Home Depot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Home Depot Analysis Essay Strategic audit 1. Current Situation A. Current Performance The Home Depot Inc. performed quite well in the past few years from 2000- 2005. Firstly, It opened more than 900 stores until 2005 and their sales doubled during that period as well. Secondly, The Earnings per share growth at least 20% in each of the year from 2000 till 2005. Thirdly, it accounts 10% market share of the US home appliances market by the end of 2005. This growth is outstanding because The Home Depot was just an inconspicuous company five years before. To sum up, its financial success ensures the company to create values to the shareholders. B. Strategic Posture Mission: The Home Depot is a home improvement retailer. It can be categorized as a retailer that devilries products and services at the same time because the goal of The Home Depot is to provide the highest level of service. The Home Depot is not just selling home improvement products but also installing the products, thus it combines the warehouse-format stores with a high level of customer service. Objectives: The slogan of the company is:â€Å" Improve Everything We Touch.† Strategies: The Company’s overall strategy is enhancing the core, extending the business and expanding the market. The 3E are consistent with each other. Policiesï ¼Å¡ 2. Corporate Governance A. Board of Directors There are 11 people in the board of directors and 9 of them were external member, which called no-management directors. The directors are full of experience in different aspects; they are closely working together to ensure the company is in the right track. Robert Nardelli: Chief Executive Officer of Home Depot. He is an inside director. Milledge Hart: non-independent outside director. He is an external member. Kennth Langone: Lead Director of the Board. Non-Management Directors Gregory D.Brennman: CEO and chairman of Burger King. Owned 33,519 of Home Depot stock. John L.Clendenin: CEO and chairman of Bellsouth Corporation. Owned 38,832 shares of Home Depot stock and chaired the boad’s Audit Committee. Claudio X.Gonzalez: Chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark de Mexico.Owned 64,457 of Home Depot stock. Milledge A,Hart: Chairman of DocuCorp International. Owned 3,568,411 of Home Depot stock. Bonnie G.Hill: Owned 22,370 of Home Depot stock, etc. 4. Internal Environment C. Corporate Resources Research and Design

Analysis of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)

Analysis of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) Introduction Intrusion detection systems (IDS) were developed in 1990’s, when the network hackers and worms appeared, initially for the identification and reporting of such attacks. The intrusion detection systems didn’t have the ability to stop such attacks rather than detecting and reporting to the network personnel. The Intrusion Prevention Systems got both characteristics i.e. threat detection and prevention. The detection process analyzes the events for any possible threats while the intrusion prevention stops the detected possible threats and reports the network administrator. Purpose Scope The main purpose of the project is to evaluate the security capabilities of different types of IDPS technologies in maintaining the network security. It provides detail information about the different classes components of IDPS technologies, for example, detection methods, security capabilities, prevention capabilities internals of IDPS. It is mainly focused on different detection techniques responses by these technologies. 1.2 Audience The information can be useful for computer network administrators, network security personnel, who have little knowledge about these IDPS technologies. 1.3 Project Structure The project is organized into the following major structure: Section 2 provides a general introduction of IDPS. Section 3 provides detail information about of IDPS technologies, components architecture, detection methodologies, security capabilities prevention capabilities. Section 4 provides the internals of IDPS incident response. Section 2: Introduction of IDPS This Chapter Explains the Intrusion Detection Prevention Process, Uses, Functions and Different Types of IDPS The modern computer networks provide fast, reliable and critical information not only to small group of people but also to ever expanding group of users. This need led the development of redundant links, note book computers, wireless networks and many others. On one side, the development of these new technologies increased the importance and value of these access services and on other side they provide more paths to attacks. During the past, In the presence of firewalls and anti-virus software, organizations suffered huge losses in minutes to their businesses in terms of their confidentiality and availability to the legitimate clients. These modern threats highlighted the need for more advance protection systems. Intrusion detection prevention systems are designed to protect the systems and networks from any unauthorized access and damage. An intrusion is an active sequence of related events that deliberately try to cause harm, such as rendering system unusable, accessing unauthorized information or manipulating such information. In computer terminology, Intrusion detection is the process of monitoring the events in a computer network or a host resource and analyzing them for signs of possible incidents, deliberately or incidentally. The primary functions of IDPS are the identification of incident, logging information about them, stopping them preventing them from causing any damage. The security capabilities of IDPS can be divided into three main categories: Detection : Identification of