he Netherlands

Most expectant moms in Holland don't see an obstetrician, but are instead referred by
their family doctor to a local midwife practice. Doctors only intervene in high-risk cases
or if complications arise during delivery. Dutch women decide whether they want a
home or hospital delivery. I was surprised to learn that more than half of the women at
my midwife's practice deliver at home. In fact, all expectant mothers in Holland are
required to pick up a kraampakket that includes all of the medical supplies necessary for
a home birth. If you choose not to deliver at home, your midwife will make a house call
to check on the progress of your labor and determine the ideal time for you to go to the
hospital.

Even if you opt for a hospital birth, it's unlikely that you'll get an epidural. Epidurals are
usually only given if it's convenient for the anesthesiologist's schedule (people often
joke about the Dutch 9-to-5 epidural) or if an obstetrician determines it is
necessary. Giving birth naturally remains the ideal for the vast majority of Dutch women.
As my due date approached, I became more open to the idea, and in the end, no one
was more surprised than I was to realize I had given birth to our son without any
painkillers.

If a mother gives birth early in the day without complications, she and the baby may go
home in as little as two hours. Then the unique Dutch system of kraamhulp (maternity
home care) is set into motion. For seven days we had a nurse come to our home, a
benefit covered by insurance. Not only did she provide medical care, but she also
cleaned our apartment, cooked, and instructed us in basic parenting skills.

Local custom: Another important duty of the nurse is to manage the flow of visitors and
make the traditional snack to celebrate a birth: beschuit met muisjes, which literally
translates as "biscuits with mice." The "mice" are actually miniature licorice bits with
blue-and-white coating for boys, pink-and-white for girls.

Germany
As in Holland, in Germany women see midwives for their prenatal care. In fact,
midwives are so respected that by law a midwife must be present at every birth, and a
doctor is optional.

Malin Haugwitz, a Berlin resident who is originally from Bethesda, Maryland, says that
German women focus on the event of giving birth almost more than the outcome.
Following her second c-section, she heard many words of pity from friends and even
from her midwife, who asked, "Do you see it as a failure?"

German women who hold full-time jobs can feel secure knowing their position will be
waiting for them when and if they decide to return to work. As soon as a woman tells an
employer she's pregnant, she cannot be fired. Thus, during economic downturns, being
pregnant can essentially save your job. Women may stop working six weeks before
their due date and are forbidden from working for eight weeks after giving birth, all with
full pay. Mothers may even take up to three years of unpaid leave, the third being a
floating year that can be taken at any time and by either parent.

Local custom: Another practice that Haugwitz recounts is that government offices keep
a list of "accepted names" that parents must adhere to when registering the name of
their child. In the case of an unusual name, they must give a compelling reason why an
exception should be made. The government policy is intended to act in the best interest
of the child, in an effort to thwart potential ridicule of a child with a name that's too
different.

Japan
Like Dutch and German women, the majority of Japanese women strive to give
birthwithout the use of painkillers. According to Ai Azuma, a Tokyo native, this
preference relates to the Buddhist perception of suffering: There is a belief among
Japanese that labor pains act as a kind of test that a woman must endure in preparation
for the challenging role of motherhood. This centuries-old belief endures despite the fact
that a growing number of doctors in Japan are recommending epidurals for their
patients, suggesting that they create a more peaceful birth experience. Although more
women are beginning to exercise this option, centuries of tradition still keep many
others from considering the procedure.

Japanese women deliver in hospitals, but it's not a given that the baby's father will act
as the labor coach or even be in the room. Fathers are permitted to be present at the
birth only if they have taken prenatal classes with the mother-to-be; if a c-section is
performed, they must go to the waiting room. In general, hospital stays in Japan tend to
be longer than in the U.S.; mothers can expect a minimum of a five-day stay for
a vaginal birth and 10 days or more for a cesarean delivery.

Local custom: After leaving the hospital, mother and baby often stay at the mother's
parents' home for a month or sometimes longer -- it is a cultural tradition that women
stay in bed with their baby for 21 days. During this time friends may drop by to greet the
new baby and join the family in eating the celebratory food osekihan (red rice with red
beans).

