Archive for March, 2009
What are the Basics of Critical Criminology?
While criminology is the scientific study of the interactions that inherently occur between criminals and the public or the criminal elements and society, critical criminology is slightly different. This concept of criminology has a solid foundation in the belief that a singular crime is considered to be criminal due to the historical and social beliefs at the time. For example, one famous illustration of this is that homosexuality was considered to be illegal for individuals in the United Kingdom. This type of interaction between individuals was declared legal for men over 21, but this was not until 1967. Since there is nothing within the act that changed over the years, the only thing that changed was the judicial government at the time and what they believed was morally right or wrong. Overall, there is nothing deemed inherently wrong about the act itself. One of the main questions that individuals interested in critical criminology need to ask themselves whether or not an act is a crime because it is wrong or whether it is merely a crime because someone with the elected power decided to make it so.
Within critical criminology, there are a number of theories that have been formed. Conflict theories were never very popular within the United States, in part due to the fact that during the late 1970′s, when critical criminology was more popular, there were many criminology departments that were closed due to political reasons. Other critical criminologists were concerned that conflict theories did not properly address the different issues that faced society. Critics of conflict theories that exist in criminology maintain that these individuals ignored some important differences in the level of criminal activities between socialist and capitalist societies. Japan and Switzerland are two countries that are socialist in nature, but they have extremely low rates of crime in their countries, as compared to capitalist societies like the United States of America.
Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.
In feminist theories, individuals attempt to give another dimension to criminology, in the form of gender. The supporters of these theories are for the most part trying to bring a new form of awareness to the way crime is viewed. Instead of focusing on criminals who are male performing crimes against other males, it is argued that criminologists need to investigate more how the female affects this preconceived approach to crime. Many parties concerned with this type of critical approach to criminology also try to educate other female criminologists. This is important to this group of individuals because too many times, female criminologists will adopt the male perspective and perpetuate the same cycle of applying male concepts on females in the world of crime.
While there are other theories that are applicable in the field of criminology, such as postmodern and peacemaking theories, the conflict and feminist theories are the most prevalent ones within the world of criminology at large. By looking at the way that different theories can be applied to criminology and the different areas that fall under the term, individuals are able to learn more about the society in which they live. Another point that can be explored would be how the criminal relates to the society in which the crime is committed.
Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the creator of Auto Blog Feeder, an automatic blogging solution for WordPress
Learn the Piano Notes
Are you familiar with the song Auld Lang Syne? If you are, then you can learn to play it on the piano easily and quickly. Many individuals want to learn to play the piano and one of the most important lessons is to learn the piano notes.
Try to look at your piano and give particular attention to the black notes. The song Auld Lang Syne can be played by using five of these black notes. Some say that piano notes are difficult to learn. But expert piano players say that if only you put your heart to it, you can learn all the notes quickly.
If you have a piano teacher or if you simply learned playing the piano with the aid of a book/DVD/CD, you will learn first the names of the notes on your piano. That will include the black and white notes. If you want to learn all the notes, you should have your own piano. If you don’t have one at home, then you should start shopping for one. You can’t learn the notes by simply imagining a piano. You have to touch the piano keys and know the sound of the notes. This will make learning a lot easier and faster.
You will also learn techniques in visualization so that you can imagine the keyboard and tell the exact location of the notes. The keyboard’s Map is the so-called Grand Staff and you can interpret this easily if you know all the notes. If you can immediately identify a piano note, then you will understand the chord lessons easily.
You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Learn Piano. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?
For instance, you’re playing the first seven tab notes. This is the C-major scale and you’re playing the notes CDEFGAB. As you go through your lessons, you will know about the other scales and their respective notes. You have to memorize all the notes on the keyboard to effectively play the piano. But of course, you will learn to play the simpler notes first. Once you’ve mastered the simple notes, you can go to much more difficult notes. Remember, you should not forget about the notes that you have already learned because you will be using them when playing advanced piano music.
If you simply want to be at your piano and play the simplest piano music, all you have to learn is at least two keys for each scale. Suppose you’re playing the major chord C. The notes on this scale include C, E, and G. You can always play these notes simultaneously and you can already create the simplest piano music. But if you want to learn to play the advanced piano pieces, memorize and know all the notes by heart. Soon enough, you can play the piano like the experts.