malicious attacks on network host systems Prevention: stopping of attack from executing Reaction: Immunization of the system from future attacks. On the basis of location and type of events they monitor, there are two types IDPS technologies, host-based network based. The network-based IDPS monitors traffic for particular network segment and analyze the network application protocol activity for suspicious events. It is commonly deployed at the borders between networks. While on the other hand, host-based IDPS monitors the activity of a single host and events occurring within that host for suspicious activity. There are two complementary approaches in detecting intrusions, knowledge-based approach and behavior based approach. In knowledge-based approach an IDPS looks for specific traffic patterns called Signatures, which indicates the malicious or suspicious content while in the behavior-based approach an intrusion can be detected by observing a deviation from normal or unexpected behavior of the user or the system. What is an IDS? The Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) can be defined as: tools, methods resources to identify, assess report unauthorized or unapproved network activity. It is the ability to detect attacks against a network or host and sending logs to management console providing the information about malicious attacks on the network and host resources. IDSs fall into two main categories: Host-Based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS): A HIDS system require some software that resides on the system and can scan all host resources for activity. It will log any activities it discovers to a secure database and check to see whether the events match any malicious event record listed in the knowledge base. Network-Based Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS): A NIDS system is usually inline on the network and it analyzes network packets looking for attacks. A NIDS receives all packets on a particular network segment via one of several methods, such as taps or port mirroring. It carefully reconstructs the streams of traffic to analyze them for patterns of malicious behavior. The basic process for IDS is that it passively collects data and preprocesses and classifies them. Statistical analysis can be done to determine whether the information falls outside normal activity, and if so, it is then matched against a knowledge base. If a match is found, an alert is sent. Figure 1-1 outlines this activity. Response Manager GUI Host System Pre-processing Statistical Analysis Alert Manager Knowledge Base Long-Term Storage Signature Matching Fig 1.1 Standard IDS System What is an IPS? IPS technology has all capabilities of an intrusion detection system and can also attempt to stop possible incidents. IPS technologies can be differentiated from the IDS by one characteristic, the prevention capability. Once a threat is detected, it prevents the threat from succeeding. IPS can be a host-based (HIPS), which work best at protecting applications, or a network-based IPS (NIPS) which sits inline, stops and prevents the attack. A typical IPS performs the following actions upon the detection of an attack: IPS terminates the network connection or user session. It blocks access to target .i.e. IP address, user account or sever. It reconfigures the devices i.e. firewall, switch or router. It replace the malicious portion of an attack to make it benign An IPS typically consists of four main components: Traffic Normalizer: Interpret the network traffic and do packet analysis and packet reassembly traffic is fed into the detection engine service scanner. Service Scanner: Builds a reference table that classifies the information helps the traffic shaper manage the flow of the information. Detection Engine: Detection engine does pattern matching against the reference table. Figure 1.2 outlines this process: Response Manager GUI Traffic Normalizer System Scanner Detection Engine Alert Manager Reference Table Long-Term Storage Signature Matching FIG 1-2 Standard IPS Uses of IDPS Technologies The identification of possible incidents is the main focus of an IDPS, for example, if an intruder has successfully compromised a system by exploiting the vulnerability in the system, the IDPS could report this to the security personnel. Logging of information is another important function of IDPS. This information is vital for security people for further investigation of attack. IDPS has also the ability to identify the violation of security policy of an organization which could be intentionally or unintentionally, for example, an unauthorized access to a host or application. Identification of reconnaissance activity is one of the major capabilities of IDPS, which is the indication of an imminent attack, for example, scanning of hosts and ports for launching further attacks. In this case, an IDPS can either block the reconnaissance activity or it can alter the configurations of other network devices Functions of IDPS Technologies The main difference between different types of IDPS technologies is the type of events they can recognize. Following are some main functions; Recording of information regarding observed events, this information could be stored locally or could be sent to the logging server. Sending of alerts is one of the vital functions of IDPS. Alerts are sent through different methods i.e. email, SNMP traps, syslog messages etc. In case of detection of a new threat, some IDPS do have the ability to change their security profile, for example, when a new threat is detected, it might be able to collect more detail information about the threat. IDPS not only performs detection but it also performs prevention by stopping the threat to succeed. Following are some prevention capabilities: It can