Brazil
In this South American country, elective c-sections have become almost commonplace,
according to Masumi Mello e Silva, who recently immigrated to the U.S. from Sao
Paolo. The overall c-section rate in Brazil is 40 percent, according to the
International Cesarean Awareness Network. And if you look at only private hospitals,
the rate is even higher.
There are some with cesarean birth rates of 100 percent, according to Marsden
Wagner, MD, a perinatal epidemiologist who works for the World Health Organization.
Private hospitals are the choice for roughly one-quarter of expectant Brazilian women,
and these women hail mostly from the middle and upper classes. Trying to explain the
reasons for the overwhelming number of cesareans, Mello e Silva speculates that many
doctors perform the procedure in order to receive higher payments from insurance
companies. Private hospitals likewise reap the benefits of higher payments for the
longer hospital stays that cesarean procedures require. Also, the convenience of
performing a 60-minute cesarean procedure versus attending to a long labor and
delivery may lead many doctors to see the time saved as vital to their practice. In Brazil,
the doctor-patient relationship is very strong -- women receive nearly all of their
information about childbirth from their doctor, rather than from prenatal classes. If a
woman's doctor is advocating a c-section, she may well be swayed by his opinion.

The tide is beginning to turn, at least in public hospitals, where the Brazilian government
has instituted procedures to reduce the number of c-sections. In 1998 the government
set a goal to reduce the public hospital cesarean rate to 25 percent or lower by 2007. To
achieve this goal, the government stipulated that public hospitals with c-section rates
over 30 percent would no longer be compensated for procedures they performed above
that number. In 1999 the average cesarean rate in Brazil's public hospitals dropped to
24 percent, from 32.4 percent in 1995.

Local custom: According to Mello e Silva, pregnant women are treated like princesses
-- for example, they are ushered to the front of any line so they don't have to wait. Once
mother and baby leave the hospital, visitors flock to their home. They give a gift to the
baby and receive one in return. Traditionally, it's something small, such as a bottle of
perfume or candy, with a message from the baby attached thanking friends and family
for the visit.

Turkey
This European country has recently changed its approach to childbirth, according to
Tulin Sevil, who comes from the capital city of Ankara. As recently as 20 or 30 years
ago, midwives supervised most of the births in Turkey, especially in rural areas. Doctors
were in short supply and most tended to practice in metropolitan areas, such as Ankara
and Istanbul. But as more university medical schools were founded and the number of
doctors increased, care shifted away from midwives in favor of ob-gyns.

The shift toward doctors has also brought about a growing preference for elective c-
sections among Turkish women. In a recent survey, overall c-section rates for private
hospitals in Turkey were nearing a staggering 75 percent, according to Kybele, a U.S.
nonprofit group that promotes safe childbirth practices in developing countries. One
reason for this trend, according to Kybele, is that only a few Turkish anesthesiologists
have specialized training in obstetric anesthesia. Many women know they will not have
the option of an epidural, so they instead opt for a c-section with general anesthetic.
Kybele reports that this use of general anesthesia may be a contributing factor in
Turkey's having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Europe. Kybele
coordinates programs to train doctors in administering epidurals (the group maintains a
database of U.S. doctors willing to go to Turkey to share their knowledge); the doctors
then teach their fellow physicians. Turkey has been very receptive to the program, so
the hope is that epidurals will be more widely administered in the future.

Local customs: Unlike in the U.S., baby showers are not given in Turkey -- all
celebration is postponed until after the baby is born. According to Ahu Terzi, who
emigrated from Turkey to New York City, mother and baby stay home for the first 20
days after the birth. Friends drop by and drink a special beverage called lohusa serbeti.
After this period, the mother and child make return visits to gift-givers' homes, where
they receive a handkerchief filled with a single egg (for a healthy baby) and candy (for a
good-natured baby). They also rub flour on the baby's eyebrows and hairline, which is
supposed to grant him a long life.

Women in the U.S. know they are fortunate to have access to arguably the best medical
care in the world. After my very positive birthing experience in the Netherlands and
hearing stories of other people's births, I realize we Americans have much to learn, as
well as much to be thankful for. Now that we've moved from Holland back to Texas, I'm
wondering how I'm ever going to survive the next time without my kraamhulp nurse!

Folk Medicine
Folk or traditional medicine originated from primitive man’s reactions or attitudes to natural events.
Magic and witchcraft played an important role here. In these societies, where witchcraft and religious
beliefs were of great importance, disease and health were explained by external factors penetrating
and harming the body. People’s efforts to find solutions to these diseases set up the basis of folk
medicine. Consequently, in traditional societies opinions on disease and health were born as a part of
folk culture. For this reason, practices related to this issue are the realm of anthropology, ethnology
and sociology, while technical analysis falls under the disciplines of medicine and pharmacology.

