Opening the Door to Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Self-Regulation in Ontario

This paper examines the steps that three complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) groups - naturopaths, acupuncturists/traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and homeopaths - are taking to achieve statutory self-regulation in the province of Ontario. The regulatory framework created by the Regulated Health Professions Act of 1991 is outlined, and the differing approaches taken by each of the three groups to gain inclusion under its umbrella are compared and contrasted. The paper assesses the influence of current regulatory and socio-political environments, and queries the extent to which the paradigms of health and health care of these different groups can be accommodated in a regulatory regime heavily reliant on the conventional medical model

Opening the Door to Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Self-Regulation in Ontario

This paper examines the steps that three complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) groups - naturopaths, acupuncturists/traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and homeopaths - are taking to achieve statutory self-regulation in the province of Ontario. The regulatory framework created by the Regulated Health Professions Act of 1991 is outlined, and the differing approaches taken by each of the three groups to gain inclusion under its umbrella are compared and contrasted. The paper assesses the influence of current regulatory and socio-political environments, and queries the extent to which the paradigms of health and health care of these different groups can be accommodated in a regulatory regime heavily reliant on the conventional medical model

Political Information Flow and Management Guidance

We examine whether politically active firms play a role in disseminating political information via their management guidance. Using campaign financing activity or the presence of a government affairs office to proxy for firms’ access to political information, we find that politically active firms are more likely to issue management guidance overall, and especially when the government is a customer of the firm. Further, relative to politically inactive firms, the guidance released by politically active firms is more likely to discuss government policies. In addition to using numerous econometric techniques to address self-selection, we examine the timing of when guidance is issued. We find that politically active firms are more likely to issue guidance and change their government policy-related disclosures prior to the public revelation of government policy decisions. Collectively, these findings suggest that the privileged information firms obtain through their political activities is shared with investors through voluntary disclosures

Online Stakeholder Interactions in the Early Stage of a Megaproject

The purpose of this paper is to examine the network structure of online stakeholder discussions in the planning stage of a UK public mega project, High Speed Rail. By providing new rail connections between London, Birmingham and Manchester, this project is highly complex as it is embedded in a network of stakeholder relationships that may support or oppose the project. Data drawn from Twitter was analyzed using Social Network Analysis and inductive analysis of user profiles and content. Findings indicate that the majority of online stakeholders oppose the project and form stable clusters. Larger clusters within this network may attempt to deploy power directly in the form of a manipulation strategy while smaller clusters may seek to ally themselves with more powerful groups, a pathway strategy. Overall, the methodology is a useful complement to existing methods and may provide real time insights into the complex, evolving discussions around mega projects

Health care and consumer choice: Medical and alternative therapies

This paper reports on research conducted in a large Canadian city during 1994-1995. The study examines the motivations of patients who choose to seek care from one of five different types of practitioners: family physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists/traditional Chinese doctors, naturopaths and Reiki practitioners. We use the Andersen socio-behavioural model to help explain why people choose orthodox medicine or a type of alternative care. The data are derived from face to face interviews with 300 patients: 60 from each of the five modes of treatment. The findings demonstrate that this model can explain the use of alternative as well as orthodox medical services. Patients choose specific kinds of practitioners for particular problems, and some use a mixture of practitioners to treat a specific complaint. The choice of type of practitioner(s) is multidimensional and cannot solely be explained either by disenchantment with medicine or by an "alternative ideology".consumer choice alternative therapies health care

Análisis de la situación de salud del adulto mayor en el departamento de Zacapa, Guatemala.

En la actualidad, cada vez más personas rebasan los 60 años, y este grupo de población aumenta en Guatemala; son cerca del 5.4% (756,000 adultos mayores) de la población total (14 millones de habitantes) y se prevé que en el año 2025 serán 7.4%, lo que representa 1.5 millones en el futuro cercano. Guatemala no se ha preparado para atender el fenómeno del envejecimiento poblacional, lo que a futuro será un problema que afectará a toda la población; aunado a esto, en la actualidad y en la estructura del Estado, no se cuenta con la capacidad para responder al aumento en la demanda de salud, seguridad social y otros servicios esenciales, así como la demanda de la población jubilada y pensionada, quienes reclaman mejores pensiones que les permita a un nivel de vida digno en su vejez. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir la situación de salud del adulto mayor en sus dimensiones biológicas, socioeconómica, estilo de vida y sistema de atención de salud en el departamento de Zacapa, Guatemala. Es un estudio descriptivo transversal con muestra basada en censo poblacional de 1,489 personas. Los adultos mayores padecen de enfermedades crónicodegenerativas. Su situación de salud se ve afectada por la escolaridad, ya que no existen programas destinados a este grupo etario, por lo cual no hay atención integral para los mismos

Does a continence educational brochure promote health-seeking behavior?

OBJECTIVE: This study reviewed whether participants who were given a continence education package, which included a Continence Educational Brochure (CEB), and who indicated that they were bothered by incontinence symptoms changed health-seeking behaviors about their incontinence problem because of being given the brochure.METHOD: This study used a descriptive and exploratory design. Participants were given the CEB and asked to read the information. They were also asked to complete a continence questionnaire and mail this back to the research team. Participants who indicated that they were bothered by a continence problem and consented to being interviewed were telephoned 2 to 3 months later. They were asked questions to determine their actions and progress in relation to managing their continence problem and whether the CEB had influenced their behavior.SETTING AND SUBJECT: A total of 631 participants (352 females, 55.8%; 279 males, 44.2%) from 4 rural and regional settings in Victoria, Australia, participated. Of this sample, 111 participants (78 females, 70.3%; 33 males, 29.7%) who reported that they were bothered by a continence problem were interviewed 3 months after being given the CEB.RESULTS: Two thirds of the total sample of participants (n = 111) sought help for their continence problem. Approximately 70.3% (n = 78) continued to have a continence problem. Of this group, 84.6% were still bothered by the continence problem and 65.4% had taken action to treat their incontinence. Forty-nine participants (44.1%) indicated that they had discussed the issue of bladder or bowel problems with someone directly because of this study or the information contained in the brochure. More than 94% of participants who remembered the CEB indicated that they believed the brochure would be helpful if given to other people.CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the CEB prompted individuals to discuss their continence problem and in fewer cases to seek professional help. Given these findings, distribution of a continence education package is advocated as a continence health promotion strategy.<br /