So you see, learning each piano note is not a game. It is a difficult task especially for those who have memorization problems. Try to create a piano picture inside your mind and tell the note of each key. Do this everyday for a couple of minutes. Don’t stop until you’ve memorized the last key note. Retain the piano picture inside your mind because this will be of very good use to you in the future.
Learn piano notes at an early stage, as soon as you start your piano lessons. This way, you can learn the chords much easier. Playing the piano is fun but you have to be patient.
Now that wasn’t hard at all, was it? And you’ve earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert’s word on Learn Piano.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the creator of Auto Blog Feeder, an automatic blogging solution for WordPress
Rising Liability Insurance Rates Hurt Family Practices
So what is Family Practice really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about Family Practice–info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for family practice physicians to even obtain medical liability insurance let alone afford it. More and more insurance companies are deciding not to underwrite any medical liability insurance. Literally, in most states there are only few who will offer it. The increasing rate of malpractice lawsuits is to blame for this. Juries are awarding multi million dollar settlements and it is forcing many doctors to close the doors on their family practices.
The problem is concurrent with other problems; doctor A closes his family practice so all of the patients rush to doctor B, now Dr. B is on overload and his patients are unhappy because of lengthy wait times and the vicious cycle continues. It has already been obvious as most family practices no longer deliver babies due to the ever rising costs of OB insurance. Also, most have stopped performing any surgical procedures because they simply can not afford the insurance premiums.
This does not work like auto insurance either, regardless if a doctor has had a malpractice lawsuit against him or not, the premiums remain the same as well as whether or not the carrier will even write the policy. This is certainly posing a problem for family practice doctors or doctors in general who have to limit the scope of their services. Doctors are literally becoming afraid of assisting high risk patients because of the consequences and ramifications that could follow.
Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.
If something does not change soon what will happen is people will not be able to get health care when it is most needed and it is due to two factors: availability of liability insurance and affordability. Another result from this is that most family practices who were always about to receive discount health insurance reimbursements such as Medicaid and such, no longer can because they can not simply afford to. Liability insurance companies simply claim that there is zero stability in the market of liability insurance due to the puerile lawsuits and the astronomical awards that juries are handing out.
This is causing family practices and doctors everywhere to watch every move that they make to avoid being sued. It is further raising medical costs because a doctor is running countless and sometimes unnecessary tests to ensure his medical security. All of these possible unneeded tests take money away from those who really need medical treatment. Now guess who ends up having to foot the bill for all of this? The government and the taxpayers.
Then, this process affects employers because they no longer want to provide employee insurance or cut the insurance that they do offer because rates climb so high that they can not afford it either. The only foreseeable way to get the system back on track is to begin with eliminating the numerous amounts of petty lawsuits. Beginning with this will perhaps get the system back on track and instill some validity back into America hence, achieving the ultimate goal which is to provide everyone with quality health care and instill the values of family practice.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the creator of Auto Blog Feeder, an automatic blogging solution for WordPress
Why Confetti Paper Shredders Are Good For Scurity
When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.
Taking extra measures to insure the protection of confidential and sensitive information is a priority with individuals and businesses alike. Only shredders that meet security standards can really be useful in fighting identity theft and business espionage. Confetti paper shredders destroy documents and confirms to most security standards. Let’s see why confetti paper shredders are effective.
In the past strip cutting shredders were sufficient but with the increase of security levels this method is not adequate. This method is vulnerable as thieves can re-assemble shred strips into useable documents and still retrieve confidential information.
Confetti shredders are designed with two rotating shafts with attached cutter disks that mesh in parallel. With motors of sufficient power these cutters are very efficient in producing waste particles that are small and easy to discard as well as more provide more adequate security protection than the strip cutting.
As technology moves forward confetti cutting shredders are becoming the standard. With competitive pricing, reviewers agree that buying a confetti shredder is a good choice. The security issue is the reason why you are shredding in the first place so it is not a good idea to settle for anything less that quality there.
Many businesses are required to shred CD’s and floppy disks that contain important data. Confetti shredders buzz right through these items as a result they are popular with government agencies, military, and companies that have to destroy backups periodically.
The more authentic information about Paper Shredders you know, the more likely people are to consider you a Paper Shredders expert. Read on for even more Paper Shredders facts that you can share.
The resulting waste from a confetti shredder is smaller and makes collection to the waste bin and removal by bags very efficient. The amount of waste particles that are small in size makes disposal very easy and secure.
