Islamic Faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Islamic Faith - Essay Example This was the beginning of Islam. One day, while was meditating in the cave, Angel Gabriel came on God’s orders and recited: â€Å"In the name of thy Lord who created, created man from a clot of blood† (Religion, 2012) The message of Islam was revealed by Muhammad to his friends and family at first. After that, as the number of revelations on him begin to increase, celebrating the oneness of God, preaching of Muhammad augmented. It was the destitute slaves who were revealed at first, but the revelations spread finally to whole of Mecca including the rich.The revelations are integrated in Quran, which is the Scripture of Islam. Not everybody at that time accepted the message of God brought by Muhammad. Even the people from his own clan rejected the teachings and message and many traders and merchants were on the forefront in opposition. However, the hostility helped to sharpen the sense of mission and understanding of religion brought about by Muhammad on how precisely Is lam is different from paganism (Religion, 2012) The paramount of Islam is belief in unity of God and this is the basis of religion Islam. The verses of Quran also stress upon the uniqueness of God, and warn people of warnings that God has given if they don’t follow the right path. Quran also announcing the punishment people will receive if they disobey God after their death. After the death, people will be judged among the rights and wrongs they did in the world and will be given punishment or great success by God as Quran promises. On the Day of Judgment, everyone will be gifted according to the deeds they performed on Earth. God will measure their faith and faithful will be rewarded while sinful punished. Polytheism is refuted in Islam as practiced by Meccans of that time (Religion, 2012) Five Pillars The five pillars of Islam are as follows: 1. Faith The faith is that there is no other god except Allah (God) who should be worshipped and Muhammad His messenger, or Prophet. The statement of faith is known is known as Shahada, an easy formula that faithful acclaim. In Arabic, first part of Qalima is la ilaha illa Llah which states there is no god except Allah (God) and the other part Muhammadur rasulu’Llah which means Muhammad is God’s messenger on earth (Islamic City, 2013). 2. Prayer Salaat is an Arabic name for Prayer is the compulsory prayer for all followers of Islam. It is the best connection between worshipper and God and also the shortest one. Islam negates hierarchy and prayers are led by someone who has profound knowledge of Quran. This person is chosen by the congregation. The prayer timings are dawn, mid-afternoon, noon, nightfall, and sunset. Prayers set the rhythm of entire day for a Muslim (follower of Islam). These prayers contain Quranic verses and are delivered in Arabic. Salat is an Arabic word which is also called Namaz (Islamic City, 2013). 3. Zakat One of the eminent principles of Islam say that wealth given to human beings by Allah is a trust upon them hold by Allah. The word Zakat means growth and purification. By giving Zakat, all the belongings of a man are purified as Zakat believes in giving others and is like giving water to plants where your reap good results, cutting money and balances encourages growth and prosperity for the people. Each Muslim (follower of Islam) calculates Zakat by himself or herself. For most reasons, the payment of Zakat is every year of 2 and a half year of one’s own capital. Zakat, according to Islam, keeps money flowing in a

Causes and Effects of Smoking Essay Example for Free

Causes and Effects of Smoking Essay â€Å"Smoking is bad for health†. It is a very familiar slogan that you can easy to see in all pack of cigarettes and in public places. However, there is a fact that, despite knowledge about smoking damage, the number of people who smoke is increasing day by day. Smoking causes many negative effects than people think. It affects not only health but also environment and society. First, smoking affects health of both smoking person and people around him. There are many dangerous disease germs in tobacco, so that health of people who smoke is threatened a lot when they smoke. According to World Health Organization (WHO), there are 200 toxic chemicals per 4000 chemicals in tobacco, and in these 200 toxic chemicals, there are about 40 chemicals cause cancer such as nicotine, monoxide carbon, benzene, ammoniac, etc. These chemicals have bad effect on nervous system, blood vessel and are the main reason of heart disease, cancer, memory damage. A study of WHO also shows that each day, average 5 million people die because of tobacco and this figure could rise to 10 million by 2020 if countries don’t have effective solution to restrict smoking. In addition, smoke is easy to spread in the air, therefore not only smoking people but also people around them are affected. That mean, when a person smokes, he is harming both himself and many people especially children. These people are call â€Å"passive smoking† people. Because immunize system of children doesn’t complete, they are easy to be affected by harmful factors from smoke. That’s why the threat of disease cause by smoke in children is higher than others. Some statistics in Vietnam show that about 60 -80 per cent children under 5 are affected by smoke. They are also easy to get some diseases like asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis if they usually contact with smoke. Smoking also has bad effect on environment. The tobacco manufacture releases an amount of waste including a lot of toxic chemicals such as oils, plastic, ethylene, glycol, nicotine, etc. These chemicals make water and soil as well as air in surrounding areas is contamination. In USA, tobacco manufacture is rank 18th in toxic industries. Each year, tobacco manufacture of the World releases about 300 million kilograms nicotine, one of toxic chemicals causes cancer and heart disease. Moreover, do you know that 95 per cent filter of cigarette made of plastic cellulose acetate? This chemical is very difficult to decompose and can’t recycle, so that it takes several years to disappear. In this time, this chemical may cause many effects on soil, water, even animal because some kind of birds and small animals confuse filter of cigarette as their food. Chemicals in cigarette filter make animals can’t digest and they may be killed by these chemicals. Not only health and environment but also society is affected a lot by smoking. First, smoking restrains economic development. Because of tax, tobacco is not cheap. In Vietnam, tax on tobacco is accounted of 45 per cent retail tax. It is supposed that a pack of cigarettes costs 10 thousand VND, so if a person smokes one pack a day; he has to pay 300 thousand VND a month for smoking. However, in fact, this is maybe much more money because some kinds of cigarette have higher price and with addicted people, a pack of cigarettes a day is not enough. For person got married, wasting a lot of money for smoking a month affects much on economics of family, especially poor family. Consequently, economics of a country cannot develop when economics of family doesn’t develop. In addition, another problem of smoking is medical burden. Smoking causes many diseases and also kills a lot of people. In Vietnam, each year, there are about 40,000 people die because of diseases related to tobacco. This figure is three times as much as people die because of traffic accident. Furthermore, each year, government has to spend a lot of money for health service in general and for treating diseases cause by tobacco in particular. In fact, expense for treating diseases cause by tobacco in Vietnam increases rapidly from 429, 8 billion in 2004 to 1160 billion in 2006, and in the future this expense maybe higher. It makes a big burden for government to solve smoking problem. There are not any benefits of smoking but serious effects in health, environment and society. It’s very important for people to realize the danger of smoking and give up it. That’s why WHO choose the day 31/5 is World No Tobacco Day. All of us join together to make a world without smoke.