stop the attack by terminating either network connection or user session, by blocking access to a target host. It could change the configuration of other network devices (firewalls, routers switches) to block the attack or disrupt it. Some IDPS could change the contents of a malicious IP packet, for example, it can replace the header of an IP packet with a new one. Types of IDPS Technologies IDPS technologies can be divided into following two major categories: Network-Based IDPS Host-Based IDPS Network-Based IDPS Network-based IDPS monitors network traffic for a particular network segment. They analyze the network and application protocol activity to identify any suspicious activity. A network based IDPS is usually sits inline on the network and it analyzes network packets looking for attacks. It receives all packets on a particular network segment, including switched networks. It carefully reconstructs the streams of traffic to analyze them for patterns of malicious behavior. They are equipped with facilities to log their activities and report or alarm on questionable events. Main strengths of network-based IDPS are: Packet Analysis: Network-based IDPSs perform packet analysis. They examine headers of all IP packets for malicious contents. This helps in detection of the common denial of service (DOS) attack. For example, LAND attack, in which both the source destination addresses and source destination ports are same as of the target machine. This cause the target machine to open connection with itself, causing the target machine either performs slowly or crash. It can also investigate the payload of an IP packet for specific commands. Real Time Detection Response: Network-based IDPS detects attacks in real time as they are occurring in the real time and provides faster response. For example, if a hacker initiated a TCP based DoS attack, IDPS can drop the connection by sending a TCP reset. Malicious Content Detection: Network-based IDPS remove replaces suspicious portion of the attack. For example, if an email has infected attachment, an IDPS removes the infected file and permits the clean email. Evidence for Prosecution: Network-based IDPS monitors real time traffic and if an attack is detected and captured the hacker cannot remove the evidence. Because the captured attack has data in it but also the information about his or her identification which helps in the prosecution. Host-Based IDPS A Host-Based system monitors the characteristics of a single host and the events occurring within that host for suspicious activity. It require some software that resides on the system and monitors the network traffic, syslog, processes, file access modification and configuration or system changes. It logs any activities it discovers to a secure database and check to see whether the events match any malicious event record listed in the knowledge base. Some of the major strengths of Host-Based IDPS are as under: Verification of Attack: Host-based IDPS uses logs which contains events that have actually occurred. It has the advantage of knowing if the attack is successful or not. This type of detection is more accurate and generates fewer false alarms. Monitoring of Important Components: Host-Based IDPS monitors key components for example, executables files, specific DDLs and NT registry. All of these can cause damage to the host or network. System Specific Activity: Host-based IDPS monitors user and file access activity. It monitors the logoff or login procedure and monitors it on the basis of current policy. It also monitors the file access for example, opening of a non shared file. Switched Encrypted Environments: Host-Based IDPSs provide greater visibility into purely switched environment by residing on as many critical hosts as needed. Encryption is a challenging problem for network-based IDPS but not a major problem for host-based IDPS. If the host in question has log-based analysis the encryption will have no impact on what goes in to the log files. Near Real Time Detection: A host-based IDPS relies on the log analysis which is not a true real time analysis. But it can detect respond as soon as the log is written to and compared to the active attack signatures. Real Time Detection Response: Stack-based IDPS monitors the packets as they transverse the TCP/IP stack. It examines inbound outbound packets and examines in real time if an attack is being executed. If it detects an attack in real the time then it can responds to that attack in the real time. Section 2: IDPS Analysis Schemes IDPSs Perform Analysis: This Chapter is about the Analysis Process- What Analysis does and Different Phases of Analysis. 2.2 Analysis In the context of intrusion detection prevention, analysis is the organization of the constituent parts of data and their relationships to identify any anomalous activity of interest. Real time analysis is analysis done on the fly as the data travels the path to the network or host. The fundamental goal of intrusion-detection prevention analysis is to improve an information system’s security. This goal can be further broken down: Create records of relevant activity for follow-up. Determine flaws in the network by detecting specific activities. Record unauthorized activity for use in forensics or criminal prosecution of intrusion attacks. Act as a deterrent to malicious activity. Increase accountability by linking activities of one individual across system. 