Repressed Memory Therapy: From 1 Different Sources
Also called recovered memory syndrome, this treatment was developed in the wake of the widespread exposure in the 1980s and 90s of the frequency of child sexual abuse. A controversial concept emerged in the USA, picked up later by some experts in the UK, that abused children sometimes suppress their unpleasant memories, and that subsequent PSYCHOTHERAPY could help some victims to recover these memories – thus possibly aiding rehabilitation. This recall of ‘repressed’ memories, however, was believed by some psychiatrists to be, in e?ect, a false memory implanted into the victim’s subconscious by the psychotherapy itself – or perhaps invented by the individual for personal motives.
In 1997 the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK produced a comprehensive report which was sceptical about the notion that the awareness of recurrent severe sexual abuse in children could be pushed entirely out of consciousness. The authors did not believe that events could remain inaccessible to conscious memory for decades, allegedly provoking vague non-speci?c symptoms to be recovered during psychotherapy with resolution of the symptoms. Supporting evidence pointed to the lack of any empirical proof that unconscious dissociation of unpleasant memories from conscious awareness occurred to protect the individual. Furthermore, experimental and natural events had shown that false memories, created through suggestion or in?uence, could be implanted. Many individuals who had claimed to have recovered memories of abuse subsequently withdrew and, often, non-speci?c symptoms allegedly linked to suppression worsened rather than improved as therapy to unlock memories proceeded. The conclusion is that recovered memory therapy should be viewed with great caution.
Therapy designed to help individuals improve their independence in daily living activities through rehabilitation, exercises and the use of assistive devices. In addition, such therapy provides activities to promote growth, self-fulfilment and self-esteem.... occupational therapy
A form of psychiatric treatment based on learning theory. Symptoms are considered to be conditioned responses, and treatment is aimed at removing them, regardless of the underlying diagnosis. Desensitisation, operant conditioning, and aversion therapy are examples of behaviour therapy. (See MENTAL ILLNESS.)... behaviour therapy
Psychotherapy in which at least two, but more commonly up to ten, patients, as well as the therapist, take part. The therapist encourages the patients to analyse their own and the others’ emotional and psychological diffculties. Group therapy is also used to help patients sharing the same condition – for instance, alcoholism or compulsive gambling. They discuss their problems for perhaps an hour twice a week and explore ways of resolving them.... group therapy
The treatment of speech and communication disorders.... speech therapy
Within a few years medical scientists have introduced into the domestic scene a steroid which has changed the whole course of female history. HRT has solved some basic medical problems by making good the loss of oestrogen in a woman’s body when menstruation is finished and her body learns to adjust.
A lack of oestrogen induces hot flushes, night sweats, thinning of the bones (osteoporosis) with possible fractures, and a wide range of physical and emotional disorders.
HRT also prevents the increased frequency of coronary disease which may follow the menopause. With oestrogen only, HRT appears to increase the incidence of cancer of the uterine body. Use of oestrogen and progestogen avoids this.
HRT is available as a tablet, transdermal patch, implant or topical cream. Most women notice temporary improvement in their appearance and hot flushes as long as treatment is continued. HRT is not prescribed by the herbal practitioner. Soya and Hops are a mild alternative.
Side-effects of such treatment include blood pressure rise, weight gain and periods probably continue with a monthly bleed. Elderly women taking HRT for osteoporosis may develop bleeding problems, the risk of blood clot and gall bladder diseases.
Helonias has proved a useful alternative, effective in eliminating excess fluids, reducing hot flushes, and relieving that bloated feeling, thus helping the older woman to live a normal life.
Damiana. 1 heaped teaspoon leaves to each cup boiling water; infuse 5-10 minutes; strain. 1 cup 2-3 times daily for 3-6 weeks.
Sarsaparilla. 1oz (30g) root in 1 pint (500ml) water; simmer gently 20 minutes; strain. 1 cup 2-3 times daily for 3-6 weeks.
Supplementation. Daily. Vitamin E, 400iu. Vitamin B-complex (high potency). Evening Primrose oil capsules, 500mg morning and evening. Dolomite, for Calcium and Magnesium, 2 tablets morning and evening.
Note: An extensive study of breast cancer risks with HRT revealed a positive link between the risk of cancer and length of use. Risk of the disease increased with all types of women using HRT with every year of use. Pre-menstrual women were more than twice at risk. It would appear that oestrogens cannot be taken without risk. (Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA) See: OESTROGENS. ... hormone replacement therapy (hrt)
A form of psychological treatment in which such an unpleasant response is induced to his or her psychological aberration that the patient decides to give it up. Thus the victim of alcoholism is given a drug that makes the subsequent drinking of alcoholic liquors so unpleasant, by inducing nausea and vomiting, that he or she decides to give up drinking. (See ALCOHOL; DISULFIRAM.) Aversion therapy may help in the treatment of alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual deviations such as transvestism, and compulsive gambling.... aversion therapy
The capacity to remember. It is a complex process and probably occurs in many areas of the BRAIN including the LIMBIC SYSTEM and the temporal lobes. There are three main steps: registration, storage, and recall.
