Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease The lungs are one of the most important organs in the human body. Without the lungs a person is unable to intake oxygen that is need to life. There are many problems that can develop within the lungs. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common lung diseases. This paper will discuss the epidemiology and pathophysiology of COPD. The pre-hospital treatment of COPD will also be covered. A detailed example of a field impression and treatment plan will also be illustrated. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease causes a person to have difficulty in breathing. There are to main forms of COPD; chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Chronic bronchitis is a long-term cough that produces mucus. Emphysema is the destruction of the lungs of a period of time. Most people that have COPD have a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. There are several causes of COPD, with smoking being the most prevalent. The more a person smokes, the more likely they are to develop COPD. There are also several causes of COPD in non-smokers. Patients who lack the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin can develop emphysema. Other airway irritants such as, exposure to gases and fumes in the workplace, second-hand smoke, and frequent use of cooking gases without ventilation are other potential risk factors. Again, smoking is the primary cause of COPD; however someone can be a lifelong smoker and not develop COPD. All diseases have a pathophysiologic reason as to how and why it affects the body. However, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, COPD does not have a clear pathophysiology. What is known about COPD is that the cells of the bronchial tree have been subjected to chronic inflammation. This inflammation is caused by smoking and other irritants that mentioned previously. When the cells of the bronchial tree are inflamed it causes the smooth muscles of the airway to constriction excessively. This hyperactivity causes the airway to become swollen, production of excess amounts of mucus, and decreased effectiveness of the cilia. As COPD progress, patients begin to have difficulty clearing secretions, which causes a chronic productive cough, wheezing and difficulty breathing. Due to the inability for the patient to clear the productive cough, mucus begins to collect in the airway. The collection of mucus is an issue because it collects bacteria and cause causes infections. B oth chronic bronchitis and emphysema caused airway obstruction. In cases of chronic bronchitis the airway is obstruction caused by the build-up of mucus describe previously. In cases of emphysema, the alveoli become enlarged an eventually destroy. This hinders the necessary exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has many negative effects on the body that impedes the body from respiring efficiently. Just like every condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has signs and symptoms that all providers the ability to both diagnosis and treat their patients. The classic signs of COPD include an ongoing productive cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, and tightness in the chest. These symptoms can appear both early and late in the disease process. If a patients presents with these symptoms early, then it is possible that they have not lost the ability effectively move air. COPD patients may also present with the following symptoms: difficulty catching breath, signs of cyanosis such as blue or gray lips and nail beds, alerted mental status, and tachycardia. It is important for the provider to have good assessment skills so that he/she picks up on these signs and symptoms. Most COPD patients that an EMS provider will come in contact with will already be diagnosed with the disease, thus making it important for the provider to obtain SAMPLE and OPQRST history. After the provider has concluded that this patient is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease it is time for treatment to begin. The treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is pretty straight forward in the pre-hospital arena. Due to difficulty breathing, the patient should be placed on high-flow oxygen via non-rebreather. The provider should keep a constant monitor on the patients pulse oximetry to issue adequate oxygen levels in the blood. If the patient is wheezing then a nebulized albuterol treatment is indicated. Albuterol dilates the airway, thus increasing air movement. The next step in the treatment plan should be obtaining intravenous access for medicine administration. A blood draw should also be performed at this time. The provider should monitor the patients ECG. If accessible the provider should also obtain a 12-lead ECG and monitor Capnography. If the patient continues wheezing after the initial albuterol treatment, a second dosage should be administered after ten minutes. If wheezing still continues, the provider should consider administering Solu-Medrol intravenously. Solu-Medrol is a parenteral steroid that attempts to lower the inflammation of the cells in the bronchial tree. If the patients pulse oximetry is below 90 percent on high flow oxygen via non-rebreather, the provider should consider use of positive-pressure ventilation. There are two types of positive-pressure ventilation, bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Since local protocols allow the use of CPAP, it will be used for the purposes of this paper. CPAP decreases the workload of the patient on inspiration. CPAP also keeps the alveoli open allowing better gas exchange. Fluid build-up in the lungs is another indication for CPAP. The positive pressure supplied by a CPAP device will push the fluid from the lungs back into the vascular space. CPAP is contraindication on patients with altered mental status and systolic blood pressure of less than 100. With the treatment plan listed above, the pre-hospital provider should be able to effective treat a symptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is disease that Emergency Medical Services provider will have to deal with on a daily basis in a busy locality. This is caused mainly by the high popularity of tobacco smoking in the United States over the last century. COPD can by a gateway to other medical issues in the body, such as congestive heart failure and infection. The effects on the body in COPD patients works like a chain reaction, inflammation causes fluid build-up, which causes airway compromise and possibly infection. Patients suffering from COPD should immediate stop smoking. The treatment plan describe above is straight forward and can provide short term relief in the pre-hospital setting. Like stated at the beginning of this paper Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a like changing disease that can destroy one of the bodys most important organs, the lungs, and if a patient is unable to breath, they will die!