Fellowes Powershred series shredders are quality and have very convenient features. If you are a home office or have a small business one of these models may be perfect for you. They are available at Wal Mart and Office depot. The 10 shredders in this series vary from light duty to higher capacity office models. They are reasonably priced and very popular.
Confetti shredders not only save costs in disposable bags but you will spend less time changing bags because of the waste takes up a small space. As the waste accumulates in the blades and jams periodically you may need to run the blades in reverse to free up the jam, this is normal. Lubrication will be required periodically, possibly once a month according to how frequently you use your shredder. You should refer to the user manual regarding oiling procedures.
Identity theft is becoming more common and it seems like everybody is talking about it. Having a good shredding program in place, whether you are a home user or a small or large business only makes good sense. More concentrated efforts to seek protection from this crime are being considered, and shredding seems to always come to the top of the list.
The confetti paper shredder really works and is recognized to render disposed documents useless. Their popularity and satisfied customer reviews shows that they work well. Maybe your next shredder will be a confetti paper shredder.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the creator of Auto Blog Feeder, an automatic blogging solution for WordPress
Time Management Tools
When most people think of Time Management, what comes to mind is usually basic information that’s not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there’s a lot more to Time Management than just the basics.
While technology is at its most advanced state today, there remains to be a lot of things to juggle for a typical career-oriented individual. For most family-oriented people, there is the burden of juggling work, career, family and other factors involved in one’s social life.
The answer is Time Management. Most successful people are often asked about what their secret to success is. And more often than not, they have the same response, and that is ?time management?. However, although this is almost an expected response, many are still baffled at how time management really works.
Time management is simply the proper allocation of time for certain priorities. First, the priorities have to be arranged in a certain way where it is clustered into sectors and listed according to urgency and importance. For example, the important parts of your life are career, your son, your home, your art, and your family. You have to know which one to drop first whenever you need to do something.
After that, you will need help from some time management tools designed to aid you in the correct process of prioritization AND remembering that order.
Quick-and-Easy Reminders
There are a lot of people who need lots of reminder when it comes to taking care of small businesses. Often, they are too small that they are disregarded as unimportant. If you are one of them, buy some quick-and-easy reminders. What’s good about technology is you can probably put a reminder just about everywhere! Cellular phones nowadays have built-in organizers, post-its are available in different variants, and even the good old refrigerator door magnets have come in a lot of forms.
Those of you not familiar with the latest on Time Management now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.
What is important is that the frequency of the reminding is now being increased. This is good for time management because it keeps you aware of the things which you have to do especially if they’re urgent.
The Organizer + Watch Tandem
These are staples for just about every busybody ? from the college beadle to the corporate leader. The organizer is something that holds your appointments and it’s also a tiny little space for some writing. Busybodies usually have contact numbers of random people they meet, gifts for a not-so-relevant birthday party that he has to go to or some sudden brilliant ideas that come to mind. For these and more, you will need an organizer. It has to be a little notebook, just enough to fit in a handbag, and should be made of durable material. You must bring your organizer with you every day, in case you need to list something down as a reminder.
Moreover, the perfect complement to an organizer is a high-quality watch. You may have experienced running late for an appointment just because your watch didn’t work well. What’s worse is that the person you’re meeting wouldn’t even believe you. This blunder can easily be avoided. Just get a high quality watch. Having a good sense of time is practically the first step in time management.
The Perfect Mindset
It’s pressuring to know that you have a lot of things in your hand and it seems like you can?t even do anything about it. Don’t tip over.
Moreover, keep a ?be on your toes? kind of mindset as you maneuver your way into your busy life. Sure, there are times when you distance yourself from your organizer. For some, it is a painful reminder of the busy life they lead. It’s perfectly alright to feel some form of eternal urgency but take some time off once in a while. You must never neglect yourself in your list of priorities.
If you’ve picked some pointers about Time Management that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won’t really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don’t use it.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the creator of Auto Blog Feeder, an automatic blogging solution for WordPress
Watering of Your Vegetable Organic Garden
The best course of action to take sometimes isn’t clear until you’ve listed and considered your alternatives. The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what the experts think is significant.
Ninety-five percent of the structure of the plant is composed of water. Almost all of the processes of the plant involves water, and this is why watering is one of the more important aspects of effective gardening for your vegetables’ organic garden. Together with light and carbon dioxide, water helps accelerate the necessary processes needed in effective care of your plants.
With vegetables, you cannot afford to go wrong since this will provide nourishment to both animals and humans alike. Water also acts a supplementary source aside from rainfall.