During registration, information from the sense organs and the cerebral cortex is put into codes for storage in the short-term memory system. The codes are usually acoustic (based on the sounds and words that would be used to describe the information) but may use any of the ?ve senses. This system can take only a few chunks of information at a time: for example, only about seven longish numbers can be retained and recalled at once – the next new number displaces an earlier one that is then forgotten. And if a subject is asked to describe a person just met, he or she will recall only seven or so facts about that person. This depends on attention span and can be improved by concentration and rehearsal – for example, by reciting the list of things that must be remembered.
Material needing storage for several minutes stays in the short-term memory. More valuable information goes to the long-term memory where it can be kept for any period from a few minutes to a lifetime. Storage is more reliable if the information is in meaningful codes – it is much easier to remember people’s names if their faces and personalities are memorable too. Using techniques such as mnemonics takes this into account.
The ?nal stage is retrieval. Recognising and recalling the required information involves searching the memory. In the short-term memory, this takes about 40-thousandths of a second per item – a rate that is surprisingly consistent, even in people with disorders such as SCHIZOPHRENIA.
Most kinds of forgetting or AMNESIA occur during retrieval. Benign forgetfulness is usually caused by interference from similar items because the required information was not clearly coded and well organised. Retrieval can be improved by recreating the context in which the information was registered. This is why the police reconstruct scenes of crimes, and why revision for exams is more e?ective if facts are learnt in the form of answers to mock questions.
Loss of memory or amnesia mainly affects long-term memory (information which is stored inde?nitely) rather than short-term memory which is measured in minutes. Short-term memory may, however, be affected by unconsciousness caused by trauma. Drivers involved in an accident may be unable to recall the event or the period leading up to it. The cause of amnesia is disease of or damage to the parts of the brain responsible for memory. Degenerative disorders such as ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, brain tumours, infections (for example, ENCEPHALITIS), STROKE, SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE and alcoholism all cause memory loss. Some psychiatric illnesses feature loss of memory and AGEING is usually accompanied by some memory loss, although the age of onset and severity vary greatly.... memory
This comprises a photosensitising agent (one activated by light), which accumulates in malignant tissue, and a source of light that activates the photosensitiser, triggering it to generate highly reactive oxygen compounds that destroy malignant cells. One such photosensitiser is temopor?n. Photodynamic therapy is used to treat various types of malignancy; a recognised complication is photosensitivity, when a patient may suffer burns after transient exposure to sunlight. Photodynamic therapy is increasingly used and photosensitivity reactions may also become more common.... photodynamic therapy
This is a treatment in which patients are helped to reduce their levels of anxiety by reducing their muscle tone. It can be used on its own or in conjunction with a broader PSYCHOTHERAPY regime. The technique guides people on how to cope with stressful situations and deal with phobias – see PHOBIA.... relaxation therapy
The counselling and treatment of individuals with psychosexual dysfunction (see SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION). Around half of couples experience some type of sexual problem during their relationships, and for most of them the diffculties are psychological. Sexual therapy is usually given to both partners, but sometimes individual counselling is necessary. Couples may sometimes ?nd that group therapy is helpful. Therapy has proved e?ective especially for women with VAGINISMUS (spasm of vaginal muscles), men with PREMATURE EJACULATION or IMPOTENCE, and men and women who fail to achieve ORGASM.... sex therapy
See ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY (ECT).... shock therapy
The treatment of injury or disease.... therapy
See ECT.... electroconvulsive therapy
A form of psychotherapy that aims to promote greater harmony and understanding between members of a family, most often between parents and adolescent children.... family therapy
See rehydration therapy.... oral rehydration therapy
The application of computer technology to therapy.... computer-assisted therapy
See “day care centre”.... day therapy centre
The use of drugs to treat a medical problem, to improve a person’s condition or to otherwise produce a therapeutic effect.... drug therapy
See REPRESSED MEMORY THERAPY.... false-memory syndrome
See under MENOPAUSE.... hormone replacement therapy(hrt)
