We have worked hard and long to eradicate racism from our world but stigmatization is still prevalent in our societies; in fact health-related stigma is on the rise. One group of individuals affected by this social disqualification is the one suffering from Sickle Cell Disease. According to research, 1 in 365 African Americans suffers from Sickle Cell Disease (Hassel Kl, 2010) and it was the cause of 29,000 deaths globally in 2010. The clinical manifestations of SCD frequently lead to unexpected episodes of pain (Strickland O, Jackson G, Gilead M, McGuire DB, Quarles S, 2001) but the treatment depends on the healthcare provider, such as the nurses, who assess the patient’s condition and decide whether the pain is real and deserving of treatment (Maxwell KS, Streetly A, 1998). The trustworthiness of patients with SCD, especially young African Americans, is often questioned and the nurses label them as drug addicts (Maxwell K, Streetly A, Bevan D, 1999).
A myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is a diseased state in the heart that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart has been occluded or interrupted. This results in a state of ischemia in which oxygen shortage to the heart causes damage and potential death of the heart tissue itself (Black & Hawks, 2009). This is considered a medical emergency, and is leading cause of death in both men and women all over the world. Past history can play a major role and important risk factors can include a previous history of vascular diseases such as atherosclerotic coronary heart disease and/or angina, a previously suffered heart attack or stroke, any cases of abnormal heart rhythms and snycopal episodes (Hudson, M., Christenson, R., Newby, L., Kaplan, A., & Ohman, E. 1999). In men over forty and women over fifty, smoking, the abuse of illicit drugs, excessive alcohol consumption, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, high LDL and low HDL levels, obesity, and chronically high levels of stress can majorly increase the chances of a myocardial infarction (Black & Hawks, 2009).
An ischemic stroke is typically caused by excess buildup of plague on the blood vessel walls that narrows blood flow dramatically. A hemorrhagic stroke typically occurs when the blood vessel walls weaken over time, which leads to a bulge or rupture of the vessel. Aneurysm is the most common type of hemorrhagic strokes with a low survival rate. They also kill brain cells, which can never regenerate. The affect of strokes on the body can range between mild dizziness or slight numbness to impaired speech and loss of motor control.
The Ku Klux Klan Imagine living in a society in which friends, family and neighbors are murdered simply because of the color of their skin. What did they do wrong? They existed. This is the life of an African-American living in the southern United States throughout much of America’s history. The formation of the Ku Klux Klan was one of the major contributing factors to the long bloody struggle that was racism in America.
With angina comes shortness of breath and pain from beneath the breastbone, in the neck, and down the left arm. These symptoms can be confused with indigestion or associated with gallbladder issues (cite text). Cancer is another chronic disease that many people old and young face. 60 percent of all new cancers and 70 percent of cancer-related deaths occur in people age 65 and older (text). 22 percent of these deaths are due to cancer of the lungs, breast, colon and pancreas.
One of the major factors of chronic stress is poverty. This “toxic” stress causes various negative outcomes in childbirth, such as the delivery of premature, low-weight babies, as part 2 of this film discusses. Studies have shown that as the socio-economic status of the mother decreases, so does the health of her child at birth. Some experts suggest that it is this stress in the mother that causes African American infants to be more likely to suffer from developmental problems, such as cognitive, physical, and behavioral deficits (Jackson et al., 2010). Chronic stress, such as poverty, is a physiologic reaction to both physical and psychological stressors.
Racial Barriers in Medical Interventions for Depression in African Americans Toyette’ M. Hazzard EH 1020, English Composition II Professor Catherine Croston June 15, 2012 Toyette’ M. Hazzard Professor Catherine Croston EH 1020, English Composition II June 15, 2012 Racial Barriers in Medical Interventions for Depression in African Americans Introduction Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. Mayo Clinic (n.d.) defines depression as a medical illness that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Depression is an illness that can affect one’s mood, body and thoughts. It’s a chronic illness that usually requires long-term treatment, like diabetes or high blood pressure. Depression can lead to many different types of emotional and physical issues.
Herman Melville’s “Benito Cereno” contains many different underlying themes, one of which includes the evils of slavery. Melville shows this in Cereno as he “ attempts to strike a balance between people divided by race and class, thus speaking to the new multiracial readership of popular works on slavery” ( Melville 18). Slavery can bring out the evil in individuals when they try to gain dominate control over someone. The same can be said about the slaves about the San Dominick merchant ship. Babo, acting as the leader of the revolt, ordered the brutal slaying of any non useful sailors.
There are a lot of bad chemicals in cigarettes and other tobacco products. Those chemicals are bad for the smoker, and worse for those around the smoker. “Second-hand smoke exposure can have serious health consequences, particularly for infants and children, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), cause and exacerbation of asthma, increased respiratory tract infections, increased middle ear infections, low birth weights, and developmental impacts” (Business Wire, 2006). “Second hand smoke exposure has been linked in adults to elevated risk of lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, and breast cancer to cardiovascular disease, including heart disease” (Business Wire, 2006). “ There is no safe level of second-hand tobacco smoke exposure”(Pediatrics, 2010).
The cycle continues with Grange’s son, Brownfield, as he brutally abuses his wife and children—murdering his wife in the end. Ruth, Brownfield’s daughter, is able to beat the odds and break the sequence of domestic abuse and racism. Several factors prompt the victimization of women illustrated throughout the novel. The main force is the need for male dominance and power, a desire that results from societal oppression (racism), which the African American men face in the South. All of the characters victimized by racism, as well as domestic violence, are negatively impacted.