Folk medicine is different rather then to modern medicine. Traditional medicine lives among the
people as a part of their culture. In traditional societies, any information about a disease is shared by
others. This information is passed through the generations. People learn popular medicine in the
same way and they learn other cultural components.

Popular medicine perfectly harmonizes with cultural components. In most cases, the patient either
recovers or dies. If he gets well, it is believed that the method of treatment used was a valid one, and
this method becomes permanent. However, the death of the patient does not mean that the method of
treatment method was unsuitable, only that the patient was beyond its scope.

The main difference between modern medicine and traditional medicine is the causes of disease.
While modern medicine tries to explain the causes of disease by germ theory, traditional medicine,
which also accepts the existence of germs, explains disease by magical and supernatural events.
The traditional medicine still present today is the sum of diagnosis and treatment which people have
recourse to in underdeveloped or developing countries where modern medical facilities do not exist
or because of their religious beliefs. The main reason for traditional medicine's acceptability can be
explained by the fact that beliefs change very slowly. In Turkey, especially in conservative
communities, we still can see examples of traditional medicine, although fewer than formerly. People
who have methods of treatment of their own are known as ''old women'' in Turkey, and are in fact
traditional physicians. Their medicines (known as old woman's medicine) sometimes have a positive
efffect on disease and sometimes don't. These experienced people learn treatment methods from their
parents, and try to cure diseases by using their own drugs based on animal, vegetable and mineral
products. Most of them apply treatment in their own homes, while others treat patients in laces which
can be considered ''folk hospitals.'' Folk physicians use plants for their drugs. These medicinal plants
and herbs are commonly used in Turkey. Some of these are very popular among people and are often
used in homes, while others can only be recognized and used by folk physicians. There has been
considerable research into these medicianal plants and drugs, and large numbers of publications
about them issued by faculties of pharmacology.

Forms and lengths of treatment in folk and modern medicine are sometimes quite similar. For
example asprin used as a painkiller appeared as a development of quinine and cocaine, which had
been used by folk medicine for a long time. In the same way, research has proved that some herbs
used in folk medicine were really effective in curing disease.

In general, we can say that modern and folk medicine interact with each other. While focusing on the
causes of disease, modern medicine benefits from folk medicine in order to improve the range of
treatments available. Also, folk medicine uses every opportunity to benefit from developments in
modern medicine. Within this framework, in some cases folk medicine has given way to
pharmacological drugs. However, some people do not trust modern medicine in cases like the evil
eye or when someone is under the influence of an evil spirit. Both folk and modern medicine are used
in some diseases, like asthma or to deal with heart problems. Cancer and other diseases which
requires a surgeon are totally left to modern medicine.

As a result, in conservative regions, the attitudes of residents towards disease are shaped by cultural
factors. Research shows that not only educational levels but also peoples’ economic situation
influences this attitude. Contacts with big cities, and the availability of transport also enhance the
tendency towards modern medicine. This tendency is most commonly seen in the young. Whether
educated or not, rich or poor, some people still use folk medicine for specific diseases, and visits to
shrines and folk methods of dealing with fractures or dislocations can still be observed.

In spite of this, researchers point out that there is a general movement in the direction of modern
medicine, and this tendency may be slow or fast depending on the region’s socio-cultural and
economic profile.

FOLK TREATMENTS

Bee Stings

a) Ice is put on the sting. If ice is not available, the wound is washed with cold water or mud is
smeared on it.

b) A bunch of parsley is wrapped around the affected area.

c) The victim rubs garlic on the sting.

High Temperatures

a) A towel is moistened with vinegar and pressed onto the brow, neck, hands, feet and the whole
body. This operation is repeated untill the patient’s temperature gone down.

b) An aspirin is dissolved in lemon juice and rubbed on the patient’s body, beginning with the
forehead.

c) A mixture of grain alcohol, aspirin and few drops of olive oil is rubbed on the articular parts of the
body.

Asthma

A pigeon egg is consumed every morning for 40 days as the first meal of the day.

Aches

a) The leaf of a black cabbage is heated and placed on the affected area. This operation is repeated
frequently.
b) A mixture of boiled and mashed linen seeds, henna and naphtha oil is rubbed on aching parts of
the body. This operation continues a few times a day.

c) A cream is made from dry tobacco and raki. The affected areas covered with this cream.

d) Thin sand is roasted, a few olives are added and the affected areas are covered with this mixture
while it is still warm or hot. This operation goes on for three or four days.

