Dr. Huggins and Dr. Levy assert that a large number of disorders are, though often incurable, easily preventable. He proposes that multiple sclerosis, lupus, leukemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson's disease, many mental disorders including Alzheimer's, and even major diseases like breast cancer are caused, in part, by the toxins we place in our bodies. Where do these toxins come from and how do they get into our bodies? You my be surprised to find that you have actually paid to have them put there. These dangerous materials--mercury, cadmium, beryllium, nickel, and others--are used in everyday dentistry to make up the fillings, root canals, and bridgework in our mouths, and are supposed to be "safe." But are they? Uninformed Consent presents cases of toxic poisoning--of depressed immune systems and inexplicable illnesses--to toxins entering the bloodstream from the heavy metals in dental materials. The authors also discuss the hidden truths that the dental industry in America doesn't want to talk about, and the real reasons the dangers of these materials have been suppressed and ignored. Dr.'s Huggins and Levy implore the reader: "Don't leave your health in your dentist's hands and assume that all will be fine. Become informed and take an active role in your health. Know what will be implanted in your mouth. You must decide at the outset what is more important to you--the life of a filling or your life." Uninformed Consent will give you the facts so that you may take responsibility for your dental--and complete--health and wellness.

Informed consent - the process of communication between a patient or research subject and a physician or researcher that results in the explicit agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention - is an ethical concept based on the principle that all patients and research subjects should understand and agree to the potential consequences of the clinical care they receive. Regulations that govern the attainment of informed consent for treatment and research are crucial to ensuring that medical care and research are conducted in an ethical manner and with the utmost respect for individual preferences and dignity. These regulations, however, often require - or are perceived to require - that informed consent documents and related materials contain language that is beyond the comprehension level of most patients and study participants. To explore what actions can be taken to help close the gap between what is required in the informed consent process and communicating it in a health-literate and meaningful manner to individuals, the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Health Literacy convened a one-day public workshop featuring presentations and discussions that examine the implications of health literacy for informed consent for both research involving human subjects and treatment of patients. Topics covered in this workshop included an overview of the ethical imperative to gain informed consent from patients and research participants, a review of the current state and best practices for informed consent in research and treatment, the connection between poor informed consent processes and minority underrepresentation in research, new approaches to informed consent that reflect principles of health literacy, and the future of informed consent in the treatment and research settings. Informed Consent and Health Literacy is the summary of the presentations and discussion of the workshop.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The story of modern medicine and bioethics—and, indeed, race relations—is refracted beautifully, and movingly.”—Entertainment Weekly NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM HBO® STARRING OPRAH WINFREY AND ROSE BYRNE • ONE OF THE “MOST INFLUENTIAL” (CNN), “DEFINING” (LITHUB), AND “BEST” (THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER) BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF ESSENCE’S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS • WINNER OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR NONFICTION NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Entertainment Weekly • O: The Oprah Magazine • NPR • Financial Times • New York • Independent (U.K.) • Times (U.K.) • Publishers Weekly • Library Journal • Kirkus Reviews • Booklist • Globe and Mail Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.

Informed consent - as an ethical ideal and legal doctrine - has been the source of much concern to clinicians. Drawing on a diverse set of backgrounds and two decades of research in clinical settings, the authors - a lawyer, a physician, a social scientist, and a philosopher - help clinicians understand and cope with their legal obligations and show how the proper handling of informed consent can improve , rather than impede, patient care. Following a concise review of the ethical and legal foundations of informed consent, they provide detailed, practical suggestions for incorporating informed consent into clinical practice. This completely revised and updated edition discusses how to handle informed consent in all phases of the doctor-patient relationship, use of consent forms, patients' refusals of treatment, and consent to research. It comments on recent laws and national policy, and addresses cutting edge issues, such as fulfilling physician obligations under managed care. This clear and succinct book contains a wealth of information that will not only help clinicians meet the legal requirements of informed consent and understand its ethical underpinnings, but also enhance their ability to deal with their patients more effectively. It will be of value to all those working in areas where issues of informed consent are likely to arise, including medicine, biomedical research, mental health care, nursing, dentistry, biomedical ethics, and law.

A scientific study of the political and economic factors influencing democratic decision making

The Preparation and Trial of Medical Malpractice Cases treats a case as a continuous process, from interviewing the client to closing argument. It offers comprehensive coverage of the questions surrounding health maintenance organizations, including case law on the right to sue an HMO as well as its participating physicians. You'll find discussion of: how to recognize a meritorious case; the doctrine of alternative liability; the evidentiary value of FDA approval or non-approval; the continuing treatment doctri≠ state statutes regarding motion practice; malpractice liability of alternative medical practitioners; the admissibility of evidence comparing physicians' risk statistics to those of other physicians; use of expert testimony to establish res ipsa loquitur in negligence; the modified standard of proximate cause when a physician's negligence exacerbates a patient's existing condition; violation of the duty to disclose information; contributory negligence in informed consent; distinguishing between medical malpractice and ordinary negligence; liability of nurses; and more. Appendices demonstrate how to analyze a medical brief, depose and examine the defendant physician, and elicit testimony from your own expert witness. Also included are a sample Bill of Particulars, a sample jury charge and a list of Web sites to assist your medical research.

The personal accounts in this collection were written by women who have undergone hysterectomies, and they offer a sobering perspective on the surgery. The potential risks and irreversible consequences of the surgery are presented to dispel popular beliefs that hysterectomies pose no medical or emotional risks. The stories and resources encourage individual women and the medical community at large to consider alternative and more effective treatment options. This replaces 0773762868.

Effective communication is at the heart of medical profession, whether it is patient-doctor communication, interpersonal communication, or communication with the scientific and research community. However, medical professionals are not adequately trained in these skills, and when it comes to presentations, the message is often lost due to inadequate preparation, ineffective slides, and a generally unconvincing performance by the presenter. This book addresses all aspects of the communication skills required by individuals entering medical school as well as professionals farther up the career ladder. Each chapter offers a quote or a statement that captures the essence of the text. Adopting a unique approach known an A, B, C, D and E (Assess Need, Brief, Contextualize, Describe and Evaluate) the book includes abundant illustrations, real-world case scenarios, anecdotes, tables, graphs and cartoons, as well as practical information, and tips on communicating effectively. As such it is a valuable resource for new and experienced clinicians, educators and researchers wanting to improve their communications skills.

This title was first published in 2001. This work is a uniquely multi-disciplinary contribution to the existing bioethical literature on the topic of informed choice of medical services. It is also the first comprehensive bioethical text to confront the central issue of power in the clinical encounter and to argue for statutory protection of the right to informed choice. While the majority of bioethicists argue for a conciliatory, rather than adversarial, approach to the chronic problem of uninformed consent, the author of this work argues that the external regulation of medicine is essential if the right to informed choice is to be protected. This argument is based upon an extensive review of the bioethical, legal, political, medical, sociological and philosophical literature, as well as a wide range of empirical and anecdotal evidence, evolving from a detailed exploration of power and the limits of rationality in the clinical encounter.

This book explores the challenges of informed consent in medical intervention and research ethics, considering the global reality of multiculturalism and religious diversity. Even though informed consent is a gold standard in research ethics, its theoretical foundation is based on the conception of individual subjects making autonomous decisions. There is a need to reconsider autonomy as relational—where family members, community and religious leaders can play an important part in the consent process. The volume re-evaluates informed consent in multicultural contexts and features perspectives from Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It is valuable reading for scholars interested in bioethics, healthcare ethics, research ethics, comparative religions, theology, human rights, law and sociology.