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What measures can parents and advocates take to insure that people who have mental retardation live full, rewarding lives from infancy to old age?Understanding Mental Retardation explores a diverse group of disorders from their biological roots to the everyday challenges faced by this special population and their families.

Each year thousands are told they suffer from anemia, but most have only a vague understanding of the condition. In fact, "e;anemia"e; is a generic term that includes myriad specific diseases, each of which has its own story regarding cause, manifestations, and treatments.Understanding Anemia gently builds upon elementary knowledge of biology to provide the general reader with a fairly sophisticated understanding of the various causes of anemia, of the methods used to make diagnoses, and of the principles of treatment. The book begins with a definition of anemia and a brief history of the scientific study of blood. It explains how the doctor makes the diagnosis and details the main types of anemia. Since the different conditions result from the failure of various organs, the reader will come away with a surprisingly broad understanding of human anatomy and physiology, encompassing the digestive, circulatory, and immune systems, nutrition, biochemistry, and heredity.Features:Specific anemias: iron deficiency, vitamin deficiencies, hemolytic anemias, hereditary anemias, and othersHelpful appendices: a practical guide to the metric system, a brief review of general cell biology, a table of normal values in commonly ordered lab tests, a description of the bone marrow biopsy procedure, a list of pitfalls a doctor faces during the evaluation of the anemic patient, resources for further study (both in print and on the Internet)

At least one of every four people in America has had some experience with addiction--either personally or through a family member. Addiction and its consequences cost billions of dollars each year in direct medical costs, lost productivity, accidents, crime, and corruption. Yet as a disease, addiction is still largely misunderstood. Starting with the question "e;what is addiction?"e; Elizabeth Connell Henderson takes the reader through the many facets of this disorder. She examines the effects of addictive substances on the brain and reviews each of the major classes of substances. In the development of addiction, she looks at the genetic, social, and psychological factors. Henderson shows the effects of addiction on the family and guides the reader on a journey through the course of the illness and the process of recovery. Additional chapters deal with the problems associated with dual diagnosis--when addiction is accompanied by other psychiatric illnesses. Also chapters cover behavioral addictions such as compulsive overeating, pathological gambling, and sexual addiction. Covered are: Who becomes addicted and why? What are the properties of the major addictive drugs? What is the course of addiction? How does addiction affect the family? What constitutes recovery? What are the current trends in research? What organizations are available for help and how are they contacted? For the addict in recovery and for the family of the afflicted, Understanding Addiction provides crucial information to demystify this disease and provide clear guidance toward recovery. For human resource workers, attorneys, social workers, nurses, corrections officers, school counselors, and teachers, the book provides a framework of practical information for aiding individual sufferers and coping with their unique struggles.