This is an excerpt from my log book of my mission at the Tiziano Terzani hospital, Emergency, Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan (December 2007 - June 2008). Sunday, January 27, 2008 "..... But what does it mean to be a member of Emergency? And who in hell knows ... only one month to reply... But that's why you write, to write down in the memory emotions, events, objectives, and take a snapshot...read

If we ask what is meant by the term all communication, we find that overall there is a common understanding of its meaning, at the most confused with information, but if we ask what ethic means, particularly when applied to the field of healthcare, there is greater difficulty in finding a common definition. Most people would relate it with the testing of drugs, others to various ethics, penal, or...read

Nearly 12 million Italians are likely to spend a “sleepless” night with consequent impact on quality of life and physical and psycho-physiological functions. Insomnia is nothing but an experience of inadequate or poor quality sleep, which can manifest as difficulty of falling asleep or staying asleep, and can be occasional or chronic, if it lasts more than a month. It is important that...read

Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is the gold standard for patients hospitalized in intensive care who require long periods of mechanical ventilation. Several PDT techniques proposed over the years are based on the original Ciaglia description (1-3). An innovative technique of PDT, the Ciaglia Blue Dolphin ™, has been available for several months. It combines the expansive action...read

The loss of ovarian activity and of production of estrogen during menopause is responsible for different clinical manifestations, some immediate, others long term, causing not only the appearance of the typical climacteric symptoms, such as hot flushes, night sweats, changes in mood, vaginal atrophy and dyspareunia, but also a modification of glyco-insulin, lipid and bone metabolism, and an...read

On the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000, Pope John Paul II, addressing the doctors participating in the International Congress organized by AMCI, emphasized their activity as "noble service to Life". A mission that "puts you in daily contact with the mysterious and wonderful realities of life, encouraging you to bear the sufferings and hopes of so many brothers and sisters." The Holy Father...read

Society has always defined what is understood as a masculine or feminine. Several studies have, however, identified that the influence of social pressure on the construction of identities is greater on male than on female, resulting in a more marked and direct stereotyping of gender roles. Very often masculinity includes items such as social dominance, aggression and control, so that the...read

The indifference that is often manifested towards physical and mental handicaps should make us ponder, in order to adequately address neurological and psychiatric diseases. The welcome, the care and socialization towards the elderly suffering from dementia, are certainly an issue that is increasingly affecting today's society, and that should be broadened. It is important, therefore, to...read

Nature and well-being: association "to cultivate and preserve" The Argan (Argania spinosa - SAPOTACEAE - family to which the Karitè belongs to) is an indigenous plant of South Morocco. Argania forest covers about 800,000 hectares with more than 2 million trees, and is the last barrier against the advance of desertification. The Argan is known primarily for its oil that has long been used...read

This provocative title, once again, reiterates the aggressive attack by the media to Complementary Medicine and, above all, against Homeopathy. A few months ago, the magazine Famiglia Cristiana (Christian Family), has hosted the views of pharmacologists Silvio Garattini and professor Leonello Milani, scientific director of "La Medicina Biologica"( Biological Medicine), on the topic "Homeopathy,...read

At present, excess weight and obesity are issues for which a unique causative factor and a mechanism that supports them have not been clearly understood. For this reason the treatment of obesity is not based on a rational, but instead relies almost exclusively on a strictly empirical basis. In this case, help can be found in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and in Homeopathic Medicine,...read

The Garcinia Cambodia is a moderate sized tree belonging to the family of Guttiferae, which grows naturally in India, southern Indochina, Cambodia and the Philippines. Its leaves are dark and shiny, and its fruit is oval shaped, large, and covered with yellow or orange fleshy pericarp. The peoples of South India, because of its sour flavor, use it to flavor Curry, or use it in food preparation...read

Colitis is an inflammation of the mucosa of the colon due to many causes. Commonly, we use the term colitis to define sporadic episodes of diarrhea accompanied by abdominal pain. We shall focus our attention on spastic colitis, which is characterized by recurring episodes not related to biochemical and organic abnormalities of the colon: more appropriately we will talk about the irritable colon...read

A similar utility has recourse to the imagination. In hypnosis the capacity of human beings to become involved with imagination reaches levels otherwise unattainable, and this potential produces surprising results. Think of anesthesia for surgery or dental work obtained with hypnosis precisely with the help of imagination. The principle is that through the imagination you can create subjective...read