2.3 Anatomy of Intrusion Analysis There are many possible analysis schemes but in order to understand them, the intrusion process can be broken down into following four phases: Preprocessing Analysis Response Refinement 1. Pre-Processing Preprocessing is the key function once the data is collected from IDPS sensor. The data is organized in some fashion for classification. The preprocessing helps in determining the format the data are put into, which is usually some canonical format or could be a structured database. Once the data are formatted, they are broken down further into classifications. These classifications can depend on the analysis schemes being used. For example, if rule-based detection is being used, the classification will involve rules and patterns descriptors. If anomaly detection is used, then statistical profile based on different algorithms in which the user behavior is baseline over the time and any behavior that falls outside of that classification is flagged as an anomaly. Upon completion of the classification process, the data is concatenated and put into a defined version or detection template of some object by replacing variables with values. These detection templates populate the knowledgebase which are stored in the core analysis engine. 2. Analysis Once the processing is completed, the analysis stage begins. The data record is compared to the knowledge base, and the data record will either be logged as an intrusion event or it will be dropped. Then the next data record is analyzed. The next phase is response. 3. Response Once information is logged as an intrusion, a response is initiated. The inline sensor can provide real time prevention through an automated response. Response is specific to the nature of the intrusion or the different analysis schemes used. The response can be set to be automatically performed or it can be done manually after someone has manually analyzed the situation. 4. Refinement The final phase is the refinement stage. This is where the fine tuning of the system is done, based on the previous usage and detected intrusions. This gives the opportunity to reduce false-positive levels and to have a more accurate security tool. Analysis Process By Different Detection Methods The intrusion analysis process is solely depends on the detection method being used. Following is the information regarding the four phases of intrusion analysis by different detection methods: Analysis Process By Rule-Based Detection Rule-based detection, also known as signature detection, pattern matching and misuse detection. Rule-based detection uses pattern matching to detect known attack patterns. The four phases of intrusion analysis process applied in rule-based detection system are as under: Preprocessing: The data is collected about the intrusions, vulnerabilities and attacks and then it is putted down into classification scheme or pattern descriptors. From the classification scheme a behavior model is built and then into a common format; Signature Name: The given name of the signature Signature ID: The unique ID for the signature Signature Description: The description of the signature what it does Possible False Positive Description: An explanation of any â€Å"false positives† that may appear to be an exploit but are actually normal network activity. Related Vulnerability Information: This field has any related vulnerability information The pattern descriptors are typically either content-based signatures, which examine the payload and header of packet, or context-based signatures that evaluate only the packet headers to identify an alert. The pattern descriptors can be atomic (single) or composite (multiple) descriptors. Atomic descriptor requires only one packet to be inspected to identify an alert, while composite descriptor requires multiple packets to be inspected to identify an alert. The pattern descriptors are then put into a knowledge base that contains the criteria for analysis. Analysis: The event data are formatted and compared against the knowledge base by using pattern-matching analysis engine. The analysis engine looks for defined patterns that are known as attacks. Response: If the event matches the pattern of an attack, the analysis engine sends an alert. If the event is partial match, the next event is examined. Partial matches can only be analyzed with a stateful detector, which has the ability to maintain state, as many IDS systems do. Different responses can be returned depending on the specific event records. Refinement: Refinement of pattern-matching analysis comes down to updating signatures, because an IDS is only as good as its signature update. Analysis Process By Profile-Based Detection (Anomaly Detection) An anomaly is something that is different from the norm or that cannot be easily classified. Anomaly detection, also referred to as Profile-based detection, creates a profile system that flags any events that strays from a normal pattern and passes this information on to output routines. The analysis process by profile-based detection is as following: Preprocessing: The first step in the analysis process is collecting the data in which behavior considered normal on the network is baselined over a period of time. The data are put into a numeric form and then formatted. Then the information is classified into a statistical profile that is based on different algorithms is the knowledge base. Analysis: The event data are typically reduced to a profile vector, which is then compared to the knowledge base. The contents of the profile vector are compared to a historical record for that particular user, and any data that fall outside of the baseline of normal activity is labeled as deviation. Response: At this point, a response can be triggered either automatically or manually. Refinement: The profile vector history is typically deleted after a specific time. In addition, different weighting systems can be used to add more weight to recent behavior than past behaviors. Section 3: IDPS Technologies This section provides an overview of different technologies. It covers the major components, architecture, detection