Development of Language and Brain Support

Development of Language and Brain Support Speech production is a highly skilled behavior that requires rapid and coordinated movements of the orofacial articulators. Speech and language are often confused, but there is a distinction between the two. Speech is the verbal expression of language and includes articulation, which is the way sounds and words are formed. On the contrary, language is much broader and refers to the entire system of expressing and receiving information in a way thats meaningful. It is understanding and being understood through communication in the form of verbal, non-verbal, and written. As a matter of fact, speech and language acquisition are intimately connected and have traditionally worked in parallel. In order to interpret the meaning of the spoken sounds, a coding mechanism is provided with set of rules for the listener and it is not straightforward. Speech production is a complicated process that undergoes several stages. The first stage is known as premotor process which means that the thought process is generally lumped together. The new ideas are converted into linguist structure that requires selections of suitable words and phrases. The brain functions by assembles the sounds that are needed to make each of the words. Next is the second stage which is called as the mechanical process. During this process, the brain sends signals to make those sounds. The development of language and brain support some relation to each other as language develops with the increase of the brain cell connections. Although the specific language learned is completely determined by the environment, we cannot deny that the capacity to acquire language is biologically determined as well. Thus it is reasonable to assume there are some language function exists in the brain which enables language acquired is parallel with the development of human brain as a child grows. Thus, the critical period for language learning is regarded to be the biologically determined period in which the brain keeps its plasticity for acquisition of any language. Under normal situations, a child is introduced to language essentially at the moment of birth. The first 3 years of life is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills when the brain is developing and maturing. Brain development during childhood allows the brain to be shaped and the child is given an ability to grasp complex patterns, including those underlie speech. These skills develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others. As a child grows, they start to classify the speech sounds that form the words of their language. Plasticity for speech perception changes during childhood and adolescence, resulting in critical period for second-language acquisition. Once the natural critical period has passed without exposure to language, it will be more difficult to learn. The phenomenon of lateralization is extremely strong in humans. The brain of human beings consists of a left hemisphere and a right hemisphere, which different functions develop slowly in each parts of the brain as a child grows older. In the vast majority language areas are concentrated in the left hemisphere. The two major areas of human brain that are responsible for language are called Broca area and Wernicke area. Broca’s area is located in the left hemisphere and it is associated with speech production such as putting together sentences and using proper syntax. It is next to the area that controls facial muscle, jaw, tongue and throat function movement. If the area that controls movement is corrupted in any fashion, a person will experience difficulty in producing the actual sounds of speech. Our ability to articulate ideas, as well as use words accurately in spoken and written language, has been attributed to this crucial area. On the contrary, Wernickes area is the cri tical language area in the posterior superior temporal lobe that connects to Broca’s area via a neural pathway. Wernicke’s area is thought to be partially responsible for language processing or comprehension such as untangling and analyzing sentences, whether it is written or spoken. Other areas in brain that involved in language are those that surround the Sylvian fissure, a cleavage line that separates the portions of brain which are exclusively human. Many in the scientific community have posited that both speech and language are lateralize, which means, we use only one side of our brains for speech, which involves listening and speaking; and language, which involves constructing and understanding sentences. However, the conclusions pertaining to speech generally stem from studies that rely on indirect measurements of brain activity, raising questions about characterizing speech as lateralized. According to reseachers at New York University, speech is in fact bilate ralized. In simple words, the brain areas in both hemispheres are harnessed in making words. The specific areas are the bilateral inferior frontal and the inferior parietal, superior temporal, pre-motor and somatosensory cortices. Though both hemispheres of the brain are equal at birth, the function of language gradually settles in the dominant left hemisphere of the brain after biological maturation or the critical period which is proposed by Lenneberg (1967). Lenneberg concludes that the development of language is the result of brain maturation, which it holds that primary language acquisition must occur during critical period with the establishment of cerebral lateralization of function. A strong implication of this hypothesis is that the processes involved in any language acquisition which takes place after the age of puberty will be qualitatively different from those involved in first language acquisition. A commonly drawn, though not absolutely necessary, corollary of the CPH is that any language learning which occurs after the age of puberty will be slower and less successful than normal first language learning. There is a research obtained from people who suffered from brain damage also proved the evid ence for the lateralization of brains. A brain is said to lose its plasticity after the lateralization. Some case studies are reported on impaired brains before and after the critical periods. Adults who suffered brain damage in the left hemisphere fail to recover their language if they do not recover within five months, whereas children show an ability to recover fully if they were very young at the period of damage. It is said that even total removal of the left hemisphere did not remove children’s ability to reacquire a language. Consequently Lenneberg’s hypothesis is based on this period of lateralization, which language acquisition relied on the plasticity of both hemispheres and that hemispheric specialization was complete at puberty. If the language acquisition had not occurred by the time a child reached puberty, full mastery would never be attained. Knudsen (1999) distinguished a sensitive from a critical period, arguing that during a sensitive period, neuronal connections are particularly susceptible to environmental input, but later experience continues to influence neural development. In contrast, during a critical period, appropriate experience must occur to produce the neural connections necessary for normal function, and the resulting patterns are irreversible. During critical period, the neural system awaits specific informationto continue to develop normally(Knudsen, 1999). Thus, in both sensitive and critical periods, individuals are highly responsive to experience, but sensitive periods are ones in which later experience can also affect the individual, whereas during critical periods, experience is required for learning to occur and learning produces durable effects (Knudsen, 2004). Although phonetic learning can be affected by experience past childhood, phonetic learning exhibits the two principles cited by Knudsen fo r a critical period. According to Knudsen, a lack of exposure early in development to natural language, speech or sign results in the lack of normal language, and early experience with a particular language has indelible effects on speech perception. Phonetic perception might therefore be thought of as exhibiting a critical period in development. There are three stages of speech development. The first stage is known as social speech or external speech. Luria (1992) points out that â€Å"In no way is this speech related to intellect or thinking.† In this stage, speech is used to express simple thoughts and emotions such as laughter, crying and shouting. A child tends to uses speech to control the behaviour of others. For example: I want ball. The second stage is egocentric speech which is typically the type of speech found in a child of age three to seven. According to Lefrancois (1994), he states that this stage †serves as a bridge between the primitive and highly public social speech of the first stage and the more sophisticated and highly private inner speech of the third stage.† In this stage, the children often talk to themselves, regardless of someone listening to them. They are able to express and speak what they are doing as they do it, while voicing out loud in an attempt to guide their own behaviou r. The final stage of speech development is known as inner speech, used by older children and adults. It is an inner, soundless speech that includes communication rehearsal, rehashing conversations and imagined interactions with media personalities. This stage of speech allows us to direct our thinking and behaviour. Speech and language disorders Speech production is a complex process, involving a networked system of brain areas that each contribute in unique ways. Difficulty with speech can be the result of problems with the brain or nerves that control the facial muscles, larynx, and vocal cords necessary for speech. Likewise, muscular diseases and conditions that affect the jaws, teeth, and mouth can impair speech. Some conditions that affect speech are present at birth, such as inborn muscular conditions and congenital anatomical abnormalities; while others are the result of metabolic diseases, infections, tumors, or injury. Abnormalities of the vocal cords such as inflammation, polyps, cysts, and tumors can affect the pitch and quality of the voice. A number of different types of speech impediments can occur, and many terms have been used to qualify speech disorders. Aphasia is the loss of the ability to understand language, whether spoken or written, and occurs due to disturbances in the areas of the brain that are used in language processing. Benson (1967) has classified aphasia into two different types, which are Brocas aphasia and Wernickes aphasia (Jeanne, 1998). Brocas aphasia is also referred to as non-fluent or expressive aphasia. It is characterized by the loss of the ability to produce language. If someone has Brocas aphasia, they can still understand spoken language and read language, but they have a hard time speaking and writing due to movement problems. Typically they will talk using short phrases that make sense but they have extreme difficulty in moving their mouths and getting the sounds to come out. They also often omit words in order to shorten what they have to say. People who suffer from non-fluent aphasia understand the speech but because the cant get the words they want to say out they often get irritated and frustrated. People who suffer from Brocas aphasia also have right-sided paralysis or weakness that extends to their extremities. In contrast, Wernickes aphasia is characterized by superficially fluent, grammatical speech but an inability to use or understand more than the most basic nouns and verbs. Corruption of Wernickes area causes an individual to make meaningless sounds. Basically they can make do speech sounds, but they do not make any sense. In other words, damage to the the side portion of the brain may cause fluent aphasia. In most cases this kind of damage occurs in the left side, although it the damage can be caused from the right side also. People that have this left side damage or temporal lobe damage often talk in long sentences that basically are meaningless, they often add unwarranted words, and can even make up words. Therefore it is often extremely difficult to understand what a person with this disturbance is trying to tell you. The people that are affected by this disorder are usually unaware that they have it and usually have no weakness in their movements because their problem is not near that area of the brain. There are many other types of aphasia or speech and language disturbances and each form results from damage to different areas of the brain. Therefore it is hard for many neuroscientists to actually explain in words or pinpoint what area that truly conducts speech. References Jeanne, K. G. (1998). The fluency dimension in aphasia. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from http://aphasiology.pitt.edu/archive/00001131/01/27-13.pdf Knudsen, E. I. (1999). Early experience and critical periods. In M. J. Zigmond (Ed.), Fundamental Neuroscience (pp. 637–654). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Knudsen, E. I. (2004). Sensitive periods in the development of the brain and behavior. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/0898929042304796?journalCode=j ocn Lenneberg. E.H. (1967). Biological foundations of language. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.ling.fju.edu.tw/biolinguistic/data/course/biological_foundations.htm

Society and History of Class Struggles :: Shakespeare History Essays

Society and History of Class Struggles At first glance, sixteenth century Shakespearian drama and the nineteenth century dialectic philosophy expressed by Marx and Engels share no probable relationship to one another. Upon closer examination, however, developments in contemporary Shakespearian England illustrate that the social and economic centralization that generate the necessary characteristics of a proto-modern nation state were emerging in sixteenth century England. The unprecedented urbanized demographic shift created by the Enclosure Acts, which enabled the systematic destruction of the feudalistic relationship between the peasantry and the nobility; the emergence of a state sponsored market economy; the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the resulting ascendancy of English navel power; and the galvanizing image of English nationalism contained in the figure of Queen Elizabeth I all provided a compelling backdrop for the existence of modern class based antagonisms within Shakespearian dramatic theme s. In Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, a modernistic class-conscious theme develops around how several of the play’s characters manipulate sources of wealth in order to achieve social equality. The rise of international markets, readily available sources of credit, and the overall "commodification of English society" (Lecture, 9/3/03) had created a new commercial dynamic in Shakespeare’s era that gave form to a financial meritocracy never before possible in English history. Consequently, in Shakespeare’s play, the tension that results from the challenges presented to the status quo by the commercialization of society manifests itself through the exchange of gifts and debts between three principle relationships. In the characters of Antonio, Portia, and Shylock, Shakespeare illustrates that as a result of the commodification of society even the motivations for expressing generosity are now subject to a cost/benefit analysis. Variously stifled by the traditional limitations placed upon on them by their social positions, Shakespeare’s central characters in The Merchant of Venice seek to address their frustrations through an economic advantage, which in the end analysis, works to emphasize a connection between Shakespeare and the basis of modern class antagonisms. The relationship between Antonio and Bassanio exemplifies the business nature of friendship portrayed throughout The Merchant of Venice.