Mexican Food

The increasing number of immigrant population in the US, is topped by the Mexican presence with more than 8.5 Million legal immigrants (Mexico’s National Council of Populations, Sept. 2001). The United States is therefore slowly inheriting traditions brought about by the oldest and newest Mexican inhabitants. One cannot even deny that anything to do with the Mexican culture has gained popularity in TV shows and advertisements endorsing Mexican products to radio programs playing guitars and crooning Spanish love songs. Mexican immigrants and their descendants are also becoming socially and culturally influential as their way of life seeps into the contemporary American politics, food and daily living that will soon redefine the nation’s identity. The demand for Mexican foods has increased and slowly becoming part of the mainstream culture and threatening to displace the long-time Italian and Chinese ethnic favorite foods. The unwillingness of Mexican immigrants to assimilate the American culture with strict preference over their own traditions (Smith, 1997: 112) is evident in their traditional choice of food in a new host country. As members of the leading minority group, Mexicans are coming out from obscurity and are collectively insisting a tangible conception of their democratic culture through cuisine (Rivera, 2006:4). This is creatively presented in their attachment to their native Hispanic Mexican foods that has created a common link between the Americans and Mexicans through the culinary arts. Mexican Traditional Food Mexican foods are becoming so popular and quite evident with the sales boost of salsa product outstripping ketchup sales in the United States. Tortillas are also becoming commonly needed in American palates with popular sandwich wraps replacing traditional breads (US, Levine; 2004: 32). American people are truly catching on the flavor of Mexican food that is intense and has varied spices (Wood, 2004:215). The original Mexican foods are rich in terms of proteins, vitamins, and minerals though it is characterized by some as spicy. Corn particularly presented in corn tortillas, plays a fundamental role in the Mexican cuisine along with beans as another major staple ingredient (Wood; 215). Such food staples are often boiled and fried. Beans are also high in fiber with an anti-oxidant benefit which is excellent against disposing unwanted cholesterol and for cancer prevention. Along with avocados used in salads, soups and other main dishes, hot chili peppers are mixed with most Mexican dishes which are mostly served fried to provide the characteristic spice for flavor mostly composed of jalapeno, poblano, habanero, cascabel and pasilla as the most common spicy ingredients. Protein-rich Mexican Diet In the Mexican food, cilantro or Chinese parsley is a very popular herb used in salsa and sauces. It’s composition of phytonutrients, flavonoids and acid compounds are known to help control blood sugar, lower cholesterol levels and fight infection with its antimicrobial properties. Along with fresh tomatoes in the Mexican salsas, they’re used in most sauces and soups. Its lycopene-rich composition is a potent antioxidant and a rich source of vitamin C, A and K. The papaya fruit is also a popular in the Mexican diet especially during breakfast which could be eaten as is or mixed with salsa. Papaya has been known to protect against heart disease, colon cancer and supportive to the immune system. It is also beneficial for digestion with its papain enzyme component particularly a good aid for digestion. When properly prepared, the benefits are well accepted in the human body with the best long-term effects. Food Preparation In Mexico, Mexican food preparation is fraught with traditional practices. In the preparation of salsa and tortillas and tamales especially during holidays, fire from the preparation is put out with either milk or butter and not water as a superstition of consistency in the food preparation is believed. As an ethnic group, Mexicans in the US do survive the ritual practices of religious and syncretic content, where the main offerings are food and beverages, such as mole during religious holidays like All Souls’ Day tamales or Saint Cross’ Day barbacoa (West, 1988:208) is upheld. These foods though take a lengthy preparation process yet in   Mexico’s different regions particularly in the rural areas during San Isidro Labrador’s feast day (West: 208),food is prepared as in a healthy manner and not merely fried with fat-rich oils. Mexican Cuisine adaptation in the US Mexican food demands created a major influence on American meals as shown by studies that Americans are currently eating Mexican foods four times more compared to 20 years ago (Wood: 216). Food chains are emulating the Mexican trend according to the Institute of Food Technologists (Dept of State, 2004) who claimed that Mexican food has almost doubled in popularity among people who cook regularly, from 44 percent in 1985 to 86 percent in 2003. According to them the weak link between the super-sized and super-fattened food sold as Hispanic or Mexican in the United States is the main problem as the Americanized version