methodologies security capabilities of IDPS. Components Following are the major components and architecture of IDPS; Sensor Agents: Sensors Agents monitors and analyze the network traffic for malicious traffic. Sensor:The technologies that use sensors are network based intrusion detection prevention systems, wireless based intrusion detection prevention systems and network behavior analysis systems. Agents: The term â€Å"Agent† is used for Host-Based Intrusion detection prevention technologies. Database Server: The information recorded by the sensors and agents are kept safely in a database server. Console: A console is software that provides an interface for the IDPS users. Console software is installed on the administrator’s PC. Consoles are used for configuring, monitoring, updating and analyzing the sensors or agents. Management Server: It is a centralized device, receives information from sensors agents and manages that information. Some management server can also perform analysis on the information provided by sensor agents, for example correlation of events. Management server can be both appliance based or software based. 3.1 Network architecture IDPS components are usually connected with each other through organization’s network or through Management network. If they are connected through management network, each agent or sensor has additional interface known as management Interface that connects it to the management network. IDPS cannot pass any traffic between management interface and its network interface for security reasons. The components of an IDPS i.e. consoles and database servers are attached only with the Management network. The main advantage of this type of architecture is to hide its existence from hackers intruders and ensure it has enough bandwidth to function under DoS attacks Another way to conceal the information communication is to create a separate VLAN for its communication with the management. This type of architecture doesn’t provide a much protection as the management network does. 3.2 Security capabilities IDPS provide different security capabilities. Common security capabilities are information gathering, logging, detection and prevention. 3.2.1 Information gathering Some IDPS gather general characteristics of a network, for example, information of hosts and network. They identify the hosts, operating system and application they use, from observed activity. 3.2.2 Logging capabilities When a malicious activity is detected by the IDPS, it performs logging. Logs contain date time, event type, rating and prevention action if performed. This data is helpful in investigating the incident. Some network-based IDPS captures packet while host-based IDPS records user ID. IDPS technologies allow log to be store locally and send copies of centralized logging server i.e. syslog. 3.2.3 Detection capabilities The main responsibility of an IDPS is to detect malicious activity. Most IDPS uses combination of detection techniques. The accuracy and types of events they detect greatly depends on the type of IDPS. IDPS gives great results once they are properly tuned. Tuning gives more accuracy, detection and prevention. Following are some the tuning capabilities: Thresholds: It is a value that sets the limit for normal and abnormal behavior. For example, the number of maximum login attempts. If the attempts exceed the limit then it is considered to be anomalous. Blacklists Whitelists: A blacklist is list which contains TCP or UDP port numbers, users, applications, files extensions etc that is associated with malicious activity. A whitelist is a list of discrete entities that are known to be benign. Mainly used to reduce false positive. Alert Setting: It enables IDPS to suppress alerts if an attacker generates too much alerts in a short time and blocking all future traffic from that host. Suppressing of alerts provide IDPS from being overwhelmed. 3.2.4 Prevention Capabilities IDPS offers multiple prevention capabilities. The prevention capability can be configured for each type of alert. Depending on the type of IDPS, some IDPS sensors are more intelligent. They have learning simulation mode which enables them to know when an action should be performed-reducing the risk of blocking benign activity. 3.2.5 Types of Alarms When IDPS detects an intrusion it generates some types of alarms but no IDPS generates 100% true alarm. An IDPS can generate alarm for legitimate activity and can be failed to alarm when an actual attack occurs. These alarms can be categorized as: False Alarms: When an IDPS fails to accurately indicate what is actually happening in the network, it generates false alarms. False alarm fall into two main categories: False Positives: These are the most common type of alarms. False positive occurs when an IDPS generates alarm based on normal network activity. False Negatives: When an IDPS fails to generate an alarm for intrusion, it is called false negative. It happens when IDPS is programmed to detect ck but the attack went undetected. 2. True Alarms: When an IDPS accurately indicates what is actually happening in the network, it generates true alarms. True alarms fall into two main categories: True Positives: When an IDPS detects an intrusion and sends alarm correctly in response to actually detecting the attack in the traffic. True positive is opposite of false negative. True Negative: It represents a situation in which an IDPS signature does not send alarm when it is examining normal user traffic. This is the correct behavior. ARCHITECTURE DESIGHN Architecture design is of vital importance for the proper implementation of an IDPS. The considerations include the following: The location of sensors or agents. The reliability of the solutions the measurements to achieve that reliability. For example using of multiple sensors, for monitoring the same activity, as a backup. The number location of other components of IDPS for usability, redundancy and load balancing. The systems with which IDPS needs interfacing, including: System to which it provides the data i.e. log servers, management softwares. System to which it initiates the prevention responses i.e. routers, firewalls or switches. The systems used to manage the IDPS components i.e. network management software. The protection of IDPS communications on the standard network. 