Hobbes’ Political Philosophy Essay

Hobbes argues that the state of nature is a state of perpetual war of all against all and consequently, the life of man in the state of nature â€Å"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short† (xiii, 9). In this paper I will explain Hobbes’ arguments that support his claim to the state of nature. I will also assess these arguments and state that they are not valid and, therefore, not sound. I will then talk about the most controversial premise, relative scarcity of goods, and how Hobbes would respond to the objections of this premise. I will then talk about his response to this objection being unsuccessful. Finally, I will assess whether it will be possible to leave the state of nature given the factors Hobbes describes that create the state of nature. I will show that Hobbes’ argument on how men will leave the state of nature is a valid and sound argument. According to Hobbes this war of â€Å"all against all† comes from three key points. First, Hobbes states that there is a rough equality among men. Hobbes means by equality of men, that one man is not strong or intelligent enough that he can overpower two men. Secondly, because of this equality between men, if there is competition for the same goods, men will begin to distrust each other. Lastly, Hobbes states that because of this mistrust there is a cascade effect. The anticipation of one man being attacked causes them to attack the other because they consider it a better option to attack, rather than wait and be attacked. According to Hobbes this leads to a war of all against all. This is an invalid argument and therefore unsound. I will show that this argument is invalid by showing that because of the equality of men there is a fear among men. The premise dealing with the equality of men makes this argument invalid because if all men were considered equal, then men would be in constant fear of one another. This is due to the lack of ability to overpower each other. They would be unwilling to attack each other because there is no assurance that they would win because of this. The most controversial premise is the one dealing with the competition between goods. The scarcity of goods does not necessarily have to lead to a competition amongst the goods. An example of this is the Native Americans. They could be considered to have lived in the state of nature, but they did not live in a state of a war of all against all as described by Hobbes. Some tribes had goods that other tribes did not have and vice versa. The tribes realized this and traded their own goods with each other. Hobbes might respond to this objection by saying that this is an invalid argument because it is relying on the premise that everyone is going to keep to their covenants in the state of nature. If people behave rationally and act on their own self-interest it would make sense that people would break their covenants after the other party has completed their side. They would break them because they would have more to gain This response would not be adequate because Hobbes also states in Leviathan, that if one side completes their part of the covenant then the other side should keep their part, even in the state of nature. If one were to not keep their covenant, then they may not be trusted to keep covenants by another group because of their previous breaking of covenants. Hobbes’ description of the state of nature as a state of a constant war of all against all is that it is not a literal state of every man against every man but more like a war of several small groups of family and friends against other groups of the same. The key factors that generate the state of war are equality of men, scarcity of goods, competition for goods, mistrust because of competition, mistrust generates anticipation of an attack, and therefore they arm and attack. Hobbes’ argument assumes that people behave rationally and act on their best self interest. If they act in their best self-interest in the state of nature it will cause them both to arm and attack each other rather than to disarm and have peace. They will do this because it is in their best self-interest. If one of them were to disarm and the other were to arm then the one who arms would have victory over the other who disarmed, who will have defeat. Rationally they would both arm and attack each other causing a war of all against all. In order to escape the state of nature men must first realized that it would be better if they compact together under a sovereign. They must then decided on a common sovereign and allow that sovereign to rule over all, despite whom each individual chose. I will show that Hobbes’ argument that gets men out of the state of nature is valid and sound. I will show this by taking the premise that men act on their own self-interest, and explain how it will lead to an escape of the state of nature. If men have the option, either to remain independent or compact together with someone else under a sovereign, and if men think rationally, then it would be in their best self-interest to live under the common interest and the protection of the sovereign. It is in their best self-interest because if they remained independent then they would be at a disadvantage because the others would have the backing of everyone who has compacted with the sovereign. Additionally, if there is a dispute between who is to be sovereign, even if it is not the one that they would prefer, if they behave rationally, they would decide to compact under the rule of that sovereign. It is in their self-interest to live under a sovereign even if they did not want them as sovereign, instead of reverting back to the state of nature. Assuming Hobbes is correct in stating that the state of nature is a war of all against all, it is shown that even with the mistrust between people, it will still be rational to compact under a sovereign to escape the state of nature.

Cloning morality essays

Cloning morality essays Currently with technology advancing rapidly in every aspect of life, is it possible that humans can recreate themselves. This big ethical and moral question is on the minds of almost every person in the world. Should we as a human race make duplicates of ourselves? There are several things to look at and to consider when making decisions based on God like proportions. There are health risks from mutation of genes. An abnormal baby would be a nightmare come true. The emotional risks could have a deep impact. For instance, the child grows up knowing her mother is her sister, her grandmother is her mother. Every time her mother looks at her, she is seeing herself growing up. There would be unbearable emotional pressures on a teenager trying to establish his or her own identity. What happens to a marriage when the "father" sees his wife's clone grow up into the exact replica (by appearance) of the beautiful 18 year old he fell in love with 35 years ago? A sexual relationship would of cou rse be with his wife's twin, no incest involved technically. There are always the risks of abuse of technology. With a God like technology like cloning, the risks could be less as risky as why someone would want a clone of someone else or of themselves. Reasons why people want human cloning may be rational or irrational. That is not the point. The fact is that a recent US survey conducted by CNN found that 6% of US citizens think human cloning could be quite a good idea. Just a few of the reasons people may want to clone could include bizarre ideas. A person may want to recover someone who was lost as a twin or just a reminder. Someone else may have infertility issues and rather than use donated sperm and eggs, why not use a cell of ones own self to give birth to "yourself", ones own twin? Other reasons would include: Eugenics - an attempt to improve the human race, Megalomania - a desire to reproduce one's own qualities, Assisting medical ...

How To Market A Brand New Feature With Kathryn From CoSchedule

How To Market A Brand New Feature With Kathryn From Organizing new product launches and telling customers about new features can be a daunting task. It can be difficult to know exactly how to market your products and features to your audience, and you might have trouble coming up with just the right language to attract the attention of your target audience. Today, were chatting  with s product marketing lead, Kathryn Nyhus. Kathryn helps organize product launches and comes up with the specific messaging necessary to speak to our varied customers. She’s a super-smart marketing nerd, which helps her fit right in with the team! Kathryn’s background and how it has helped her in her current position at . How Kathryn has helped get  more organized with the implementation of checklists and timelines. How the team comes up with speaking points for a feature. Some of Kathryn’s favorite techniques and methods of marketing a new feature. How segmenting helps the team tailor their marketing emails to the right audiences. How to continue to market a feature once the initial excitement of its launch fades. Kathryn’s best piece of advice for marketers who are launching a new product or feature. Links: Example of  recent product marketing:  4 New (Mind Blowing) Features Launching This Year + 3 You Should Already Be Using! If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud,  Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Kathryn: â€Å"Content marketing is the piece that builds the trust and attracts people and product marketing really starts to develop the relationship.† â€Å"Put yourself in the customer’s shoes of asking, Why do I care? Keep asking yourself, But why?† â€Å"Constantly be in contact with your customers.†

Abbreviations and Titles Used in College

Abbreviations and Titles Used in College Some abbreviations are appropriate in academic writing, while others are not appropriate. Below youll find a list of abbreviations you are likely to use in your experience as a student. Abbreviations for College Degrees Note: The  APA doesnt recommend using periods with degrees. Be sure to consult your style guide as recommended styling may vary.   A.A. Associate of Arts: A two-year degree in any specific liberal art or a general degree covering a mix of courses in liberal arts and sciences. It is acceptable to use the A.A. abbreviation in place of the full degree name. For example, Alfred earned an A.A. at the local community college. A.A.S. Associate of Applied Science: A two: Dorothy earned an A.A.S. in culinary arts after she earned her high school degree. A.B.D. All But Dissertation: This refers to a student who has completed all the requirements for a Ph.D. except for the dissertation. It is used primarily in reference to doctoral candidates whose dissertation is in progress, to state that the candidate is eligible to apply for positions that require a Ph.D. The abbreviation is acceptable in place of the full expression. A.F.A. Associate of Fine Arts: A two-year degree in a field of creative art such as painting, sculpting, photography, theater, and fashion design. The abbreviation is acceptable in all but very formal writing. B.A. Bachelor of Arts: An undergraduate, four-year degree in liberal arts or sciences. The abbreviation is acceptable in all but very formal writing. B.F.A. Bachelor of Fine Arts: A four-year, undergraduate degree in a field of creative art. The abbreviation is acceptable in all but very formal writing. B.S. Bachelor of Science: A four-year, undergraduate degree in a science. The abbreviation is acceptable in all but very formal writing. Note: Students enter college for the first time as undergraduates pursuing either a two-year (associates) or a four-year (bachelors) degree. Many universities have a separate college within called a graduate school, where students may choose to continue their education to pursue a higher degree. M.A. Master of Arts: The masters degree is a degree earned in graduate school. The M.A. is a masters degree in one of the liberal arts awarded to students who study one or two years after earning a bachelors degree. M.Ed. Master of Education: The masters degree awarded to a student pursuing an advanced degree in the field of education. M.S. Master of Science: The masters degree awarded to a student pursuing an advanced degree in science or technology. Abbreviations for Titles Dr. Doctor: When referring to a college professor, the title usually refers to a Doctor of Philosophy, the highest degree in many fields. (In some fields of study the masters degree is the highest possible degree.) It is generally acceptable (preferable) to abbreviate this title when addressing professors in writing and when conducting academic and non-academic writing. Esq. Esquire: Historically, the abbreviation Esq. has been used as a title of courtesy and respect. In the United States, the title is generally used as a title for lawyers, after the full name. Example: John Hendrik, Esq. It is appropriate to use the abbreviation Esq. in formal and academic writing. Prof. Professor: When referring to a professor in nonacademic and informal writing, it is acceptable to abbreviate when you use the full name. It is best to use the full title before a surname alone. Example: Ill invite Prof. Johnson to appear as a speaker at our next meeting.Professor Mark Johnson is speaking at our next meeting. Mr. and Mrs. The abbreviations Mr. and Mrs. are shortened versions of mister and mistress. Both terms, when spelled out, are considered antiquated and outdated when it comes to academic writing. However, the term mister is still used in very formal writing (formal invitations) and military writing. Do not use mister or mistress when addressing a teacher, a professor, or a potential employer. Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy: As a title, the Ph.D. comes after the name of a professor who has earned the highest degree awarded by a graduate school. The degree may be called a doctoral degree or a doctorate. Example: Sara Edwards, Ph.D. You would address a person who signs correspondence as Sara Edwards, Ph.D. as Dr. Edwards.