An irrigation system is necessary to provide the required amount of water in your garden. The natural sources of water, namely, precipitation and underground water systems, are not often sufficient for the plants. Most of the time, human intervention is required to ensure that the plants will reach their maximum potential. The frequency of your watering is proportional to the average amount of rainfall that falls on the area under which your garden lies.
The type of soil also affects the quality of plants’ water retention. The soils made of clay are usually lauded for its excellent ability to hold water in, but sometimes it goes overboard, so caution is required. Sandy sieves require more assistance as they tend to slide off the water being placed on it. The addition of organic matter such as a composting mix also helps improve the ability to hold water.
Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there’s more to Organic Gardening than you may have first thought.
There are also other external factors affecting the nature of watering in your garden. During cold weather, the plants can easily drown in water and wilt. On the other hand, the plants require more water when there is a surplus of sunlight or humidity levels. The factors of wind and air movement can also move the water from the plants. Also, the type of plant can affect the capacity to hold water. More mature plants may find it more difficult to retain water than the younger counterparts.
When watering the plants, make sure that you are able to soak the soil thoroughly before doing anything else. Another thing to consider is observing the plants at different times of day. Usually, plants look more wilted at night time, but this is natural and won’t usually require excessive watering. The balance is usually obtained the following day. But if you see the plant wilted during daytime, it is best to soak it with water to avoid it from wilting completely.
Often, vegetables picked from well-watered plants last longer than their less watered counterparts. Unless you are growing a cactus, water need not be used sparingly. There are various ways to water your plants: by a sprinkler that is manually controlled or automated, by hose or other means. Often, the sprinkler is the most famous form of watering tool. Proper scheduling of the frequency of your water sprinklers’ operations will also ensure that your plants will be consistently watered at different times of day.
It is also recommended that uniform distribution of water be maintained in order to ensure that all the plants in your vegetables’ organic garden are well-cared for. Despite the need for frequent watering, also bear in mind that there is also a need to conserve water, so make sure that there are no leaks whatsoever beyond what your organic garden needs.
Is there really any information about Organic Gardening that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the creator of Auto Blog Feeder, an automatic blogging solution for WordPress
A Guide to Hawaii, Maui Car Rentals for Vacation Trips
When you think about Maui Vacation, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Maui Vacation are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.
It is vacation time once again. You’ve been dreaming of going to Hawaii, to Maui and have the vacation of a lifetime. You probably have spent days planning, setting up all the reservations, checking up all the sights, the possible tours and even writing down an itinerary in order to maximize your tropical vacation.
Everything’s set except for one: your car rental. Renting a car in your Hawaii, Maui vacation can be least of your priorities, but knowing what to expect is also part of the planning. So here’s a short basic guide on what to expect with Hawaii, Maui car rentals for your vacation.
Car rental prices in Hawaii vary, not only due to the make and model of the car but are also dependent on which time of the year you intend to travel, the number of days you’ll be vacationing in the islands, the time of pick-up and drop-off, and the rental company, to name a few.
June to August and the month of December are usually the months where car rentals rates goes up. These are summer months and December is the holiday season so a lot of tourists come to the islands to spend their days in the beach. In order to avoid the high rental rates in these months, you should decide early on if you would like to rent a car during your stay in Hawaii. Placing a reservation three months in advance would be ideal in this situation.
Ordinarily, the longer you rent the car for your vacation the better chance you get a discount on the rental charge. A week long vacation on the islands will usually get you the last day or the last two days of your car rental for free. A number of car rental agencies do this as their selling point.
See how much you can learn about Maui Vacation when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don’t miss out on the rest of this great information.
Also, it is good to note that car rental agencies in Hawaii charge additional hour rates. This is aside from the daily or weekly rates that you will be paying. So it is would be best to schedule your activities, drop off and pick ups within the designated day rates to avoid paying additional hourly rates. You’ll be able to save more money this way.
Convertibles and Jeep Wranglers fetch a higher rental rate because they are quite in demand. Likewise, rental charges for SUVs and various luxury cars are higher since the base costs of these vehicles are quite high in the first place. However, also take note that cars that have more seats for people such as minivans are more expensive as well.
The good thing in making car rental reservations in Hawaii is that most agencies will not charge you any cancellation fees. So you can make reservation during your early planning sessions and have it cancelled if needed. During the slow months, you can even see car rental companies slashing off their rates to attract last minute travelers.