Sometimes called an intensive care unit, this is a hospital unit in which seriously ill patients undergo resuscitation, monitoring and treatment. The units are sta?ed by doctors and nurses trained in INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE, and patients receive 24-hour, one-to-one care with continuous monitoring of their condition with highly specialised electronic equipment that assesses vital body functions such as heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, temperature and blood chemistry. The average ITU in Britain has four to six beds, although units in larger hospitals, especially those dealing with tertiary-care referrals – for example, neurosurgical or organ transplant cases – are bigger, but 15 beds is usually the maximum. Annual throughput of patients ranges from fewer than 200 to more than 1,500 patients a year. As well as general ITUs, specialty units are provided for neonatal, paediatric, cardiothoracic and neurological patients in regional centres. The UK has 1–2 per cent of its hospital beds allocated to intensive care, a ?gure far below the average of 20 per cent provided in the United States. Thus patients undergoing intensive care in the UK are usually more seriously ill than those in the US. This is re?ected in the shortage of available ITU beds in Britain, especially in the winter. (See CORONARY CARE UNIT (CCU); HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT.)... intensive therapy unit (itu)
1 Treatment of pain, disease or injury by physical means. 2 The profession concerned with promotion of health; prevention of physical disabilities; evaluation and rehabilitation of persons disabled by pain, disease or injury; and with treatment by physical therapeutic measures, as opposed to medical, surgical or radiologic measures.... physical therapy / physiotherapy
See REPRESSED MEMORY THERAPY.... recovered memory syndrome
Treatment which aims to stimulate older people’s memories by means of old films, pictures, objects, music etc. It allows an older person to remember his or her life’s achievements and contribution and can enhance self-esteem.... reminiscence therapy
The diagnostic evaluation, management and treatment of the care of older persons with deficiencies and abnormalities of the cardiopulmonary (heart lung) system.... respiratory therapy
See IMMUNOLOGY.... serum therapy
Memory is known to be one of human’s best possessions, due to its ability to keep information, and to render it whenever necessary.
Studies reveled that a balanced diet may help improve the memory, by boosting the brain’s activity. People should consume a few types of food in order to keep their mental processes active all the time: herbs, especially rosemary, herbal teas, fruit and vegetables (apples, blueberries, grapes, eggplant, red onion, broccoli, lettuce and spinach), fish and nuts and desserts sweetened with honey. The nutrients, polyphenols and anti-oxidant agents contained by these types of food are not made by the human body, but they are vital for the cognitive development.
As tea for Memory, Green tea and Ginkgo Biloba tea have proven their efficiency in dealing with a large array of memory-related ailments.
How Tea for Memory works
Tea for Memory usually improves memory, relaxing the mind and keeping it focused. Also, it may prevent memory loss.
Efficient Teas for Memory
Green Tea is said to be a tea for memory. It may boost mental alertness, by enhancing memory. An amino-acid contained by the plant’s leaves is responsible for reducing stress and promoting relaxation, thus improving the quality of sleep. The lack of sleep may cause serious ailments.
Nowadays, the extract of green tea is found in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and it is highly recommended in order to prevent this disease.
Green tea can also be taken as capsules.
To prepare Green Tea, addtwo grams of tea per 100ml of water, or one teaspoon of green tea per five ounce cup. You may drink it twice a day, sweetened or not.
Ginkgo Biloba tea has a long history in the Chinese traditional medicine. The extract stimulates blood and peripheral arterial circulation, successfully improving memory as well as mental alertness. Also, it is used as a supplement in Alzheimer’s disease.
To prepare Ginkgo Biloba tea, add a teaspoon of dried plant to a cup of boiling water. Steep it for 9-10 minutes. Strain it. Drink it slowly.
Tea for Memory: Side effects
Green tea may cause insomnia, agitation and palpitations if consumed after 5 p.m.
Ginkgo Biloba tea may lead to gastrointestinal discomfort and headaches. If these side effects occur, stop consuming the tea and ask your doctor’s advice.
Memory is a precious possession that people have and it is good to preserve it as long as possible. Both Green tea and Ginkgo Biloba tea are efficient as teas for memory, by improving the mental processes. They are also benefic in treating other diseases, due to their ingredients.... tea for memory
A method of treating psychological disorders such as depression based on the idea that problems arise from a person’s faulty cognitions (erroneous ways of perceiving the world and oneself). In cognitive– behavioural therapy, the patient is helped to identify negative or false cognitions and then encouraged to try out new thought strategies.... cognitive–behavioural therapy
See amnesia.... memory, loss of
GERSON CANCER THERAPY is described in A Cancer Therapy; Results of Fifty Cases, Gerson, Max; 3rd edition, 1977, Pub: The Gerson Institute Bonita, CA 92002, USA.