Assertive Community Treatment At Medical Center Essay - 1

Assertive Community Treatment At Medical Center - Essay Example According to the directive, the primary identified roles of MHICM teams include: initiative numerous efforts to reduce symptoms associated with psychiatric problems, ensuring there is increase in global assessment of functioning scores, be able to raise the level of patients’ abilities to complete their daily activities, and also be able to increase the quality of life for the clients, together with treatment needs that results into satisfaction (Rosen, Mueser and Teesson, 2007). The MHICM teams are further helped in accomplishing these tasks through the adoption of specified measure instruments such as the Dartmouth Assertive Community Treatment Scale (DACTS) (Bond and Saylers, 2004). When the teams have appropriated filled the DACTS results, they are required to send the instruments to the Northeast Program Evaluation (NEPEC) which eventually conducts the evaluation of the results (Bond and Saylers, 2004). In most cases, for the MHICM teams to be perceived or regarded succes sful, they should exhibit an overall fidelity of 4.0 +/- 0.3 score, which when compared to ACT constituter success of the program (Bond and Saylers, 2004). The ACT has led to the improvement of lives of people who initially demonstrate serious and persistent mental illness (Rosen, Mueser and Teesson, 2007). The model has advocated for the large-scale and holistic promotion of quality recovery and also empowerment of clients through diverse strategies of partnership, self-care, and determination and also an individual choice. At the same time, MHICM continue to play a critical role in ensuring holistic and qualitative care is provided for the diverse victims and that their lives improve in diverse dimensions. Nevertheless, even with these developments, it has been noted that there exists lack of or inadequate research work, which can be used by directors to have clear guidance on how well individual MHICM teams function and conducts its activities (Saylers et al., 2003).

A family affair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A family affair - Essay Example Such families need intervention by the social services to protect the child (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.84). As Broad discussed social institutions do not allow children to stay with their substance misusing parents. Kinship care, offered primarily by family members, is an option that allows the children to remain in the family atmosphere. Family members especially the grand parents can play a special role in such circumstances (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.86). On the other hand, various studies about the kinship carers in US have revealed their own social and financial problems. Kinship carers can be poor and illiterate. Kinship care, a blessing or a curse, is a matter of discussion according to Cuddeback (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.86). Also, because of the prebirth maternal drug abuse, children may have to face serious health and behavioral problems. However compared to non-kin care, kinship care is a more stable option as concluded by Beeman & Boisen (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.86). Barnard noted that support by family members protects kids from the consequences of the irresponsible and violent behavior of their parents. Moreover the parents who want to get rid of the drug problems can achieve this while their children are being taken of by the family members. On the other side, the presence of care takers frees the parents from their responsibility and they do not try to change their habits (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.87). Substance misuse can pass from parents to their children. It is a very serious matter of concern. Kids who face such problems at home in their childhood often fall prey to such a practice very easily in their adulthood. Inheritance is not the only reason for substance misuse, other factors such as social circle, economic or emotional troubles can also lead to the same. Parental conduct can be a reason of shame for the children in the society and can have adverse effects on their mental state making them vulnerable to other social

Economics of Competition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Economics of Competition - Essay Example The trend towards concentration had been present for the previous twenty years, but the 1980s were characterized, most notably, by the emergence of a small group of retail corporations whose turnover, employment levels, profitability and sheer market and political power came to rival the largest industrial corporations in any sector of the UK economy. Between 1982 and 1990, the market share of the top five grocery retailers increased from under 25 per cent, to 61 per cent of national sales, on one estimate, and a "super league" of just three firms began to separate out in terms of growth, profitability and annual capital investment. During years which have been described as the "golden age" of British grocery retailing, the immense oligopsonistic buying power wielded by the retail corporations came to condition all aspects of retailer-supplier relations, and created new corporatist relationships between the retailers and the regulatory state. Nowadays, there are many retailers who are trying to enter the competitive grocery market. However, it is difficult to gain substantial market share as the industry is very saturated and requires a lot of efforts for companies to become leading competitors. Below, the market share of the UK retail industry is presented. As we see from the table, only a few retailers present competitio... The "Others" that include hundreds of retailers constitute 14.3% and are relatively small shops that do not present a threat to the retails such as Tesco or Asda. The evolution of grocery industry and the competition in it reflects significant changes over the time. As we will see further in this paper, the competition in the grocery industry used to take place between the small shops which did not take a dominant position on the whole market of the country, but rather were located and competed on the small area. In present time, the situation is changed as big retailers try to capture the whole market of the industry. 2. Main grocery retailing competitors To understand how the competition of British grocery retailing evolved, it is first necessary to appreciate some of the key features of the retailer-dominated UK food system which emerged during the 1980s, for it was those features which drove that internationalization. Four features will be picked out. In practice these are intimately interconnected, but for purposes of discussion it is useful to separate them. In the early 1980s the top three firms-Sainsbury, Tesco and Asda-held a combined market share of around 20 per cent of national grocery sales. They had recently been joined by two other firms, the Argyll Group and the Dee Corporation (later Gateway), which were growing rapidly by takeover and merger. Between 1982 and 1988 the dominance of this "big five" group increased considerably. Their combined market share reached approximately 43 per cent by 1984 and 58 per cent by the end of 1988. By 1988, Sainsbury, the largest food retailer, had surged up the rankings of British companies by turnover, from 51st position a decade earlier, to 14th

The positive changes in the economy of the United States during Bill Research Paper

The positive changes in the economy of the United States during Bill Clinton's term as President of the United States of America - Research Paper Example Clinton also ratified a large deficit reduction plan. One of the main reasons why Clinton was so successful was because he had skilled financial advisers who encouraged him to create practical policy decisions. Clinton’s economic policies would strengthen the American middle class thus assisting low-income families to capitalize on opportunities to lift themselves from the state of disenfranchisement. Clinton’s economic policies also made it possible for grants to be supplied to the science, educational, and infrastructure sectors, while tackling bridging fiscal gap. These policies essentially made it possible for the United States to benefit from the economic success that it would experience in the 1990s. A robust middle class is necessary for any nation to become developed. A weak middle class group can cause the national economy to stagnate. To strengthen the American middle class, Clinton created policies which would help families to be able to rebound from temporary financial stresses. Clinton was lucky in this respect because his actions were supported by congress; which is something that few presidents are lucky enough to experience. Some of these policies included: The Family and Medical Leave Act - This regulation made it possible for parents to be able to benefit from up to 84 days of unpaid leave when they needed to care for sick relatives or their infant children. Business organizations could not dismiss workers who made the decision to take advantage of this act. Increased minimum wages - Congress, in 1996, agreed to a 20 percent increase for workers who subsisted on minimum wage. This meant that those who formerly earned $4.25 per hour would then start earning $5.15 per hour. This increase would positively affect approximately 10 million full-time workers (Wood, 72). This incentive would not impact negatively on American employers. The child tax credit - President

Critically discuss using empirical evidence, the various reasons for Essay

Critically discuss using empirical evidence, the various reasons for Foreign Direct Investment - Essay Example The effect of FDI on host economies has been the subject of extensive research. As pointed out by Hanson (2001), both theory and empirical evidence provide mixed results on the net welfare effect of inward FDI on recipient countries. The attitude towards inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has changed considerably over the last couple of decades, as most countries have liberalized their policies to attract investments from foreign multinational corporations (MNCs). In fact FDI has proved to be resilient during financial crises. For instance, in East Asian countries, such investment was remarkably stable during the global financial crisis of 1997-98. This crisis mainly involved four basic problems (CRS Report, 1998): Economists argue that the primary cause of the crisis was too much government intervention in economic activity, leading to misdirected and inefficient investments in both public and private projects. As an aftereffect of the crisis short-term capital inflows were viewed as unstable and thus dangerous; long-term capital movements were seen as stable and thus desirable. Therefore an emphasis was put on de-emphasizing short-term capital inflows and encouraging long-term capital inflows, especially FDI which was seen as directly enhancing domestic productive capabilities. There’s one school of thought which puts the blame for this crisis on FDI itself. They argue that the crisis had shown that over-reliance on FDI carried its own dangers. Rapid FDI inflows had been a major factor enabling these countries to maintain their overvalued exchange rates. No doubt such exchange rates helped keep domestic inflation under control, but they also increased East Asian vulnerability to specu lative attacks. And therefore it was the drying up of FDI, largely as a result of competition from lower wage countries (especially China) and the mobility of regional investment by

The propinquity of exploratory history and anecdotal history Essay

The propinquity of exploratory history and anecdotal history - Essay Example History can never express the last word, as it must be revamped, reevaluated with the expansion of new encounters and new viewpoints (Hall and Du Gay, p 12). Today Aristotle's perceptions are acknowledged with some reservation. In the event that history is the past's vocalization, then it contacts us through various types of determined realities that must rely on upon memory, and memory by nature approves vacuity (Adhikari, p. 45). Regardless of the historiographers' honorable endeavors in the nineteenth century, it has not been conceivable to separate all ties from narrating. The rebuilding activity of the past is as much a demonstration of creative ability as it is of recognition. Conceivable reports should be made to connect clear crevices. This is not an assault of history, but rather a liberal demonstration to give believability and congruity to it. The effect of history is at last through words. Be that as it may, words never introduce total implications; words keep on changing in connection to different words. An artistic student of history more than an exploratory antiquarian is persuaded of the obstinacy and delicacy of reality spoke to through words. Energy about the scholarly parts of history adds new measurements to our comprehension of it (Adhikari, p. 46). History can never be absolutely target as the antiquarian's subjective judgment is unequivocal (Adhikari, p. 48). The antiquarian has the privilege to request that in this appreciation he is not judged uniquely in contrast to the craftsman.

