Degenerative Disease Research Paper

Alcoholism is an issue in many peoples lives. But for Native Americans it has become a very common issues effecting many people. Native Americans also affect more than health, issues like stereotyping and control come into play. Two authors decided to include the effects of alcohol in their works. By showing the affects of alcohol in Native Americans, people will be able to see the difficulties of the disease and try to overcome some of the problems.

The impact of various kinds of substances to cultural groups has historically been precipitated by the significance of particular substances on different cultural groups (Moore, 2010).This is mainly because the long term usage of these substances leads to the integration of the consumption of the substance into the cultural patterns of the given group. One such group that has been affected by the extensive usage of a particular substance is the Native American community. According to the Associated Press (2014, August 28), as noted on the MSNBC website, out of ten deaths among the Native American population, one is Alcohol related. Additionally, the prevalence of Alcohol consumption among the Native American population relates to

Nichea Spillane argues that “Alcohol use among American Indians is perhaps the largest health concern in many American Indian communities” (8). Even with free medical clinics, known as Indian Health Services, many Native Americans who live in cities or have left their tribal lands find it difficult to receive the medical care that is needed. This could explain why, “Uninsured American Indians or Alaska Native Adults were more likely than uninsured adults in the general population to have binged on alcohol in the past month” (SAMHSA 6). Study after study show the disturbing effects of alcohol on the American Indians’ health. From minor health problems to alcohol-attributable deaths, to mental health and suicides, there is no way to document all the damage caused by excessive drinking. It is documented that “…excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of preventable death and years of lost life in this population. During 2001-2005, AmericanIndian/ AlaskaNatives were more than twice as likely to die from alcohol-related causes, compared with the U.S. general population (Naimi et al. 940).

Since the arrival of Columbus in 1492, American Indians have been in a continuous struggle with diseases. It may not be small pox anymore, but illnesses are still haunting the native population. According to statistics, Native Americans have much higher rates of disease than the overall population. This includes a higher death rate from alcoholism, tuberculosis, and diabetes than any other racial or ethnic group. Recent studies by Indian health experts show that diabetes among Indian youth ages 15-19 has increased 54% since 1996 and 40% of Indian children are overweight. Even though diabetes rates vary considerably among the Native American population, deaths caused from diabetes are 230 percent greater

Carson, B., Dunbar, T., Chenhall, R. D., & Bailie, R. (2007). Social determinants of Indigenous health. Allen & Unwin.

Though American Indians are enjoying an independent public health system with above $3 billion funds provided by Congress annually for delivering healthcare services to them, still figure and facts on health status of American Indians reveal that they are facing many difficulties and have to suffer from diverse type of illness and disease at a misappropriate level. Since long it was identified by medical communities that there are wide spread diseases diabetes, alcoholism, tuberculosis, suicide, unintentional injuries, and other health conditions among American Indian and they are dying of these diseases at shocking rates (American Heart Association [AHA], 2010). Through this essay I want to discuss the healthcare status of American Indians in the perspective of their culture as how it impacted and lead to develop mistrust between amongst the medical community and American Indians.

Although tribes vacillate with regard to the use of alcohol and drugs, substance dependence is one of the principal sources of health problems facing Native Americans. As the graph below shows, there is a disparity in abuse.

Mexican-American has the highest use of alcohol use than other Hispanics of Latin decent. About 18 percent of Hispanic men and 6 percent of Hispanic women experienced at least one alcohol-related problem (Caetano, 1989), and Hispanic men encounter alcohol-related problems than African American and white men. The use of alcohol amongst Native Americans is greatly diverse. Not all tribes but some abstain from alcohol entirely. Native Americans were introduced to alcohol during the 19th century. Not being familiar with the substance the consumption of alcohol became a problem. Laws were made to prevent Native Americans from drinking but that law was repealed in 1953. Rates of heavy drinking are the highest amongst Native Americans, including Alaska Native (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2002), tribal groups differ. For example, the Pueblo tribe of southwestern U.S completely abstain from drinking, where as 42 percent of Ojibwa adults are heavy drinkers (Longclaws, Barnes, grieve, and Dumoff, 1980). Other groups drink

Alcoholism is one of our nation’s largest social issues to date, and carries with it many negative aspects, the most dire being death at the hands of this disease. Alcohol and alcoholism have been part of societies for centuries. This habit was brought over to the new world when the first settlers landed on the shores of what was to become America. Furthermore, in bringing alcohol to this new land an entire nation of Native American Indians were introduced to a product that has affected them more negatively than any other to date, and continues to suffer from today and probably well into the future.

Health promotion can be looked out differently within each ethnic group and can most definitely influence how one manages his/her own health. Within the AI/AN population, a lot of home remedies passed down from generation to generation exist, so seeking out traditional medicine isn’t really a main source of healing. The American Indian/Alaska Native resident may have a holistic view in which people community, nature and spirituality are interconnected and interrelated. This perspective views physical, spiritual, mental and emotional health in unity, instead of indiscrete categories. Sickness may be viewed as a result of disharmony between the

Your discussion is very informative and you brought up a lot of valuable information about the challenges in rural areas and American Indians. I agree, lack of transportation prevents the people from seeking medical help. The residents in rural areas lack the resources (transportation, healthcare services and workers) to comply in taking care of their health. Poverty and low education level are also widespread, which can make a huge impact on their health. Instead of eating nutritious foods, they might end up buying cheaper foods that are not as healthy. The government should focus in helping the American Indians and minimize the healthcare gaps. According to Harkness and DeMarcus (2016, p. 360), “federal, state, and local public officials

Degenerative myelopathy is an incurable, progressive disease of the spinal cord in canines that is described as being similar to ALS. A loss of communication occurs between nerves in the lower body, eventually making its way to the brain. The progression of this disease is variable, as the dog could be crippled within a matter of months, or it may drag on for a few years before any serious effects take place. There is no treatment that can stop or slow degenerative myelopathy, and as it progresses, the dog will either have to be euthanized or have long term palliative care. 43 breeds carry the gene responsible for this, including German shepherds, corgis, boxers, and standard poodles.

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among elderly people. What begins as a slow loss of central vision, over time, results in difficulty reading, driving and even recognizing the faces of loved ones. AMD not only makes doing everyday tasks impossible, it diminishes a person’s quality of life as well.

Health Disparities in the American Indian/ Alaskan Native Community Persist in the form of Health Care Access and Quality

Neurocognitive Degenerative Disorder (NDD), formally known as dementia, is a category of conditions marked by progressive or significant cognitive decline that leads to functional decline and loss of independence (Lewis, 2003; Wong & Leland, 2016). NDD includes Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s dementia, dementia due to Huntington 's disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus, and vascular dementia, with Alzheimer’s dementia being the most prevalent (Lewis, 2003; Simpson, 2014). NDD generally affects the elderly, and thus as the average age of our population continues to rise, the prevalence of NDD will increase right along with it, which calls for health care professionals to be trained in evidence-based interventions for persons with NDD, as well as increased research into cures and effective pharmacological treatments (Simpson, 2014). While there are some pharmacological treatments for NDD, in general they are only modestly effective and often have unfavorable side effects, and thus the treatments for NDD are currently nonpharmacological in nature (McLaren, LaMantia, & Callahan, 2013; Schmid et al., 2015; Wong & Leland, 2016). Occupational therapy (OT), rehabilitation that focuses on helping people be able to participate in meaningful activities of daily life, or occupations, is one approach to nonpharmacological treatments that has many evidence based-interventions for NDD patients ("Occupational Therapy Practice Framework" 2002). However, it is important to note that OT