lifestyle

Author: Irvin M Korr

Stereotypes about the elderly are so prevalent that elders themselves often buy into them. People young and old assume that retirement is a time of inactivity, less social involvement, and inevitable physical decline. For over nine decades Dr. Irwin M. Korr was a living refutation of that dreary stereotype. Through a holistic approach to health, based on the principles of osteopathic medicine, he proved that healthy, vigorous, fulfilling old age and long life are the natural culmination of healthy living. In his eighties, Dr. Korr was regularly playing tennis and cross-county skiing, while continuing his career as a medical educator, researcher, author, and lecturer.
In this inspiring guide to achieving a healthy lifestyle at any time of life, Dr. Korr explains with enthusiasm and great clarity how any reader can apply scientifically based osteopathic principles to improve quality of life and promote successful aging. Among the principles he stresses is that the human body incorporates its own healing and defensive systems, as well as a health maintenance system. Together they form an indwelling healthcare system that is the ultimate source of health and for which each individual must take primary responsibility. By learning to develop healthy habits, we take care of the "physician within" to ensure that our inner physician can then take care of us.
Dr. Korr also emphasizes the importance of regular exercise and the beneficial effects that freedom of motion and physical activity bring, not only on our musculoskeletal system but also for our various internal organs, as well as our state of mind. He recommends stretching exercises such as Yoga and whatever workout routine anindividual finds enjoyable, from walking to jogging, swimming, and bicycling. Finally, he makes the point that healthy aging is a choice that anyone can make at any time of life by making beneficial lifestyle changes.



Table of Contents:
Foreword   Janet Meneley Korr     9
Foreword   David Korr     11
Preface     13
Introduction     17
Metamorphosis
What Is Your Secret?     23
The Guiding Principles
Principle I. Interactive Unity: The Oneness of the Person     39
Principle II. Structure-Function: The Primary Machinery     47
Principle III. Vis Medicatrix Naturae: The Only True Healthcare System     55
Principle IV. Meaning Drives Expectancy: Take Care of the Physician Within and the Physician Within Will Take Care of You     65
Origins of Human Vulnerability
Individual Paths to Health and Illness     73
The Mythology of Health and Disease     87
Old Machinery in New Contexts     103
Other Mixed Blessings of Human Intelligence     121
Creating Your Well-Being
Commitment, Discipline, Motivation     131
Freedom of Motion     137
Other Biological Factors     147
The Body-Minding Brain     165
The Mind-Minding Person     175
Changing the Mind     187
Reinforcement of Lessons Learned
The Last of Life for Which the First Was Made     207
Epilogue     221
The Problematic Paradox     233
Supplement to Chapter 13     239
Resources for Finding Osteopathic Health Professionals     245
Acknowledgments     257
Glossary     261
Bibliography     283
Index     301

See also: Smart Drugs II the New Generation or In Search of Manna

Pathological Gambling: A Clinical Guide to Treatment

Author: Jon E Grant

The past five years have witnessed dramatic advances in research on pathological gambling& mdash;a diagnosis often overlooked by clinicians who are unaware not only of the personal and social consequences of pathological gambling, but also of the possible treatment options. Today, clinicians can choose from an array of treatment options to substantially improve the lives of patients with this disabling illness.

Eloquently attesting to this extraordinary progress, this remarkable clinician's guide comprises the most extensive coverage on public health, clinical characteristics and treatment, psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, and interventions for adolescents, adults, and older adults. Written by the world's leading researchers on psychiatric aspects of gambling, this truly comprehensive volume discusses how to diagnose pathological gambling and provides the tools to do so. Here, 32 experts detail the clinical phenomenology, etiology, and treatment of pathological gambling, highlighting the current clinical approaches most likely to lead to early identification, symptom remission, and improvement maintenance.

Useful appendixes provide specific tests, scales, and diagnostic criteria following four major sections of the book:


Public Health and Epidemiology discusses prevalence and definitions of recreational, problem, and pathological gambling; the relationship between the different levels of gambling severity; and gambling's effects on societal, familial, and individual health and well-being.
Clinical Characteristics covers the symptoms and sequelae of pathological gambling and the differences among adolescents, older adults, andmen and women, and shows that pathological gambling& mdash;rather than being categorized as a single disorder& mdash;shares important features with many disorders, among them obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, affective spectrum disorders, addiction, and impulse-control disorder.
Etiology details the realms of both psychology (behavioral, cognitive, and dispositional theories) and neurobiology (noradrenergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic, and opioidergic systems as well as familial and inherited factors) to explain the behavior of pathological gambling& mdash;knowledge that may prove useful in understanding a range of addictive and impulsive disorders.
Prevention and Treatment emphasizes the vital role of the clinician in prevention efforts, including a prevention strategy tailored specifically for adolescents and young adults; discusses a variety of behavioral and pharmacological interventions for patients including self-help and professional-based interventions for family members; and concludes with assessments useful in diagnosing pathological gambling and monitoring symptom change.

Psychiatrists, psychiatric researchers, and other mental health care professionals will welcome this book as their most up-to-date source for invaluable knowledge about and research from the world's recognized experts on pathological gambling.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer: Brett C. Plyler, M.D. (Northwestern Memorial Hospital)
Description: This book examines pathological gambling and its epidemiology, clinical presentation, prevention, and treatment.
Purpose: The primary purpose is to document the clinical phenomenology, etiology, and treatment of pathological gambling.
Audience: The book is written for practicing clinicians.
Features: This book examines the epidemiology, etiology, treatment, and consequences of pathological gambling. It discusses issues such as behavioral and biological bases for gambling as well as medication and therapeutic treatments. The book also reviews available screening instruments as well as providing samples of some. Further, it has a section on the high risk population of adolescents and young adults.
Assessment: This is a well written and thorough examination of pathological gambling. I initially only had a passing familiarity with gambling problems but this book has greatly increased both my knowledge and comfort level in addressing and treating this problem in my patients. It has a good review of both therapy and medication treatment avenues as well as tests to follow the efficacy of each. The index provides a number of references for more advanced reading, but this book provides an excellent starting point for practicing clinicians who want to become more knowledgeable about pathological gambling issues.

Rating

4 Stars! from Doody




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