The positive changes in the economy of the United States during Bill Research Paper

The positive changes in the economy of the United States during Bill Clinton's term as President of the United States of America - Research Paper Example Clinton also ratified a large deficit reduction plan. One of the main reasons why Clinton was so successful was because he had skilled financial advisers who encouraged him to create practical policy decisions. Clinton’s economic policies would strengthen the American middle class thus assisting low-income families to capitalize on opportunities to lift themselves from the state of disenfranchisement. Clinton’s economic policies also made it possible for grants to be supplied to the science, educational, and infrastructure sectors, while tackling bridging fiscal gap. These policies essentially made it possible for the United States to benefit from the economic success that it would experience in the 1990s. A robust middle class is necessary for any nation to become developed. A weak middle class group can cause the national economy to stagnate. To strengthen the American middle class, Clinton created policies which would help families to be able to rebound from temporary financial stresses. Clinton was lucky in this respect because his actions were supported by congress; which is something that few presidents are lucky enough to experience. Some of these policies included: The Family and Medical Leave Act - This regulation made it possible for parents to be able to benefit from up to 84 days of unpaid leave when they needed to care for sick relatives or their infant children. Business organizations could not dismiss workers who made the decision to take advantage of this act. Increased minimum wages - Congress, in 1996, agreed to a 20 percent increase for workers who subsisted on minimum wage. This meant that those who formerly earned $4.25 per hour would then start earning $5.15 per hour. This increase would positively affect approximately 10 million full-time workers (Wood, 72). This incentive would not impact negatively on American employers. The child tax credit - President

The propinquity of exploratory history and anecdotal history Essay

The propinquity of exploratory history and anecdotal history - Essay Example History can never express the last word, as it must be revamped, reevaluated with the expansion of new encounters and new viewpoints (Hall and Du Gay, p 12). Today Aristotle's perceptions are acknowledged with some reservation. In the event that history is the past's vocalization, then it contacts us through various types of determined realities that must rely on upon memory, and memory by nature approves vacuity (Adhikari, p. 45). Regardless of the historiographers' honorable endeavors in the nineteenth century, it has not been conceivable to separate all ties from narrating. The rebuilding activity of the past is as much a demonstration of creative ability as it is of recognition. Conceivable reports should be made to connect clear crevices. This is not an assault of history, but rather a liberal demonstration to give believability and congruity to it. The effect of history is at last through words. Be that as it may, words never introduce total implications; words keep on changing in connection to different words. An artistic student of history more than an exploratory antiquarian is persuaded of the obstinacy and delicacy of reality spoke to through words. Energy about the scholarly parts of history adds new measurements to our comprehension of it (Adhikari, p. 46). History can never be absolutely target as the antiquarian's subjective judgment is unequivocal (Adhikari, p. 48). The antiquarian has the privilege to request that in this appreciation he is not judged uniquely in contrast to the craftsman.

Childhood Obesity Essay Example for Free

Childhood Obesity Essay Is There Any Need to Be Worried About Childhood Obesity? Catherine (Boyuan Zheng) ESLI Level 5P Is There Any Need to Be Worried About Childhood Obesity? 1. Introduction Childhood obesity is a major focus of the society and the public health officials. And childhood obesity trends have increased dramatically over the past several years (Staniford, Breckon, Copeland, 2012, p. 545). Overweight is measured by body mass index which is called BMI. According to the survey from the 2003 to 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), overweight increased from 7. 2% to 13.9% among children during 2 to 5 years old and from 11% to 19% among children who are 6 to 11 years old. And among 12- to 19-year-olds, the statistics of overweight increased from 11% to 17.1% from 2003 to 2004 (Faith, Kerns, Diewald, 2009, p.281). In the past several years, the statistics of childhood obesity has a dramatic global increase. Therefore, childhood obesity is becoming a more and more serious problem. According to Ebbeling, Pawlak and Luwing (2002), â€Å"[b]odyweight is regulated by numerous physiological mechanisms that maintain balance between energy intake and energy expenditure† (p.474). The factors that cause childhood obesity include four aspects: (1) Genetic, perinatal, and early-life factors, such as â€Å"five genetic mutations that cause human obesity have been identified, all presenting in childhood, and the BMI normally decreases until 5-6 years, then increases through adolescence†; (2) Physical activity, children who are lack of exercises are easy to be obese, for example, television viewing is thought to promote weight gain because of keeping sitting; (3) Diet, for instance, fast food almost comprises all of the potentially adverse dietary factors, â€Å"including saturated and trans fat, high glycaemic index, high energy density, and, increasingly, large portion size†; and (4) Family factors, the risk of obesity is effected by the parent-children inactions and the home environment, for example, many families like to eat in restaurants which tends to serve larger portions of energy dense food (Ebbeling et al., 2002, pp.474-476). Nowadays, chil dhood obesity is becoming more and more serious. It has been identified as a harmful epidemic all over the world, especially in the U.S., Brazail and China (CIA World Factbook, 2009, para.7). As childhood obesity causes many negative effects both on children themselves and on the healthcare system, it is important to pay attention to the possible solutions for childhood obesity. 2. The Negative Effects of Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity has negative effects on childhood life which include intelligent and health complications. In other words, obese children would meet many problems during their usual study and life. People need to concern the health complications which are associated with childhood obesity, including â€Å"Elevated blood pressure, hyperinsulinemia and glucose intolerance, respiratory abnormalities, poor body image, and increased adulthood mortality in females† (Faith et al., 2009, p.281). This reveals that childhood obesity has a significant negative influence on the maintenance of a healthy body, even in the future of childhood life. In addition, childhood intelligent quotient (IQ) is associated with childhood obesity. According to the research, â€Å"the FIQ [full intelligent quotient] and PIQ [performances intelligent quoient]of obesity in school-age children were lower than normal weight children† (Yu, Han, Cao, Guo, 2009, p.665). In other words, obesity would mak e children face problems such as depression, social isolation, low self-esteem and poor academic performance. Therefore, overweight children need to face more problems on health and intelligence than normal weight children. In addition, childhood overweight and obesity cause not only childhood life problems, but also the financial burden to the public health system. Obese children cost much higher publicly funded medical and pharmaceutical costs than normal weight children. According to Au’s research, â€Å"the financial burden of overweight and obesity occurs even during the first 5 years of primary school†, and â€Å"the prevention of overweight in children as young as 4-5 years could have significant economic (in addition to health) implications† (Au, 2012, p.670). This clearly shows that childhood obesity is the financial burden to public medical and pharmaceutical costs. Therefore, from an economic perspective, it is necessary to control the trends of childhood obesity. 3. The Treatments of Childhood Obesity From the negative effects that are talked about, I discuss that it is necessary to find effective solutions to solve the problems of childhood obesity. There are four solutions: (1) Diet modification, (2) Physical activity, (3) Psychotherapies for managing obesity, and (4) Parent participation. 3.1 Diet Modification Diet Modification is the most useful and effective pattern for obese children losing weight. What obese children firstly need to do is to change the dietary behaviors and keep healthy dietary strategies. As Faith et al. points out, â€Å"behavior modification strategies, such as behavioral contracting, stimulus control, and/or a specific dietary plan, are required to help children lose weight (Faith et al., 2009, p.291). This reveals that it is powerful and useful to make a healthy dietary component such as moderate caloric restriction and low-fat diets for overweight children. In addition, making good food choices is also a good way to control obese children’s weight. Epstein (1988) gives an successful manner to children weight loss, it is called â€Å"Stoplight Diet† which â€Å"effectively shifts the emphasis from calorie counting to making smarter food choice, monitoring portion sizes† (as qtd. in Faith et al., 2009, p.291). In other words, when people selec t food, they need to keep a balance on the energy intake and energy expenditure consumption instead of only focusing on caloric restriction. Dietary modification is a significant way of solving problems for childhood obesity, and it is also a healthy way for obese children. 3.2 Physical Activity In addition to dietary modification, increased physical activity is the other significant component of behavior treatments for overweight children. It suggests that exercise therapy is essential to the maintenance for losing weight. According to Epstein (1995), there are some â€Å"short-term effects of physical activity interventions on both children’s weight status as well as their cardiorespiratory fitness and other cardiovascular health benefits† (as qtd. in Faith et al., 2009, p.293). This clearly shows that physical activity is an effective way for obese children both on losing weight and keeping their important organs healthy. Furthermore, the therapy of physical activity for obese children is applied to physical education (PE) programs in schools. In the 2-year longitudinal investigation of elementary school  children, it shows that â€Å"an appropriately designed and administered PE [physical education] program can produce benefits for elementary school chil dren, not only by attenuating increases in percentage of body fat typical of children in this age group but also by enhancing numeracy development† (Telford et al., 2012, p.371). In other words, PE programs can be benefit both on keeping obese children’s weight losing and enhancing children’s capabilities of learning. To sum up, physical activity is an essential treatment for overweight children to lose weight and keep healthy. 3.3 Psychotherapies for managing obesity Furthermore, there is another one which is called psychotherapies for managing obesity which are accepted by many overweight children’s parents. Psychotherapies for managing obesity can effectively change people’s behaviors about their unhealthy lifestyles. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is the most useful therapy in psychotherapies for managing obesity, and it â€Å"does not focus directly on binge episodes or on reducing bingeing, but rather on the dysregulated affect that can trigger binge eating† (Taylor, Stonehocker, Steele, Sharma, 2012, p.15). In other words, DBT can successfully stop obese children from going on a binge, and help children to control themselves about their diet behaviors. In addition, there is another powerful treatment in psychotherapies for managing obesity. Taylor et al. also introduce motivational interviewing (MI) in their research, â€Å"MI is a strategy designed to enhance patients’ motivation for change and adherence to treatment and is fundamentally different from educational approaches† and â€Å"this type of approach may be particularly well suited to weight loss† (Taylor et al., 2012, p.15). In other words, in weight management, this behavior can make obese children follow plans for losing weight effectively, and make them insist on the strict diet component which helps them to lose weight. Therefore, psychotherapies for managing obesity can be successfully applied to solve the problems about childhood obesity, although this kind of treatments is controversial among parents. 3.4 Parent Participation Finally, the benefit of parental participation in childhood weight-loss processes has drawn attention from the whole society. In other words, Parental participation is a useful and effective pattern to solve the issue about childhood obesity. According to Golan et al. (1998), the research shows that â€Å"parental participation did not improve effect found for treating children alone. Although other data suggests that treating parent alone may be more effective for inducing child weight loss.† (as qtd. in Faith et al., 2009, p.295). This demonstrates that it would be better if parents take part in their children weight-loss programs, and they can make weight-loss programs effectively. In addition, parental participation can be better for obese children’s healthful eating. Faith et al. suggest parents that â€Å"[n]ever use food as a reward; establish daily family meal and snack times, offer only healthy food options; he a role model for children; and parents or caregivers should determine what food is offered and when, and the child should decide whether to eat† (Faith et al., 2009, p.295). This clearly shows that parents should focus on increasing praise for children’s healthy diet behaviors and activity choices. They also need to better plan the whole family eating and physical activity programs, and parental modeling. As a result, parental participation in childhood weight-loss programs has a positive effect for obese children losing weight. 4. Conclusion Childhood obesity trends have increased dramatically during the past several years, it is important for people to pay attention to the treatments of childhood obesity. There are four main reasons for childhood obesity: Genetic, physical activity, diet and family factors. These factors make children face problems about childhood obesity, and have negative effects on both childhood life and society. As a result, there are four useful and powerful solutions for children weight-loss programs: (1) Diet modification, such as change unhealthy diet behaviors; (2) Physical activity, which suggests children to do more excises; (3) Psychotherapies for managing obesity, which is a way to use the theory of psychology to cure obese children; (4) Parent Participation, which advising involves patents to take part in children weight-loss programs. Through the whole research, we see that childhood obesity is becoming more and more serious in contemporary society. It is necessary for parents, schools a nd the whole society to pay more attention on obese children’s health. At the same time, they also need to help them to face and solve the problems about childhood obesity. References Au, N. (2012). The health care cost implications of overweight and obesity during childhood. Health Service, 47(2), 655-676. doi: 10.111/j.1475-6773.2011.01326.x Ebbeling, C.B., Pawlak, D.B., Ludwig, D.S. (2002). Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure. The Lancet, 360(9331), 473-482. Faith, M.S., Kerns J., Diewald, L. (2009). Behavioral treatment of childhood and adolescent obesity. Body image, eating disorders, and obesity in youth: Assessment, prevention, and treatment (pp.281-301). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Staniford, L. J., Breckon, J. D., Copeland, R. J. (2012). Treatment of childhood obesity: A systematic review. Journal Of Child And Family Studies, 21(4), 545-564. doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9507-7 Taylor, V. H., Stonehocker, B., Steele, M., Sharma, A. M. (2012). An overview of treatment for obesity in a population with mental illness. The Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry / La Revue Canadienne De Psychiatrie, 57(1), 13-20. Telford, R. D., Cunningham, R.B., Fitzgerald, R., Olive, L.S., Prosser, L., Jiang, X., Telford, R.M. (2012). Physical education, obesity, and academic achievement: A 2-year longitudinal investigation of Australian elementary school children. American Journal Of Public Health, 102(2), 368-374. Yu, Z. B., Han, S. P., Cao, X. G., Guo, X. R. (2010). Intelligence in relation to obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews, 11(9), 656-670. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2009.00656.x