However, it is still ideal to make plans and reserve a vehicle early. Car rental companies don’t have an unlimited stock of cars. The cost of acquiring cars for this kind of business is rather high. So you might have difficulties finding a rental a week before your vacation. Make reservations months ahead. Anyways, nowadays, reservations are made easy through online.
It is also good to know that rental companies located on airport ground are charged a concession fee by the airport which they pass on to consumers like ourselves. If you want to save a few dollars, you best to rental agencies that are situated outside the airport grounds.
As I mentioned earlier, these are just basic Hawaii, Maui car rental vacation tips. You can browse online to see more tips or ask your friends you have been in Hawaii for the best ways to plan your vacation. Take the extra effort, it’s worth it.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the creator of Auto Blog Feeder, an automatic blogging solution for WordPress
Get Quotes Fast for Air Ambulance Transportation Services
When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.
Air ambulance transportation is not a common service that everyone uses on a daily basis. This type of flight is not one that you can click on a travel website and get the cheapest fare available from city to city, or is it?
In non-emergency situations, patients and their family have time to prepare for special circumstances that may arise during medical treatment. If travel by air is necessary, but standard commercial flights are not available due to specific medical restrictions, the patient may require the specialized care from an air ambulance service. Customers can’t logon to well-known travel sites for price quotes and information, but options are available. By contacting air ambulance service companies, you will be able to quickly receive a price quote. Some air ambulance services will require potential clients to contact them by phone while others respond to email inquiries.
Many company websites for reputable air ambulance service will have a link to get an immediate quote. This option is great for families who want to privately compare prices and learn about each organization before bothering the air ambulance service with the details.
One of the best ways to get accurate quotes for air ambulance transport is by letting the companies fight for your business. Certain websites will allow customers to input the pertinent travel and medical information and let the companies send in their prices. From the comfort of your home, you can peruse the information at your leisure. Based on the price quotes from the air ambulance transport companies, you can then do a little more research on the organization to find the one that is right for you.
So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Air Ambulance. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.
When comparing price quotes from air ambulance transportation service companies, make certain that you are comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges. Find out what is included in each price quote. Does the air ambulance fee cover any and all ground transportation to and from the aircraft? Are family members permitted to fly in the air ambulance with the patient? If so, is this fee part of the price quote?
Another important factor to consider during this process is the type of medical care the patient will receive during the flight. Learn what type of staff will be on board the aircraft. Are there additional fees for specialized services such as a respiratory therapist or NICU team?
Before settling on a specific company, find out what type of aircraft will be used. For trips over 500 miles, a jet is recommended for patient comfort and speed. Air ambulance companies will vary their price quote based on the type of aircraft, so this is a major factor when considering cost.
In today’s high-tech world, it can be easy to enter a bit of information into a form on a website and retrieve valuable information. Let the internet save you valuable time and effort by effortlessly getting price quotes from air ambulance transportation services with just a few simple keystrokes. As companies compete for your business, you are assured a reasonable rate. With the extreme cost of air ambulance travel, this can be a great benefit to customers. Take advantage of the opportunity to find a great value from a company that meets your needs.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched CPA Cash Network, the ultimate CPA lead capture system!
Rabbits; an Exotic Animal that Could Benefit from Health Insurance that Insures Pet Medical Needs
The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with Pet Health Care.
Many pet owners enjoy the company and companionship of having a pet rabbit in the house. People are attracted to the idea of house rabbits because rabbits are not only playful and fun to watch they are also very social. Rabbits tend to appeal to people who like the size and feel of cats but are put off by the aloof manners cats sometimes display, most rabbits, if handled properly, are friendly all the time. Rabbit owners need to be aware that because rabbits are so social they need to spend allot of time each and every day playing with their pet rabbit. Rabbits that do not get enough attention can become depressed. Like cats pet rabbits are low maintenance and are easily litter box trained. Rabbits chew on everything, the best way to spare your furniture is to give your pet rabbit lots and lots of chewy toys. Rabbits and young children are not a very good combination, kid’s habit of grabbing and running around makes rabbits nervous and they can start biting, and rabbit bites hurt. If you decide to keep your pet rabbit in the house you need to be prepared to clean the litter box on a regular basis.
