by Nicholas J. Fox (1993)
Postmodernism and post-structuralism challenge fundamental positions in social theory. This book sets out of the components of a postmodern social theory of health and healing, deriving from theorists such as Derrida, Deleuze and Guattari, Foucault, Cixous and Kristeva. The body of the patient is inscribed by discourses of professional "care" as well as by pain and suffering. Rejecting simple determinism, the author explores the character of this power - and how it may be, and is, resisted. The book illustrates with detailed examples how the organization of health care and the caring relationship itself are sites for this contest of power. Elements of feminist theory, and Derridean concepts of differance and intertextuality supply the framework for the politics and ethics of the postmodern position on health. Deleuze and Guattari's radical challenge to psychoanalysis and familial repetitions within the healer/patient contact allows a re-reading of central ideas in medical sociology. While focusing on the possibilities of postmodern social theory, the book demands a re-appraisal of issues of structure, identity and knowledge in modernist medical sociology. Modernist sociology - it suggests - has been complicit in the creation of "the patient" and of "health" and "illness". Written with an emphasis on accessibility, the book explores the practical consequences of postmodern theory as well as familiarizing the reader with the concepts of postmodernism.
Lissa Rankinn
"Not many people in the medical world are talking about how being afraid can make us sick--but the truth is that fear, left untreated, becomes a serious risk factor for conditions from heart disease to diabetes to cancer. Now Lissa Rankin, M.D., explains why we need to heal ourselves from the fear that puts our health at risk and robs our lives of joy--and shows us how fear can ultimately cure us by opening our eyes to all that needs healing in our lives"--
J. Kevin Thompson ... [et al
Body image is a powerful factor in how people feel about themselves. If one suffers from body image disturbance, it often leads to a host of difficulties, ranging from low self-esteem to bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and body dysmorphic disorders. Successfully integrating explanations from social, interpersonal, feminist, and behavioral-cognitive psychology, Exacting Beauty is packed with invaluable research, case histories and descriptions, and treatment guidance. Clinicians, practitioners, and researchers will value this book for its rich, up-to-date coverage of how psychology grapples with the troubling relationship between psychological health and body image.
Patricia Barnes-Svarney
"It's been said that every woman is a mystery waiting to be solved.... And for as long as women have been around, no one has unraveled the enigma that is the feminine of the species--until now. In this fun, fascinating head-to-toe female look at bodies, brains, love, sex, and shiny objects, the answers to the questions that have confounded humanity for ages are finally revealed! Within this book are the answers to more than one hundred often-asked questions about women. Here, science writer Patricia Barnes-Svarney offers insights into the minds and bodies of the fairer sex, such as... Why do pregnant women have cravings? How do the media affect a woman's brain? Why should women be concerned about germs? And why do women crave more sex in the summer? For women and anyone who wants to know more about women--or only thinks they know about women--Why Do Women Crave More Sex in the Summer? is guaranteed to inform, enlighten, entertain, and answer the questions women have always wanted answered"--
Victoria Holt
Every year, billions of dollars are spent on the beauty industry as women strive to keep young and look beautiful. Their desire for youthful beauty has become such an obsession that many feel compelled to inject their face with poison or risk their life with dangerous plastic surgery procedures. In her new inspiring beauty book, Victoria tells women to "put down that knife and get on with your life!" Spiritual Facelift is a spiritual guide to inner and outer beauty, packed full of ancient and modern-day spiritual wisdoms and techniques to help women naturally tap into their eternal fountain of youth, transforming both their bodies and their lives. Of her book, Victoria says, "It will deeply change the cellular makeup of everyone who reads it, helping them feel and look good from the inside out."