Sore Feet

Unrefined salt is dissolved in hot water, and the feet are washed in this solution for ten minutes.

Sprains

An onion is mashed with either salt or olives and placed on the sprained area.

Headaches

a) A potato is cut into slices and coffee sprinkled on them. These slices are placed on the forehead.

b) Round lemon slices are placed on the forehead.

c) The patient covers his head with the gall of an animal, mixed with henna, for a few hours.

Bronchitis

a) Linen seeds are mashed with sugar and eaten.

b) A piece of bread is roasted, moistened with vinegar and placed on the chest.

Tonsilitis

The throat is covered with a piece of cotton with pepper and grain alcohol.

Kidney Stones

a) Medlar leaves are boiled and drunk as tea. This continues until the stone is ejected.
b) Water with parsley or yogurt is drunk every morning.

Nosebleeds

The shell of an egg is burned till it becomes ash. The victims breaths in this ash when his or her nose
starts to bleed.
Haemorrhoids

a) Garlic is rubbed on every morning.

b) The middle parts of wild roses are boiled and drunk as tea.

Dolman

Okra is cooked in milk and placed on the finger.

Flu

Mint and dried linden flowers are boiled with lemon and drunk as tea.

Sty

Garlic is rubbed on the sty.

Diarrhea

a) Diarrhea will end if a glass of soda pop with an asprin inside is drunk.

b) A spoonful of coffee is mixed with lemon juice and eaten.

c) A small cup of yogurt is mixed with a similar cup of baking soda and eaten.

Cancer

In summer fresh and in winter dry stinging nettles are boiled and drunk as tea every morning before
breakfast.
Parotitis

The patient eats red halvah (a sweet prepared with sesame oil, various cereals and syrup) and fat is
rubbed on the ears.

Swollen stomach

A mixture of vinegar and bran is heated, and the stomach covered with the mixture.

Calcification

The patient uses fish oil for calcified areas.

Earache

A little leek water is poured into the ear.

Dog Bites

The bite is covered with a bread poultice.

Stomachache

a) The patient drinks milk with honey.

b) Inula is boiled and drunk as tea.
c) The patient eats sesame oil as the first meal of the day.
d) Verruca flower leaves are chewed and swallowed.

Eczema

a) Eggplant is cooked in hot ashes and mixed with powdered henna. The ointment is placed on the
affected area and covered with a clean towel.
b) Peach leaves are boiled and drunk as tea for ten days.
c) The patient eats hedgehog meat.
d) The patient swallows the seeds of the elderberry plant.
Shortness of Breath

a) Stingling nettle tea is drunk every day.

b) Black radish is hollowed out and filled with honey. A small hole is opened in the radish and a cup
put under it. The patient eats the honey that flows out after waiting for a night.
c) Cones are boiled and drunk as tea.

Coughs

a) The patient drinks a spoonful of honey mixed with a spoonful of lemon juice every morning for a
few days.
b) Apple and lemon peel and linden flowers are together boiled and drunk every morning.
c) The patient eats raw parsley.

Heat Rash

Dry cat tail is heated and the ashes rubbed onto the affected parts of the body.

Rheumatism

a) The patient eats a mixture of mashed chestnuts and sugar.

b) A pot of barley is boiled in a large cauldron of water. Once the temparature of the water has gone
down to an appropriate level, the patient climbs inside the cauldron and waits for an hour. This
application is repeated for a few days.
c) A bunch of the herb sultan is put in a cauldron full of water and boiled. The patient climbs inside
the cauldron and remains in it for an hour. He repeats this procedure for a few days.
d) The patient is buried up to his neck in animal faeces and stays there for an hour.
e) The patient drinks one cup of grated celery root.

Hair
For healthy hair and to avoid baldness, vine stems are chopped in the spring time. The liquid that
drips from these stems is collected in a bottle and the hair washed with it.

Jaundice
The patient's forehead or chest is scratched with a razor blade.

Backache
a) A strong massage is applied using a cup.
b) Honey and pepper are rubbed on the affected areas. This is covered with a perforated newspaper
and a towel, and the patient spends the night like this. The operation is frequently repeated.

Malaria

A small herb with pink flowers known as "malaria weed" is boiled and drunk as tea.

