Women's use of complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy: Narratives of transformation

Background: Pregnancy and childbirth constitute a time of transition in women’s lives. Many women turn to complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) during pregnancy. However, little is known about women’s experiences of CAM in relation to their pregnancy and childbirth journey. Methods: a narrative study aimed to gain insight into the experiences of women who use CAM in pregnancy and to explore the contribution CAM made to their pregnancy and childbirth journey. Interviews were conducted with 14 women who had used a range of CAMs during pregnancy and birth. Data analysis focussed on the meaning and significance of CAM use in pregnancy and a number of core themes emerged.Results: This paper presents some findings from this research which reveals a narrative genre that can be defined as transformational. CAM has a positive transformational effect on women’s experience of pregnancy and childbirth. Conclusion: Women’s narratives illustrate the positive impact of CAM on the subjective experiences of pregnancy and childbirth.Key Words: complementary and alternative medicine, pregnancy, holism. narrativ

MEASURING THE BENEFITS OF AN IN-STORE CONSUMER INFORMATION PROGRAM

Consumer/Household Economics,

Effects of Collaboration Between Speech-Language Pathologists and Third-Grade Teachers on Student Vocabulary Outcomes

A persistent literacy crisis continues to be reflected in international (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2013), national (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2015), and local literacy outcome data. Educators, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are called upon to collaborate to support students who struggle with academic language/literacy. However, few studies have operationally defined collaboration and investigated the effects of collaboration on student achievement. As a result, there is insufficient guidance for educators about ways to design, implement, and assess the effectiveness of collaboration models, defined in terms of their effects on student outcomes. There were two main objectives of this research. The first objective was to investigate whether literacy partnerships between SLPs and third-grade general education teachers, who used a systematic collaboration protocol, yielded better vocabulary outcomes for students than teachers instructing without collaborating with SLPs. The second objective of the study was to examine collaborators\u27 progress toward adopting the collaboration protocol. The quasi-experimental design involved a collaboration treatment condition (n = 2 collaborative pairs; n = 34 students) and a comparison condition (n = 2 non-collaboration teachers; n = 34 students). In both conditions, similar versions of a specific vocabulary technique were implemented over seven weeks. Students\u27 vocabulary knowledge was measured at pretest and posttest using three researcher-created vocabulary assessments adapted from previous measures in vocabulary research. A two-factor split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a statistically significant interaction effect on the Words-in-Context measure. The significant effect from pretest to posttest within the entire matched group changed as a result of condition; the group mean increase in the students\u27 scores from pretest to posttest was higher in the collaboration condition than the comparison condition. Additional key findings were: (a) a statistically significant increase in group mean scores from pretest to posttest on all three measures within the entire matched group (n = 68) and (b) non-significant interactions between the collaboration and comparison groups on two of the vocabulary measures (Synonyms and Non-Examples). When Cohen\u27s d effect sizes were calculated within each condition, there were large effects for all three tasks in the collaboration condition. In the comparison condition, there were large effects for the Synonyms task, and medium effects for the Words-in-Context and Non-Example tasks. The findings of this study also revealed that collaborators achieved high fidelity of the collaboration protocol within a seven-week collaboration segment. Collaborators demonstrated Routine use of a specific collaboration protocol according to the tools of the Concerns Based Adoption Model (Hall & Hord, 2015); however, they expressed concerns around managing the task demands of the collaboration protocol. Taken as a whole, these findings are promising. Collaboration between SLPs and third-grade general education teachers using a systematic collaboration protocol with a specific vocabulary technique resulted in student vocabulary gains; on one measure, the gains were significantly larger than those made by students in classrooms where teachers did not collaborate with SLPs. The findings have potential to inform a research and practice agenda for SLPs and other educators in schools. Clinical implications and specific research directions are discussed

Narrative accounts of women who use complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy: 'Forewarned, forearmed and relaxed'

Pregnancy and childbirth are events of major significance in women’s lives. In western countries women are increasingly using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) (see glossary of terms) during this time. However, there is little research exploring and minimal empirical evidence to judge the significance and impact of CAM on pregnancy and childbirth. This thesis explores the experiences of women who use CAM during pregnancy and childbirth in an attempt to understand the meaning they ascribe to CAM use.A narrative approach was chosen to explore women’s experiences of CAM as it emphasises the meaning that individuals ascribe to life events (Czarniawska 2004, Elliott 2005). Additionally, through narratives it is possible to learn about the world of individuals, about their lives and their experienced reality (Engel et al. 2008).A purposive sample of 14 women who had used a variety of complementary therapies during pregnancy and childbirth participated in the study. Women’s narratives were obtained through open ended interviews on two or three occasions. The narratives were analysed using a 5 stage process. The words of one participant eloquently portrayed the significance and meaning of CAM use as one of being ‘Forewarned, Forearmed and Relaxed’. These words then became a framework to re-present participants’ narratives.Beck’s (1992a) and Giddens’ (1990) concept of risk and reflexivity provides a theoretical framework to aid interpretation of the data. The study findings offer insights into how CAM meets women’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs during pregnancy and childbirth. CAM use signifies women’s desire to achieve a normal birth without medical intervention, a need to make choices and be in control of their healthcare practices and a desire to enjoy their pregnancy and birth without fear

The accumulation of orotic acid by a pyrimidineless mutant of Neurospora

The discovery of orotic acid (1,2-carboxyuracil) in cow's milk by Biscaro and Belloni (1), followed by its identification and synthesis (2-4), led to a number of speculations as to its biological origin and significance (,3,5,6). A definite connection of orotic acid with the biosynthesis of nucleic acid pyrimidines is provided by the finding that orotic acid (7) as well as thymine (8,9) can supplement or replace the folic acid required by certain microorganisms. As suggested by Chattaway (7), it would appear that folic acid has a function in the biosynthesis of pyrimidines. Furthermore, this function is probably concerned in some step prior to the appearance of orotic acid in the biosynthetic series. More recently it was shown by Loring and Pierce (10) that orotic acid could be substituted for uracil in satisfying the growth requirements of some pyrimidineless mutants of the mold Neurospora. Investigations of orotic acid in this laboratory have led to a new method of synthesis of the compound (11) and to some suggestions concerning its relation to the biosynthesis of nucleic acids in Neurospora (12). The results of the present work are in accord with the previous suggestions and provide further evidence on the biological origin and function of orotic acid