Rabbits need to be taken to the veterinarian on a regular schedule for routine vaccinations and check ups. Rabbit owners who keep their rabbits in the house recommend spaying and neutering your rabbit. Pet rabbits are not known for their willingness to take medications. If you have to give your pet rabbit liquid mediation you will need to use a syringe (just the syringe not the needle) or an eye dropper. I prefer syringes because it is easier to measure the proper dosage of medication. Holding the rabbits head and neck with one hand slide the syringe into the rabbit’s mouth behind the teeth, Check to make sure that the tip of the syringe isn’t stuck out the other side of the mouth, point the tip of the syringe towards the rabbit’s throat. Depress the syringes plunger.
See how much you can learn about Pet Health Care when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don’t miss out on the rest of this great information.
If your vet prescribes a medication for your rabbit that is in a pill or tablet form you are going to have to crush up the pill. Once you have crushed the pill into a powder mix it with a little bit of flavored Sustacal or Ensure until you have a watery paste. Use a syringe to administer the paste like a liquid medication.
It only takes being bitten by one mosquito for a rabbit to become infected with a severe viral disease call Myxomatosis. Most rabbits die just a few short hours after contracting the disease. The only way to treat Myxomatosis is to vaccinate your pet rabbit before it ever comes into contact with Myxomatosis. Rabbits should be vaccinated when they are six weeks old. Do not give a pregnant rabbit the vaccination; wait until her babies are born. Rabbits are still at risk for Myxomatosis for fourteen days after being vaccinated. Your pet rabbit will need booster shots.
Health problems commonly associated with rabbits are uncontrolled bleeding when injured, blood in the urine, broken bones, breathing problems, falling body temperature, and severe diarrhea. If you would like to purchase an insurance plan to help cover the cost of veterinary expenses for your pet rabbit you will probably have to look for an exotic animal policy offer by a pet health insurance company.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the creator of Auto Blog Feeder, an automatic blogging solution for WordPress
Acupuncture and Western Medicine
Nearly all of us have grown up with the same kind of medical treatments, and go to the doctor when we have a sore throat or a sore foot. American doctors, and in general, western medicine, have always been interested in the structure of the body, and how each individual organ structure should look when it is healthy. The tools western medicine have developed have been to see these structures better: the microscope, MRIs, and the x-ray camera. In contrast, Chinese medicine, the basis for acupuncture, has been interested in how natural forces, functioning both externally and internally, have affected people. Chinese medicine developed an understanding about how the circulation of blood and energy (called Qi) affect the state of health, and how seasons, emotions, and weather may disturb these flows. The result of this is that western medicine has developed a remarkable array of solutions based on anatomy, whereas the science behind acupuncture has developed many applications of a few basic principles based on physiology.
This study of health also is reflected in the analysis of body chemistry. Western medicine is again interested in the structure of many different fluids, and can tell you what the normal range for sodium ions is, or what shape red blood cells should and should not be. Chinese medicine and acupuncture focuses on Qi energy, the circulation of Qi, polarities (such as Yin and Yang), climatic conditions, and the connection between physical substances and energy. Chinese medicine considers fluids and tissues important, but mainly for their reactions to the more fundamental processes.
How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.
Western medicine also differs in a view of acceptable treatment. This can be seen by looking at how a viral infection is treated, where the main problem is the virus. Once the virus is rendered harmless, the patient is viewed as cured. In some special cases, such as transplant patients or HIV positive patients, there is considerable effort taken to address the immune system as well. The philosophy behind acupuncture considers that the most likely reason that the virus was able to flourish in the patient is due to an imbalance in the patient’s physical or emotional state, their personal habits, and possibly the climate. The virus is addressed, but the entire well being of the patient is much more important.
Another difference is in the way that Chinese medicine views emotional and mental problems. These have traditionally always been a part of any acupuncture diagnosis and treatment. An emotional imbalance may be a cause for a physical ailment, however, this is not looked upon as a “psychosomatic disorder” and dismissed. This emotional imbalance can also be treated with acupuncture, in order to restore the correct flow of energy, and hence the physical ailment and emotional ailment will both be addressed and treated. Western medicine has only started to treat mental illness as a component of physical health in the last thirty years, and again, by relying on such things as blood analysis.
Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and western medicine have all made great contributions to the healing arts. They come from two distinctly different viewpoints and methods of practice. Hopefully this discussion has given some insight into the differences between the two, and a starting point for thought the next time a health problem needs to be addressed.
This article’s coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.
About the Author
Have you visited Anders’ latest site yet? This one is great if you need new fresh Free Adsense Sites