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Owning the sun : a people's history of monopoly medicine from aspirin to COVID-19 vaccines / by Zaitchik, Alexander,1974-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Owning the Sun tells the story of one of the most contentious fights in human history: the legal right to control the production of lifesaving medicines. Medical science began as a discipline geared toward the betterment of all human life, but the merging of research with intellectual property and the rise of the pharmaceutical industry warped and eventually undermined its ethical foundations. Since the Second World War, federally funded research has facilitated most major medical breakthroughs, yet these drugs are often wholly controlled by price-gouging corporations with growing international ambitions. Why does the U.S. government fund the development of medical science in the name of the public, only to relinquish exclusive rights to drug companies, and how does such a system impoverish us, weaken our responses to global crises, and, as in the case of AIDS and COVID-19, put the world at risk? Outlining how generations of public health and science advocates have attempted to hold the line against Big Pharma and their allies in government, Alexander Zaitchik's first-in-kind history documents the rise of medical monopoly in the United States and its subsequent globalization. From the controversial arrival of patent-wielding German drug firms in the late nineteenth century, to present-day coordination between industry and philanthropic organizations-including the influential Gates Foundation-that stymie international efforts to vaccinate the world against COVID-19, Owning the Sun tells one of the most important and least understood histories of our time"--
Subjects: Medical care, Cost of; Medicine;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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So much for that / by Shriver, Lionel.;
"A novel about a crumbling marriage resurrected in the face of illness, and a family's struggle to come to terms with disease, dying, and the cost of medical care in modern America"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Families; Marital conflict; Medical care, Cost of; Sick;
© 2010., HarperCollins,
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Malady of the mind : schizophrenia and the path to prevention / by Lieberman, Jeffrey A.,1948-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."This brilliant portait of schizophrenia--the most malignant and least understood mental illness--by renowned psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman, Chair of Columbia's legendary Psychiatry department, interweaves cultural and scientific history with dramatic patient portraits and clinical experiences to impart a revolutionary message of hope: that for the first time in human history, schizophrenia can not just be effectively treated, but even prevented. Of the many myths and misconceptions that have historically obscured our understanding of schizophrenia, the most pernicious is that there is no effective treatment or cure. The reality couldn't be more different: the truth is that today's treatments have the potential to be game-changing--and often lifesaving. In this rigorously researched, deeply compelling biography of schizophrenia, Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman draws on his four-decade career to tell the story of the past, present, and future of this historically dreaded, often disabling illness. From his vantage point at the pinnacle of academic psychiatry, informed by extensive research experience and clinical care of thousands of patients, Dr. Lieberman describes how the complexity of the brain, the checkered history of psychiatric medicine, and centuries of stigma combined with misguided legislation and health care policies have impeded scientific and clinical progress. And yet, there is hope: by offering evidence-based treatments that combine medication with psychosocial services, doctors are now able to effectively treat schizophrenia. Even more auspiciously, early detection and intervention before the onset of psychotic symptoms can--thanks to decades of scientific work--not only suppress symptoms but also effectively prevent the outbreak of this disorder. A must-read for fans of psychological histories and anyone whose life has been affected by schizophrenia, this revelatory work offers a comprehensive scientific portrait, crucial insights, and, most importantly, hope for those afflicted"--
Subjects: Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Mind the science : saving your mental health from the wellness industry / by Stea, Jonathan N.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A clinical psychologist who regularly deals with some of society's most vulnerable exposes and debunks the predatory pseudoscience and grift of the multi-trillion-dollar wellness industry and points us towards a better way to take care of our mental health. Can the unbroken gaze of a lone man on a stage in front of hundreds of people truly alleviate their mental distress? Can Berlin Wall pills or a coffee enema cure depression? Can we improve our mental health with past-life regression therapy, cold-water shock therapy, rebirthing therapy ... try none of the above. Wellness grifters and alternative-health snake oil salesmen are everywhere these days, and when our medical systems are under stress (and we are, too!) these costly purveyors of false hope are worse than a waste of money, they can lead us to delay badly needed care from real professionals, exacerbate our conditions and, in the most tragic of cases, even kill us. Today, people looking to care for their mental health face a market with at least 600 "brands" of psychotherapy-and counting. Most are invalid, and many could be harmful. There exist countless unregulated providers of mental-health services in the $4.5 trillion USD wellness industry and alternative medicine community who market themselves as "life coaches," "wellness consultants," and-depending on particular countries and jurisdictions-other various non-legally-protected titles, such as "therapists," "psychotherapists," "counselors," and "practitioners." Looking to exploit people's financial and emotional vulnerabilities, anyone can call themselves a "therapist" without a license. The world of mental healthcare is very much caveat emptor: buyer beware. Having seen so many of his patients hurt by the pseudoscience circulating in the industry, Dr. Jonathan N. Stea is on a mission to expose its harm and protect the public from pseudoscientific mental-health misinformation. In a landscape of rampant burnout and at a time when mental health concerns are at a fever pitch, Mind the Science provides hope and real information to those who have been touched by mental illness, have been misled by false marketing, or are simply curious about the relationship between science and mental health."--
Subjects: Communication in medicine.; Electronic information resource literacy.; Mental health education.; Mental health;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Acceptance : a memoir / by Nietfeld, Emi,author.;
"A brilliant, funny, generation-defining memoir about the double bind of crafting perfect adversity narratives for highly selective institutions, while fumbling through the far murkier reality of actual life in foster care and inpatient mental health treatment As a child, Emi Nietfeld was caught between a hoarder mother who got her put on antipsychotic medication, but was also the only person to believe she was exceptional, and a state system exemplified by a foster mom who tried to ban her art history flash cards because they had naked pictures (of Michelangelo's David). Even after wresting free of grim inpatient mental health institutions and getting into a prestigious boarding school, Emi scrambled for places to sleep during breaks. Realizing that her path to true independence lay in reinventing herself as a talented overcomer deserving of a full ride, she became obsessed with college admissions. While taking on the sad challenge of presenting herself as resilient to gain authorities' approval, Emi lived the untidy version of actual adversity at the same time- literally drafting her Common App statement while living out of her '92 Corolla. She found herself "trading my past for my future" in college admissions essays and scholarship applications, in an extreme example of the immense pressure on teenagers from all backgrounds to build the foundations of their entire lives. Emi's story is a harsh illumination of the near-impossible challenge set by societal expectations of coming from nothing, the brokenness of our child welfare system, and the reality that congratulatory letters from top schools couldn't keep her safe - as she found when she was raped while on a trip following her Harvard admission. Though Emi learns that entering the Ivy League, working in Big Tech, and living in a fancy apartment doesn't mean her life turns into gold, her reflections on her unlikely history, and her journey in confronting trauma and injustice, hold powerful lessons. Candid and frequently harrowing, with a ribbon of dark humor, Acceptance is a stunning human story and an invaluable view of the actual cost of upward mobility"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Nietfeld, Emi.; Child welfare; Foster children; Social mobility;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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