is loaded with calories. Further it is believed that as Hispanic people blend in with American culture, Hispanic would soon take in the food preparation and eating habits of the American people as they too are transformed into busybodies. While there is a mixture of both cultures in food preparation, the unhealthy element is retained as busy American-Mexicans hasten to prepare food faster fried in rich oils. Food and health relationships The traditional Mexican diet is advantageous but the American-Mexican is not! Staple as the main food composed of beans, corn and squash has a higher content of complex carbohydrates which is emphasized by the consumption of other fruits and vegetables. However when liberal amounts of fat are added through stewing or frying instead of baking or broiling, the purpose of a healthy diet is defeated. Fried foods which is a growing trend to a faster preparation needs fat-rich products which leads to obesity and contributes to diabetes, hypertension and a combination of these illnesses (Lisabeth and Kaplan: 2006). Cutting down on fat, sodium and sugar in the diet would ultimately reverse the effects. It would be beneficial if the carbohydrate intake could be increased by eating servings of bread, pasta, fruits and vegetables. Spanish rice can be served with potatoes and beans as well. Corn tortillas should also be made using whole wheat flour and made with unsaturated fats such as canola oil, soybean or corn instead of lard. Avoidance of too much soft drink would also spell health as the American-Mexican drinks more water. Corn chips are also health-wise when baked instead of fried and avoidance of salty foods would mean a modified healthful Mexican meal with flavored garlic, cumin, regain, cilantro and other spices. Works Cited Smith Robert. (1997). The City and the World: New York’s Global Future in Margaret E. Crahan, Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush (eds.). Council on Foreign Relations. Lisabeth, Lynda D. and Kaplan, Norman D. (2006). Mexican-Americans at Higher Risk for Second Stroke. Annals of Neurology, Sept. Rivera, John Michael. (2006). The Emergence of Mexican America: Recovering Stories of Mexican Peoplehood in U.S. Culture. NYU Press. United States. Department of State Reports.   (2004). Americans at the Table Reflections on Food and Culture. Diane Publishing. West, John. (1988). Mexican-American Folklore. Arkansas: August House. Wood, Andrew Grant. (2004). On the Border: Society and Culture Between the United States and Mexico. Rowman & Littlefield.

The Extraordinary Science Of Addictive Junk Food Essay

Food is an essential part of our life, to stay alive. Food is necessary for our bodies to develop, replace, and repair cells and tissues; produce energy to keep warm, move, and work; carry out chemical processes such as digestion of food; and protect against resist, fight infection, and recover from sickness. Food is made up of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The body cannot function properly if one or more of the nutrients are missing. It has been common today to dismiss that, the earlier a person starts to eat healthy foods, the more he or she will stay healthy. In the article, â€Å"The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food, written by Michael Moss, discusses how junk food is manufactured, the science behind taste and junk food addiction, and how fortune 500 companies struggle to maintain consumers happy. He starts the article by informing us about a meeting held by James Behnke, between many CEOs for their infamous junk food brands. The main purpose of that meeting was to discuss the raising numbers in obesity and how their companies were contributing to that increase and to try and convince companies to make a change. Some officers decided to stay and listen while some left because they didn’t want to hear the â€Å"nonsense† Behnke was saying. Should they attempt to make changes to their products or trick the consumers with advertisements promoting newer, healthier versions of unhealthy products? Moss found that many companiesShow MoreRelatedThe Extraordinary Science Of Addictive Junk Food1248 Words   |  5 Pagestoday is childhood obesity. A child is considered obese if that child is above the normal weight for their age and height. Childhood obesity is a â€Å"national epidemic† problem in America that needs major attention. 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Moss tackles the argument in a way of using rhetorical devices and figurative language to get his audience, which would be the consumers, to understand that the big companies that we’re giving our money to don’t care about our health, just whether or not we’reRead MoreThe Extraordinary Science Of Addictive Junk Food1743 Words   |  7 PagesIn the article â€Å"The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food†, the writer Michael Moss mentioned that growing weight problem happened in America has become a major health crisis issue. While people are talking about obesity, they care more about how much sugar, salt and fat they consume during a day, which kind of processed food does harm to their body. It seems that food companies