Menopause experiences of women living in karachi pakistan

Menopause experiences of women living in karachi pakistan This chapter presents the background of the study and the significance of the study to nursing. The study purpose, objectives and the study question are also mentioned in this chapter. Background of the Study World Health Organization (1990) reported that by the year 2030, about 1.2 billon women in the world will be at least 50 years old. It seems that in future we will have more women of old age. According to National Centre for Health Statistics (2003) womens life expectancy is now 79.8 years. Womens life expectancy has increased but their health status and quality of life is in question. To enhance their health status, the National Institute of Health (1991) developed an agenda for womens health research. The first National Institute of Working Conference (1993) recommended for research on menopause as menopause has become a dominant issue in the womens health and the quality of life of woman with menopausal symptoms is affected in various ways. In 1999, the National Institute of Health research agenda included attention to diverse population of women. After that, there was a breakthrough in researches on various aspects of menopause such as staging in menopausal transition, physiology , symptoms of menopause and their relationship. This therefore draws attention to the need to conduct more studies on the menopausal experiences of women living in developing countries, because women spend about one-third of their lives in the post menopausal period. Menopause is a physiological process, which takes place universally in all women who reach midlife. According to World Health Organization (1990) It is an important event that occurs within a long process of menopausal change, the period immediately prior to menopause (when the endocrinological, biological, and clinical features of approaching menopause commence) and at least the first year after the menopause (WHO 1980: 10), in which women move from the reproductive to the post reproductive phase of life as a part of the aging process (Kaufert, 1990; Lock, 1986). Menopause refers to the depletion of ovarian function which leads to stop menstruation and indicates the end of fertility (Lyons Griffin, 2003). All women in their midlife experience menopause but are difficult to determine what are their perceptions and experience as it is affecting womens life in various ways. Womens experience depends upon their socio-cultural norms and personal knowledge (George, 2002). Kaufert (1996) stated that menopause experience also depends on womens health at menopause that can be determined by various factors. These factors include: cultural attitudes towards health, disease, and medical treatments, their reproductive histories, the environmental conditions under which they were born and lived, their exposure to disease. According to the bio-cultural perspective, although menopause is defined as a biological event, the experience of this biological event is shaped by physiological and cultural factors (George, 2002). According to Lock (1986) menopause is of biological and socio-cultural significance; culture provides the ground where values, attitudes, and beliefs about mid-life are transmitted and where the woman attaches meaning to her experiences. Eastern women consider menopause as a natural process and view this life phase more positively as compared to Western women. According to Hafiz and Eden (2007) the differences in attitude between Eastern and Western women can be attributed to more cultural factors than to biological factors. Menopausal women from Asia experience less menopausal symptoms because their social status is raised in older age that the older women in the family are respected as wise matriarchs. They therefore develop positive attitudes toward the incidence of menopause. This is unlike the experience of European and North American women who report more menopausal symptoms and visit health practitioners more frequently. In their experience, the social status of older women in the West declines with age. Therefore, they lose their self-confidence and develop negative attitude. Women living in rural areas have unique needs associated with menopausal experience (Price, 2007 1m, 2008). Geographical and socio- cultural environment is quite different from urban population so they need special attention. Women living in rural areas are often ignored, isolated and have limited health care facilities. Pakistani women lack awareness of menopausal symptoms as well as its long term effects and outcomes but view it as natural and normal process of their life (Malik, 2008; Nusrat, et al, 2008). Although the literature revealed many key characteristic of menopause experience of women in general, there is limited information about the menopause experience of women living in Pakistan. In Pakistan few quantitative studies have been conducted on age, pattern, characteristics, attitude and symptoms experience of menopausal women under the umbrella of menopause (Malik, 2005 Nusart et al, 2008; wasti 1992; Qazi, 2006; Yahya Rehman, 2002). These all studies have utilized the survey questionnaire as data collection tool. In my limited search, none study has been conducted yet by using qualitative approach. Therefore, there is a dire need of qualitative approach to develop in-depth insight of menopause experience of women in Pakistan. Significance of proposed study to Nursing Life expectancy of women has increased and it seems that it will continue to rise because of the development of modern technology and scientific advancement. Menopause is inevitable for women who live long enough. This study would add knowledge in previously existed knowledge about the menopause experience of women living in Karachi, Pakistan. This study will enable nurses to understand menopausal women in better way and teach them the management of their menopausal symptoms and their effects as well as maintenance of their health status during this phase of life. Nurses would also be able to understand the contributing factors which can influence their experience. Working in different areas in different status, nurses, health workers, and LHVS nurse practitioner will be able to provide health education according to their socio-cultural context, arrange sessions on sharing the experience and guide them in managing their menopausal symptoms. Nurses who are working in the hospital or o ther health institute must make them aware of menopausal symptoms of in their middle age so they would be prepare to understand and able to manage their menopause successfully. It would add in previous research on menopausal symptoms experience and can expend the research and may help other in further research if they want to search some other aspects of menopause in the same context/ area of interest to search. Study Purpose The study intends to explore the menopause experience of women living in Karachi, Pakistan. Study Objectives The study objectives include: Firstly, to gain insight about the perceptions of women related to menopause. Secondly, is to find out the impact of menopause on women life. Thirdly, to explore the challenges menopausal women face and finally, to find out the strategies used to manage the challenges. Study Question What is the menopause experience of women living in Karachi, Pakistan? CHAPTER TWO Literature Review Menopause is naturally occurring process which all women throughout the world experience in their midlife. Menopause refers as the depletion of ovarian function which leads to cessation of menstruation and indicates the end of fertility (Lyons Griffin 2003). This section provides an overview of the literature reviewed, relevant to the study and highlights the research carried out on this topic. The forth coming literature is divided into different sections. First, is the physiology of human menstrual cycle and mechanism initiating menopause. Second, is the historical development of research support on menopause? Third, are the concepts or meanings of menopause? Fourth, is the factors affecting and influencing the menopause experience and finally, the comparison of studies undertaken in USA and South Asia. Physiology of Human Menstrual Cycle and Mechanism Initiating Menopause There are four (4) events involving in the hypothalamic pituitary-ovarian axis that control the human menstrual cycle: First, the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), responsible for the development of ovarian follicles and production of estradiol (Hiller, Reichert Van 1981). Throughout the menstrual cycle, estrogen maintains low gonadotrophin levels via its negative feedback effect on hypothalamic gonadotrophin releasing hormones and consequently lutenizing hormone (LH) and FSH secretion. (Yen,Tsai,Vandenberg Rebar 1972). Second, the FSH-induced increase in ovarian estrogen secretion to trigger an LH surge that is called positive feedback (Young Jaffe, 1976). Third, is the LH surge, a hypothalamic pituitary response to the estrogen stimulus? This positive feedback response of estrogen on LH secretion has been used as a test of hypothalamic pituitary function (Weiss, Nachtigall Ganguly, 1976). Final event is ovulation and leutinization of the follicles, triggered by LH surge, forming a corpus luteum. This is an ovarian response that results in progestrone secretion necessary for the establishment of a pregnancy (Vande et al, 1970). The onset of human menopause is thought to be caused by ovarian failure and follicles depletion. However, clinical symptoms and some of the recent data on menopausal woman suggest central nervous system involvement. (Weiss et al, 2004). The Study of Womens Health across the Nation (SWAN) was conducted to determine if the modification of hypothalamic-pituitary response to estrogen feedback mechanism occur in older reproductive-age women as a mechanism of onset of menopause. Three groups of women were studied who had estrogen increased and on LH surge, estrogen increased without on LH surge and neither estrogen increases on LH surge. Anovulatory cycles with high estrogen were frequent in older reproductive age women and there was an evidence of failure of the estrogen positive feedback on LH Secretion to initiate and stimulate ovulation. In anovulatory cycles follicular estrogen levels did not lower LH secretion as it was in younger reproductive age, there was decreased estrogen-negative feedback on LH secretion. It was concluded that there was hypothalamic-Pituitary insensitivity to estrogen, in aging perimenopausal