Basically, the therapy consists of a vegetarian diet with meals of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, fresh or freshly prepared. Drinking water is replaced by hourly, fresh, raw juices of vegetables and fruits. Refined, altered, denatured or enhanced foodstuffs are forbidden. The diet is sodium, chloride, fat and protein restricted. Supplemental potassium, iodine, thyroid and crude liver extract comprise the medical armamentarium. A repeatable choleretic, enemas of a solution of boiled coffee, is administered to lower serum toxin levels. Coffee is a potent enhancer of the carcinogen detoxifying enzyme system, glutathione S-translerase (Wattenburg). The Gerson cancer therapy reduces accumulated tissue sodium and chloride, promoting diuresis. Gerson Therapy Center: Hospital de Baja California, at La Gloria, Mexico
Diet. Lunch and dinner contain ample cooked food, mainly to act as a ‘blotter’ to the daily intake of 5.25 pints fresh raw fruit juices that are the backbone of the therapy. Ingredients of the juices include 41bs raw organic carrots a day, with no harm to the liver. (JAM, May 1991, p5. Beata Bishop on her recovery from metastasised malignant melanoma)
The Gerson therapy is based on the ‘holistic’ philosophy which states that cancer represents a clinical manifestation of an underlying toxic condition. Such condition should receive primary treatment that is lifestyle orientated. The theme is: detoxification through internal cleansing. The diet and supplements are re-inforced by ‘positive thinking’ and supported by meditation and emotional balance. ... gerson cancer therapy
A method used in the psychoanalysis of young children, based on the principle that all play has some symbolic significance. Watching a child at play helps a therapist diagnose the source of the child’s problems; the child can then be helped to “act out” thoughts and feelings that are causing anxiety.... play therapy
treatment given to patients after the primary therapy, which is usually surgical removal of the tumour, when there is a high risk of future recurrence based on tumour stage and histology. Adjuvant therapy is aimed at destroying these microscopic tumour cells either locally (e.g. adjuvant breast irradiation after breast-conserving surgery) or systemically (e.g. adjuvant chemotherapy may be recommended for patients with breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and other types of cancer). Compare neoadjuvant chemotherapy.... adjuvant therapy
(AVT) a technique for teaching deaf children to communicate that focuses on speech and residual hearing rather than sign language.... auditory verbal therapy
any treatment that facilitates the ability of the immune system to fight disease, as opposed to acting directly against the disease (compare chemotherapy; radiotherapy). Such treatments, most commonly used for cancer and rheumatic disease, include *biological response modifiers, *immunotherapy, *monoclonal antibodies, *cytokine inhibitors and modulators, and *targeted agents.... biological therapy
(CRT) a treatment for heart failure that involves ventricular pacing with multiple *leads. The aim is to restore coordinated ventricular contraction and hence improve cardiac function.... cardiac resynchronization therapy
(Rogerian therapy) a method of psychotherapy in which the therapist refrains from directing clients in what they should do and instead concentrates on communicating understanding and acceptance. Frequently the therapist reflects the clients’ own words or feelings back to them. The aim is to enable clients to solve their own problems.... client-centred therapy
(CBT) a *cognitive therapy that is combined with behavioural elements (see behaviour therapy). The patient is encouraged to analyse his or her specific ways of thinking around a problem. The therapist then looks at the resulting behaviour and the consequences of that thinking and tries to encourage the patient to change his or her cognition in order to avoid adverse behaviour or its consequences. CBT is successfully used to treat phobias, anxiety, and depression (it is among the recommended treatments for anxiety and depression in the NICE guidelines).... cognitive behavioural therapy
a form of *psychotherapy based on the belief that psychological problems are the products of faulty ways of thinking about the world. For example, a depressed patient may use wrongly negative automatic associations in everyday situations. The therapist assists the patient to identify these false ways of thinking and to avoid them. In *cognitive behavioural therapy this is combined with an analysis and retraining of unhelpful behaviours. In cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) there is an element of psychodynamic exploration of the patient’s problems; CAT is mostly used to treat personality disorders.... cognitive therapy
therapy that combines several types of treatment in order to improve results. It is usually a combination of surgery with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy for the treatment of malignant tumours (see adjuvant therapy). See also sandwich therapy.... combined therapy
a form of *radiotherapy in which a radioactive substance is brought into close contact with the part of the body being treated. Needles or capsules of the isotope may be implanted in or around a tumour so that the radiation they emit will destroy it. Compare teletherapy.... contact therapy
an approach that combines many of the different treatments (such as compression and physiotherapy) used to minimize the pain and swelling associated with *lymphoedema following breast surgery and radiotherapy. There are two phases: reduction (which lasts up to 12 weeks) and maintenance (which continues for life).... decongestive therapy