Cuts and Boils

a) The wound or boil is covered with poaceae, if this is not not available, cabbage leaves or tomatoes
may also be used.
b) Soap and a small pinch of salammoniac (ammonia) are together cooked with an onion and applied
to the boil when the ointment is warm.
Bites by Poisonous Animals
The head of a match is scraped and this is rubbed on the affected part
In this modern era, the traditional medicine is still important to society. Nowaday, there are many herb
medicine in the market. Some of us love in traditional medicine rather than using modern medicine.
There are some advantage and disadvantage of traditional medicine. Look at this

Advantages of traditional medicine

1. The herb more effective for long-standing health complaints. The side affects also few and it means
more suitable to our health.
2. The cost is minimal. Some of herb can be plant in our house.
3. Herbal medicine is very effective in reduce excess weight. It can decrease the risk to get obesity.
4. It is easy to find in any pharmacy or health store. No need to bought with a prescription.
5. Many herb medicine help to treat to treat coronary artery disease and reduce cholesterol level in the
blood stream.

Disadvantages of traditional medicine

1. Herb can treat or heal a serious trauma.

2. Risk of buying fake herb.
3. The disease is take more time to cure.

That are some of advantage and disadvantage using traditional medicine. Get the advice from healthy
expert before buying any herb traditional. There are very few good practitioners of herbal medicine and
it would be wise to ensure that you get consult from a good practitioner before starting on herbal
medicine.
Personality is the expression of a person’s traits according to ones feelings, mentality and behavior. It
involves understanding individuals’ traits such as withdrawal and willpower and how various parts of an
individual link together to form personality. Personality expresses itself from within an individual and is
comparatively regular throughout in an individual’s life. Different people have different personalities
dependent on factors such as environment and genetic composition. Our personality is dependent on the
success or failure of our development in the eight stages of life. This is proposed by Erik Erikson.
Success in the development stages lead to virtues while the failure leads to malignancies.
Personality traits
Some of my personality traits include; empathy, strong willed, and ambitious. Beginning with empathy, it
is the ability to recognize and to share the thoughts to some extent. In many cases empathy leads to
multiple good relationships. As a Support worker, I am expected to get along with others very well. These
include my workmates and my patients. Being empathetic also enables me to be considerate. I am able to
identify with my patients problems very well. They will therefore easily entrust me with their problems with
the assurance that they won’t be criticized. In such a situation, as a Support worker I will be able to assist
them without any barriers (Allen, 2006).
Empathy also assists me to be helpful to my workmates. If I put their feelings at heart, I will manage to
assist them when need be. They could have problems not only at the work place but also in their social
life. This may be a hindrance to their productivity at work. In this case I can step in on their behalf. By
being helpful to my patien...

... middle of paper ...

...y be challenging to us and we will therefore require broad knowledge on different issues. We should
also be aware of scientific developments that will solve challenges in an easier manner.
Conclusion
From the above descriptions, I conclude that a Support worker should have pleasant personality traits that
will enable them to work in an effective way. I further suggest that though we may have unpleasant traits,
we should ensure that we maintain a good rapport with patients and our colleagues. All the personalities
mentioned above ensure that work done in the line of duty is efficient and effective.

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As we reviewed the self awareness module this past week it was very interesting to see how the self
assessments provided the class information about their own personal human behaviors. I was aware of
most of the information provided but there were some tendencies I was surprised to find fitted my
character. It was good to be reminded of the things I had forgotten about myself. Learning about my
individuality and how I interact and respond to others based on my traits, personality and behavior has
been an awakening experience. It is also great to know that I can work on areas that need improvement
to become a more balance person to better assist my subordinates, teams and organizations.
Part I. Strengths
Personal Profile System
Two strengths I learned during my Self Awareness assessment were being a good listener and showing
loyalty. I really try to be a good listener in all situations. I like to hear the whole story or complete process
in whatever it may be. I am cautious about making decisions without having all the details. I don't mind
taking the time out to get the details. Yes, it may take some time up front and may not lead to a quick
decision but in the long run it prevents mistakes and errors as well as misjudging which can lead to more
heartache and pain down the road. Loyalty is also very important to me in the work center. Knowing that
you are devoted and committed to the success of the organization will motivate your people to do the
same. They also need to know that they can come to you with a problem whether it is personal or work
related. This will allow them to be more open to bringing problems to your attention that could later have a
disastrous effect on the organization in the future. Both pers...
 Anxiety is a normal reaction to life-changing events. While we all get stressed out
or anxious at times, most of us bounce back. Between school, work, family, friends, and
every day (and unusual!) life events, you are pulled in different directions. Moreover, all
of these responsibilities take away from the time you might need to care for yourself, so
it's easy to see how you might become anxious.