women. Historical Development of Research Support on Menopause In 1993, the first National Institute of working conference recommended for research on menopause and in 1999, NIH research agenda included attention to diverse population of women. Seatle Midlife Womens Health Study was a longitudinal study conducted from 1990 2000 to study the FSH by Menopausal transition stages early, middle and late transition by the use of menstrual cycle calendar. Comparison of reproductive age and peri-menopausal womens cycles. Urinary estron and FSH level by menopausal transition stages late reproductive, early menopause transition and post menopause transition. Study of Womens Health Across the Nation (SWAN) began in September 1994. The purpose of the study was to describe the chronology, the biological and psycho-social characteristics of menopausal transition and the other purpose was to describe the effects of this transition on health and risk factors for age related chronic conditions. The emphases placed on multiethnic samples and community or population based samples. Swan study included daily hormone study over multiple years and annuals blood draws, interview, clinical exams and questionnaire. Multiple ethnic groups of women Africans, Chines, Japnese, Hispanis and White American were included in this study. The stages of reproductive aging work shop (STRAW) was held in Park city USA in 2001. The purpose of this workshop was to develop the staging system for the menopause transition. The benefits of this system are that the researches and clinician can compare cases and data across studies. Women would understand the timing and duration of the transition. This system has seven stages. Five precede and two follow the final menstrual period. Stages from -5 to -3 encompass the Reproductive Interval; stages from -2 to -1 the Menopausal transition and +1 to +2 the post Menopause (Soules et al, 2001). March (2005) A conference on management of menopause related symptoms was held by office of medical applications of research in USA to understand the symptoms and their correlation with menopause transition stage. Seatle midlife womens health study on charting the course of the natural transition to menopause for a population based sample of 35 55 years old white, Asian and African, American women ( n=375) in longitudinal study begun in 1990 and followed until 2006. Women provided daily health diary recording for 3 days per month. Monthly early am urine sample for endocrine analyses and annual health update symptoms rated from 0 (absent) to 4 (extreme). It was estimated that severity of hot flashes increased after the last menstrual period (FMP).There was an association between hormonal changes during menopause transition and the symptoms experienced by the women such as: hot flashes, sleep disturbance, depressed mood, anxiety, fatigue and vaginal dryness. There were some other factors associated with these symptoms severity. As physiology change so there are chances of developing the medical problems. SWAN studies ruled out the other diseases associated with menopause such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporoses. In the period of late and early menopausal transition there may be the the chances that the lumen size of the carotid artery becomes larger (Wikdman et al, 2008).Women experience a high incidence of depressed mood during late menopausal transition (Bromberger, 2007 ; woods et al, 2008). Concepts or Meanings of Menopause Menopause is a complex and significant phase of life that affects womens life in different ways globally. It is a life event that leads to physical as well as emotional challenges (George 2002; Lyons Griffen 2003). One can realize its impact on womens life as was identified by McCrea (1983) stated that in Victorian era menopausal women were used to view as aging women, with a decomposing body and an evil mind suffering from foolishness. All women experience menopause between the ages of 48 and 55 years (George, 2001), but it is difficult to determine how it is perceived by women. What does it mean to her? There is a dilemma attached to it whether it is consider as medical problem or as a life transition (James Deborah, 1997; Lyons Griffen, 2003). There are four main meanings or notions about menopause. First, is the biological or biomedical? Second, is the developmental and natural event? Third feminist notion, as natural female process and fourth, post modern which is related to physiological, social and cultural dimensions. (Gosden, 1985). A biologic definition of menopause refers to permanent cessations of menstruation resulting from loss of ovarian follicular activities and indicates the end of fertility. (Gosden1985). The last menstrual flow is the biologic marker that refers to a woman transition from a productive to non productive phase. Symptoms which are experienced by the women such as: hot flashes, perspiration, palpitation, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbance, forgetfulness, difficulty in concentrating and irritability also describes the menopause. Another aspect of biologic or biomedical view is the disease orientation to menopause which supports the use of hormonal replacement therapy (George, 2002). Changes in physiology seem to be experienced as symptoms that may require medical treatment. Until recently menopause has been viewed from a medical perspective (James Deborah, 1997). It seems that physician view menopause as a disease that must be treated. Menopause as a developmental and natural event considers as a part of womens life and taken to be normal. Menopause is often stressful but it doesnt mean that it is a disease. It should be perceived as a part of the normal developmental cycle. Life expectancy of women has increased now which indicates that menopause will now be seen as a normal event not a medical condition but as it is associated with specific health risks (osteoporoses and cardiac diseases) it is likely that physicians will continue to treat it and its symptoms. Menopause as a feminist notion that emphasizes that it is a natural female process. It can be taken as a change. If a woman understands this period as a change in her life pattern and she would try to adjust and cope with it (Lyons Griffen, 2003). Menopause as post modern notion believes that it is related to physiological, social and cultural dimensions. The meaning of menopause may be positive or negative it depends on the womans culture, the status of the women in the society as well as the physiological change that occurred as a result of menopause. Lyons and Griffen (2003) introduced another meaning and that is confusing and it is between the natural and disease construction. A woman has uncertainty about the menopause and it is the result of lack of knowledge and understanding. If menopause as taken confusing it produces anxiety and uncertainty which further complicate the complexity of menopause. Surgical meaning of menopause refers to the menopause as a result of surgical intervention (oophractomy and or hysterectomy) but the symptoms are same as natural menopause, however, the onset is abrupt and symptoms are more severe as compared to natural menopause moreover, physical and psychological symptoms are due to sudden hormonal change (Park 2005). Menopause may be viewed by women as natural or medical event; it may be confusing or challenging. The way it is perceived ultimately affects womans experience. There are many factors which can be attributed in the menopause experienced by the women. Factors Affecting or Influencing Menopause experience Menopause is a bio-cultural experience therefore bio-cultural factor such as environment, diet, fertility and genetic differences may be involved in the variations of menopausal experience (Beyene, 1986). Furthermore James and Deborah (1997) explained that a womans culture teaches her how she should respond to this event in her life. If a womans role is child bearing by her culture then she perceives her-self unimportant as menopause means the end of her role. George (2002) asserted that the menopause and how women experience it depends on her cultural norms, social influences and personal knowledge about menopause which influence the womans ability to cope with the menopausal period. Elliot, Berman and Kim (2005) added culture is embedded in all aspects of ones life and affects ones ideas, beliefs and ultimately affects on the menopause experiences. Ellen (2005) stated that women with infertility problem experiences menopause as normal and natural event after futile struggle for so long to become productive. Infertility was an abnormal event as it interfered with normal phase in life and menopause for them is a normal event that is supposed to happen so they take it positively. It is believed that each woman experiences the menopausal symptoms in a same way; however this is not the case. Avis (2002), Flint (1975), and Yahyeh and Rehan (2006) asserted that cultural differences also affect menopausal symptoms experience. The pattern and frequency of menopausal symptoms vary from culture to culture. Avis (2002) conducted a large cross sectional study for women aged 40-55 years across racial or ethnic groups of women in the United States for the comparison of menopausal symptoms. Result showed that across all five groups two consistent factors emerged. One was hot flashes and night sweats and the other psychological and psychosomatic symptoms. Caucasian women reported more psychosomatic symptoms; African American women reported more vasomotor symptoms. The pattern of finding argues against a universal menopausal symptoms syndrome consisting of vasomotor and psychological symptoms. On the other hand Im, Liu, Dormire, and Chee (2008) identified that white women b elieve that generational and life style differences are much more important than ethnic differences in menopausal symptoms experience. In a study of Indian women, Flint (1975) found that few women had any problem other than cycle changes. Lock (1986) found that Japanese Women did not have depression and also having low rates in vasomotor symptoms as compare to western culture women. In a cross cultural comparison of menopausal symptoms Avis (1993) reported the rate of almost every symptoms were lower in the Japanese than US and Canadian women. Price, Storey, and Lake (2007) identified that living in isolated environment and lack of social support system; women experienced more severe menopausal symptoms and experienced the loss of control on physical as well as psychological symptoms. It is conclude that the experience