(DOT) see tuberculosis.... directly observed therapy
(DAPT) aspirin prescribed at the same time as another oral *antiplatelet drug (e.g. clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor) for patients deemed to be at temporarily increased risk of coronary or stent thrombosis (typically following *acute coronary syndrome or new coronary stent implantation). After a prespecified time (usually 12 months), the aspirin is continued and the other antiplatelet drug is stopped.... dual antiplatelet therapy
(EMDR) a type of psychotherapy used for the treatment of significant anxiety or distress caused by traumatic events or in the context of *post-traumatic stress disorder. The aim is to separate the emotional from the actual memory of the event in order to reduce the anxiety related to the memory.... eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy
the support and rehabilitation of people with hearing difficulties, tinnitus, or vertigo. It includes supplying help with acclimatizing to *hearing aids, teaching lip-reading, advising on *environmental hearing aids, and offering general information and advice regarding the auditory system. Other functions are to explain such conditions as *Ménière’s disease and *otosclerosis and to provide *tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) and other forms of tinnitus management.... hearing therapy
(ITU, intensive care unit) a hospital unit designed to give intensive care, provided by specialist multidisciplinary staff, to a selected group of seriously ill patients or to those in need of special postoperative techniques (e.g. those patients undergoing complex heart or lung procedures).... intensive therapy unit
a long-lived lymphocyte that is formed following primary infection. It enables a faster and more robust immune response following a second exposure to the antigen.... memory cell
a form of *diathermy using electromagnetic waves of extremely short wavelength. In modern apparatus the electric currents induced in the tissues have frequencies of up to 25,000 million cycles per second.... microwave therapy
(PERT) a therapeutic approach using supplements of the digestive enzymes lipase, amylase, and protease (Creon, Pancrex), which are given when there is insufficient endogenous production of pancreatic enzymes: for example, to patients with pancreatic cancer or cystic fibrosis. The capsules must be taken with all meals and snacks to be effective. PERT treats the symptoms of *steatorrhoea.... pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy
(PRRT) a type of radiotherapy used to treat neuroendocrine tumours (NETs; see neuroendocrine system). A *radionuclide is combined with a relevant *peptide to create a so-called radiopeptide, which is injected into the patient’s bloodstream. Because NETs have an overexpression of peptide receptors, the radiopeptide binds to the tumour, delivering a high dose of radiation directly to the cancer cells. The chief merit of PRRT is this ability to target delivery of radionuclides for highly localized treatment. A similar technique, using a gamma emitter as the radionuclide, can be used for locating and imaging NETs.... peptide receptor radionuclide therapy
a type of radiotherapy that uses a beam of protons. These charged particles are produced by a *cyclotron and penetrate only a predictable distance into the body depending on the proton energy. This is the radiotherapy treatment of choice for many childhood cancers, particularly brain and spinal tumours, as it can avoid more normal tissue and reduce the risk of long-term complications (including secondary malignancy) compared with photon (X-ray) beams.... proton therapy
the administration of an estimated amount of the radioactive isotope iodine-131 as a drink in order to treat an overactive thyroid gland (see thyrotoxicosis). The iodine concentrates in the thyroid and thus delivers its beta radiation locally, with little effect on other tissues. The gland will shrink and become euthyroid over the succeeding 8–12 weeks but there is a high incidence of subsequent hypothyroidism (up to 80%), which requires lifetime treatment with thyroxine. The treatment cannot be used if there is any suspicion of pregnancy, and the patient must stay away from young children and pregnant women for around 10 days after administration. Despite these drawbacks, radioactive iodine remains a popular form of treatment for any cause of hyperthyroidism.... radioactive iodine therapy
a combination of treatments in which one type of therapy is ‘sandwiched’ between exposures to another therapy. For example, surgical removal of a tumour may be ‘sandwiched’ between pre- and postoperative courses of chemotherapy. See also combined therapy.... sandwich therapy
see radioembolization.... selective internal radiation therapy
the treatment of patients who have problems with communication or eating or drinking because of congenital causes, accidents, or illness (e.g. stroke). Speech and language therapists are *allied health professionals who have special training in this field.... speech and language therapy
provision of a less harmful alternative to a drug or remedy that a patient has been receiving. It is used when the patient has become addicted to a drug or is placing too much reliance upon a particular remedy. An example is the replacement of heroin in an opioid-dependent patient with methadone.... substitution therapy
(TRT) a method of treating *tinnitus that embraces a range of techniques, including explanation, counselling, relaxation techniques, meditation, and sound therapy.... tinnitus retraining therapy
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