In 2009, President Barack Obama hosted a friendly "beer summit" on the White House lawn in an attempt to diffuse a racially charged incident between a Caucasian policeman and an African American professor. In the United States, beer and other alcoholic beverage companies are often the main advertisers during television sporting event coverage. A study has found that 44 percent of American college students participate in binge drinking, while the NHTSA reports that over 31 percent of traffic fatalities involve a driver with an illegal blood-alcohol content level. In our culture, consumption...

Medicare is an important source of health-care coverage for almost all Americans aged 65 and over. It can also be one of the most confusing subjects with which citizens must contend. Among the first books to examine the impact of the 2010 health-care reforms on the program, Medicare reviews Medicare's history, explores its current coverages and problems, and takes a look at its probable future.

Readers will learn about attempts to pass Medicare legislation, as well as about many of the important changes that have occurred since 1965. They will read about continuing cost...

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the rate of growth of the elderly population--defined as individuals age 65 or greater--increased by a factor of 11 in the past century, from 3 million in 1900 to 33 million in 1994. During the same time period, the total population only tripled. By the year 2030, there will be about 72 million older persons, or roughly 1 in 5 among the American population--more than twice their number in 2000. Clearly, geriatrics is a topic of vital interest and importance to policy makers, medical providers, caregivers, and members of the general population.

In...

Issues regarding access to, education about, and practice of birth control have played a pivotal role in religious, social, and political conflicts throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 21st century, controversies surrounding birth control remain at the forefront of current political debates over topics as varied as women's rights, social welfare initiatives, federal healthcare funding, consumer protection and physician liability, and informed consent.

"Birth Control" provides a historical background of premodern practices, describes birth control in the 19th-20th centuries,...

Plastic surgery was historically considered a medical necessity. These were procedures specifically developed to treat burn or accident victims, to correct those born with cleft palates, or to repair extreme cases of cosmetic disfigurement, such as amputations performed as a punishment for adulterous men. Today, however, plastic surgery is a common option for those seeking to modify their normal and uninjured bodies to conform to an unrealistic, idealized model of perfection.

This book presents the fascinating history of how therapeutic techniques were adapted to offer...

"Bullying" goes far beyond typical treatments of the topic by presenting an overview of the research concerning the causes, symptoms, and prevalence of bullying to illustrate how it is not simply a social issue but both a genuine medical and health issue. The author draws upon both clinical data and her own extensive experience observing children's interactions on school playgrounds and from interviewing parents, teachers, administrators, and children themselves to reach conclusions about evidence-based prevention and treatment.

The work provides a deeper understanding of bullying by...

The discussions regarding the ethical, medical, and social controversies surrounding steroid use are as heated as the drugs themselves are powerful. "Steroids" comprehensively addresses the separate debates over steroid use in therapeutic medical treatments, sports performance enhancement, and cosmetic lifestyle choices. The contents provide balanced coverage of the complex positive and negative implications involved with using these "ingredients of youth" to evade the common ailments of old age and to overcome some of the limitations of natural biology. This book will be invaluable to...

Part of Greenwood's ongoing Health and Medical Issues Today series, this book provides a broad introduction to the anti-vaccination movement that documents how it has gained momentum in recent years; the quantifiable effects of the movement on society, such as a resurgence of childhood diseases like whooping cough and measles; and the controversies surrounding the movement. It describes the long history of resistance to the medical practice of vaccination; identifies the impacts of decreased vaccination rates on important health concepts, such as herd immunity; and addresses the...

While the risk of suicide is increasing across age groups, the good news is that with timely intervention, most suicides are preventable. Written primarily for high school and college students as well as for their teachers and parents, this guide combines relevant research and theories about suicide with current clinical thinking and approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Going beyond the clinical, the volume also explores suicide in history and in popular culture and examines relevant cultural, religious, moral, and ethical viewpoints. It looks at suicide among various demographic groups,...