of menopausal symptoms is not same for each and every woman. They are influenced by ones socio-cultural back ground (environment, life style, knowledge, values, beliefs and the meaning of menopause perceived). It also affects the overall menopause experience of women. If the meaning of menopause taken negatively, the women will have more intense symptoms and face difficulty in managing herself as well as seek for medical treatment and experience menopause as a threat. Comparison of Researches: USA and South Asia. George (2002) conducted a study to explore the experiences of American women from diverse ethnic and socio-cultural environment. He found that the experiences of American women were not similar; they were all unique in their experiences. Some of them were having high intensity of menopausal symptoms but some did not experience any menopausal symptoms, some of them were confused as they were unaware of what to expect. Some experienced depression but some were feelings of relief from child bearing and monthly periods. Some were looking forward to future. In another online study of white midlife women Im, Liu, Dormire, and Chee (2008) identified that white women believe that generational and life style differences are much more important than ethnic differences in menopausal symptoms experience they are optimistic and try to cope with the symptoms. Women needed assistance with the menopause symptoms and were not satisfied with the guidance of the physicians use humor as coping strategy for menopause to increase their inner strength and motivate them to go through the hardship. Price, Storey, and Lake (2007) conducted a study on experiences of women living in a rural area of Canada. Researchers identified that women considered it as a change of life, and showed high concern about their general health and the changes their bodies under going. The women described the need to understand the intensity of menopausal symptoms (physical, psychological and social), including changes to their physical and mental well being. They need to receive reliable information. Menopause had significant impact on their personal relationships as they were unable to share their experiences with their husbands. Their coping strategies were social support and humor. Elliott, Berman, and Kim (2002) conducted a study on Korean Canadian women on menopause experiences. He found that they view menopause as a natural process and wanted to be fully aware about all aspects of menopause in order to control and cope with this phase of life. They were having difficulties in communication with health care professionals. They were reluctant to share their experiences with their husbands but they expressed the need to share their feelings with someone. Hafiz, Liu and Eden (2007) conducted a study on the experiences of menopause among Indian women. They identified that because of their positive socio-cultural ideas and attitude towards menopause they were not concerned about becoming menopausal and believe that it is a natural event same as birth and death. They experienced more physical and psychological symptoms rather than vasomotor (hot flashes and might sweat). He revealed that physical and psychological symptoms were higher in Asian women. Researches in Pakistan In Pakistan few quantitative studies have been conducted on age, pattern, and characteristics, attitude and symptoms experience of menopausal women (Malik, 2005 Nusart et al, 2008; wasti 1992; Qazi, 2006; Yahya Rehman, 2002). No qualitative studies have been conducted on menopause experience yet. Wasti et al (1993) conducted a study on the characteristics of menopause in three socio-economic urban groups in Karachi. The total samples size was 750 menopausal women. He found one in five women were symptomatic to poorest group but one in two the other groups. He found that fewer women had menopausal symptoms in his study but he admitted or hypothesized that menopausal problem will be most probably increase as life expectancy of women is increasing. He found mean age of natural menopause was 47 years of age. Yahya and Rehan (2002) conducted a study on age; pattern and symptom of menopause among rural women of Lahore will sample size of 130 women from 20 villages. He found mean age at menopause was 49 Â ±3. 6 years. Moreover the common symptoms were lethargy 56.4%) forget fullness (57.7%) urinary symptoms (56.2%) agitation (50.8%) depression (38.5%) insomnia (38.5%) ht flushes (36.2%) and dysparunea (16.9%). He concluded that the mean age of menopause was lower than the reported for Caucasian, but similar to Africa and South America but higher than Iran, Egypt and UAE. The frequency of symptoms was lower than observed among Caucasians, he suggested further studies on local buologies and understanding the socio cultural basis of these differences. Malik (2005) conducted a study on knowledge, attitude towards menopause and Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) among postmenopausal women in Karachi. The sample size was 102 post menopausal women. She found mean age at menopause was 147.4Â ±3 years. She found most of the respondent had positive attitude towards menopause and consider menopause as natural event lacked sufficient knowledge our menopause and HRT. Qazi (2006) conducted a study on age, pattern, symptoms and associated problems among urban population of Hyderabad. Sample size was 800 menopause women. He found mean age at menopause was 47.16. the marked climacteric symptoms were low backache headache, tiredness, lump pain, sleep disturbance and might swats were common menopause associated problems include Ischemic Heart Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes mellitus, post menopause that the symptoms and problems were different from other studies reported with in the country and abroad which may revealed socio cultural and dietary differences. Nusrat et al (2008) conducted a study on knowledge attitude and experience of menopause. The sample size was 863 menopausal women. She concluded that majority women consider menopause as natural event and have positive attitude but majority of the women were unaware of menopausal symptoms and health effects, the bothered by symptom but did not sought for treatment. The age at natural menopause according to Pakistani studies is between 45-51 years; mean age is 48 years (Malik, 2008, Qazi, 2006; Yahya Rehan, 2006). Some of the findings were similar in the studies which have been conducted in Pakistan. Pakistani women consider menopause as natural and normal phase of life and aging process. They have positive attitude to words menopause (Malik, 2005; Nusart et al, 2008; Yahya Rehman, 2002). These findings are similar with the findings of studies have been conducted in other Eastern countries women such as India, China, and Korea. The other finding that the Pakistani women are not fully aware of the menopausal symptoms and its health implication or its long term consequences on quality of life (Malik, 2008. Nusrat et al, 2008; Yahya Rehan, 2006). Majority of the women bothered with the menopause symptoms but because of positive attitude, poverty, and due to lack of awareness they do not go for treatment or consultation. Malik, 2008; Nusrat et al , 2008). Qazi (2006) identified many differences in his study especially in the prevalence of symptoms reported with in the country and assumed that these are because of socio-cultural and diet differences. In rural areas of Lahore, Yahyeh and Rehan (2006) found the prevalence of various symptoms comparatively lower than other Caucasian. Researcher suggested the need for studying local biologys and understanding of socio-cultural bases of these differences. Summary of the Literature The literature revealed important information about the physiology as well as the initiation process of this phenomenon. The various concepts and meanings perceived by different school of thoughts. The historical development in the research on menopause is also addressed. Factors which are closely involved in influencing menopause experience as well studies conducted on this topic are also highlighted. The Eastern women conceptualize menopause as natural process thats why they have positive attitude towards it as compare to Western women. They bothered by menopause symptoms but try to cope with it positively. In Pakistan quantitative studies have been conducted on this topic but this approach did not provide insight in to a womens understanding the need of qualitative research is required to explore the women experience related to this phenomenon. (George, 2002). CHAPTER THREE Study Design and Methodology This chapter focuses on the approach to conduct this study, the study design and rationale of the design, the study population, study setting as well as sample and sampling. Data making, data management, data analysis, study rigor and the study limitations will also be the part of this chapter. Study Design The study design which is selected for this study is qualitative descriptive-exploratory. According to Polit and Beck (2008) qualitative approach involves naturalistic pattern. Naturalistic methods of inquiry deal with the experiences of human complexity by exploring it directly. It emphasizes on understanding the human experience as it is lived. Qualitative study required for in-depth and rich information to understand the phenomenon. Furthermore Holloway and wheeler (2002) concluded that qualitative research is an objective way to gain knowledge about the subjective and holistic nature of human. Burns and Grove (2007) stated that the purpose of exploratory study is to investigate a specific concept about which little is known. It emphasizes on identification of factors related to a phenomenon of interest. As this study aims to explore the menopause experience, which is lived experience and there would not be one reality as each women experience would be different. Therefore a quali tative exploratory descriptive design is best suited to this study. Study Population The study population would be all women who are in their menopausal period, coming to Obstetric and Gynecologists outpatient department of Pakistan Naval Ship hospital, Karachi. The target population will be all the menopausal women who will meet the inclusion criteria, will be coming to Obstetrics and Gynecology OPD. Setting Pakistan Naval Ship hospital, Karachi will be selected as data collection site. Obstetric and Gynecologists OPD will be utilized for this purpose. This hospital was established in 1963. It is classified as a class A Pakistan Navys hospital. The total bed stren