have an inalienable relationship with consumers’ health conditions, because they provide us with what we eat. TheseRead MoreReview Of The Extraordinary Science Of Addictive Junk Food1853 Words   |  8 Pagesa defence mechanism that leads to either the destruction of our surroundings or new concepts in ways to make the situation better. In Michael Moss’s The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food, he reports on the growing obesity epidemic in the United States as a result of food manufacturers â€Å"conscious effort†¦ to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive† (Moss 262). Whereas, in An Elephant Crackup?, by Charles Siebert, we assimilate the fact that â€Å"elephant behavior isRead MoreMega Marketing : The Extraordinary Science Of Addictive Junk Food1679 Words   |  7 Pagesfactors. Some of these factors may include media, social groups, and pressure groups as well. 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If everyone knew how much brutality was required to meet the demands of the fast food industry, I like to think the public would simply not tolerate it and demand that animals stop being designated property in law. I find it impossible to believe that if people knew the reality that they would not want animals to have recourse to legal protections f romRead MoreThe Power Of Context By Malcolm Gladwell1579 Words   |  7 Pagesharmful to their dignities. Similarly, Michael Moss, the author of â€Å"The Extraordinary Science of Additive Junk Food†, talks about the extraordinary science behind tastes and junk food addictions, and how multinational food companies struggle to maintain their stomach shares in the face of mounting evidence that their foods are driving the health crisis, while the public knows this fact and still willing to buy the junk food. Therefore, according to three articles, the cognitive associations andRead MoreFood Safety Essay1109 Words   |  5 PagesPolicy and Solution 1. The problem with todays society is that there are two things that are required for human beings to live: food and water. When you think of it, just think of how unsettling is it that our main source of life is also our main source of sickness in countless people. Unfortunately our food consumption is causing significant problems in a lot of different ways. In the Untied States, according to the New York Times, â€Å"one in three adults are considered clinically obese, along

Gender Differences And Gender Inequality - 1717 Words

Gender differences and gender inequality are sometimes used interchangeably but do not refer to the same thing. The two concepts are common in gender literature; however, they are not uniform across different cultures based on the degree of conservative attitudes present. The significant differences between sexes and used as arguments against equal rights primarily against women’s rights. Hence, the gender issue has continually been created in light of the standard views or conceptions of gender. The views of sex are different across various cultures and social situations. Gender stereotypes and norms tend to reinforce the identities and constrain the behaviors of men and women in various ways leading to inequality. Gender inequality varies across different cultures creating social and economic stratification suggesting that women and men can be different but equal. This essay will talk about the relationship between gender differences and inequality, and how can women and men be different and equal. Description Gender Inequality Gender inequality involves unequal access to same rights or opportunities by gender. The aspect is present in most societies and males tend to be better positioned compared to women in the social and political hierarchies. Different organizations and prominent individuals have been on the front line to encourage gender equality by forcing the governments to eliminate inequality in various sectors, such as education. GenderShow MoreRelatedGender Differences And Gender Inequality Essay2348 Words   |  10 Pagescom/dictionary/institution). Taking this into account, that means that a gendered institution is one in which gender differences and gender inequality have become an established organization; or a custom, practice, or law that has been accepted and used by many people. Kimmel states that they reflect existing gender differences and gender inequalities, construct gender differences, and reproduce gender inequality by making those differences appear not to be socially produced but naturally produced (pg 318). Thus, genderedRead MoreGender Differences And Gender Inequality Essay2322 Words   |  10 PagesDictionary). Taking this into account, that means that a gendered institution is one in which gender differences and gender inequality have become an established organization; or a custom, practice, or law that has been accepted and used by many people. Kimmel states that they reflect existing gender differences and gender inequalities, construct gender differences, and reproduce gender inequality by making those differences appear not to be socially produced but naturally produced (Kimmel 318). 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