3.3 Maintenance Operation Mostly IDPS are operated maintained by user graphic interface called Console. It allows administrator to configure and update the sensors and servers as well as monitor their status. Console also allows users to monitor and analyze IDPS data and generate reports. Separate accounts could be setup for administrators and users. Command Line Interface (CLI) is also used by some IDPS products. CLI is used for local administration but it can be used for remote access through encrypted tunnel. 3.3.1 Common Use of Consoles Many consoles offer drill down facilities for example, if an IDPS generates an alert, it gives more detail information in layers. It also give extensive information to the user i.e. packet captures and related alerts. Reporting is an important function of console. User can configured the console to send reports at set time. Reports can be transferred or emailed to appropriate user or host. Users can obtain and customized reports according to their needs. 3.3.2 Acquiring applying updates There are two types of updates –software updates and signature updates. Software updates for enhancing the performance or functionality and fixing the bugs in IDPS while the signature updates for adding detection capabilities or refining existing capabilities. Software updates are not limited for any special component but it could include all or one of them i.e. sensor, console, server and agents. Mostly updates are available from the vendor’s web site. New Chapter Detection Methodologies Most IDPS uses multiple detection methodologies for broad accurate detection of threats but following are primary detection methodologies: Signature Based Detection Anomaly Based Detection Stateful Protocol Analysis 3.3.1 Signature Based Detection The term Signature refers to the pattern that corresponds to a known threat. In signature based detection, the predefined signatures, stored in a database, are compared with the network traffic for series of bytes or packet sequence known to be malicious, for example, an email with the subject of free screen savers and an attachment of screensavers.exe, which are characteristics of known form of malware Or a telnet

CAM and the Medical Community :: Medicine Medical Health Essays

CAM and the Medical Community Alternative, complementary, and integrative healing are all part of a well debated but poorly researched area of medicine. Doctors of the conventional American and European medical communities have been long prone to dismiss unconventional healing methods such as acupuncture, herbal supplements, and massage therapy as ineffective, or outright crackpot methods of treating illness. The view of the medical community, however, seems to have little impact of the growing popularity of CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) among patients. An increasing number of people in the United States and Europe have been turning to these treatments in addition to or instead of traditional Western medicine. The sheer popularity of CAM has forced the medical community to better examine the acceptance of CAM in medicine. CAM encompasses a wide range of healing methods from acupuncture to massage therapy to herbal remedies such as St. Johnà ­s Wort and Echinacea. Many of these remedies have been around for centuries. In the case of Acupuncture, there have been regulations on acupuncture in China and Japan for years. However, since many of these procedures have not been proven à ¬scientificallyà ®, western medicine had largely rejected the remedies as being effective forms of treatment. One professor of medicine at the Rabin Medical Center likened CAM to beliefs in magic and superstition that medicine relied on before modern scientific advances. "The deep model of Alternative medicine is anthropocentric magic. The explanations of the practitioners of alternate medicine are giving patients a set of magical rules to control the physical world, rules that have the human as the fulcrum."(1). In this article, he argues that alternative medicine is fraudulent, impossible to prove in clinical trials, and t herefore, unacceptable even on the fringes of modern medicine. Arguments to the contrary have grown increasingly louder as acupuncture, holistic therapies, and herbal remedies grow popular in the western markets. Most of these remedies and treatments have been around for centuries, so there must arguably be some healing properties to these treatments. People turn to CAM treatments when western medicine fails them. CAM provides people with more options and gives them hope for remedy. One argument for the acceptance of CAM is the Psychological impact it has on its patients. Herbal treatments and acupuncture give people hope for alleviation of their symptoms. One example of this can be seen at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. They provide their cancer patients acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga, and other CAM services in addition to their chemotherapy treatments. CAM and the Medical Community :: Medicine Medical Health Essays CAM and the Medical Community Alternative, complementary, and integrative healing are all part of a well debated but poorly researched area of medicine. Doctors of the conventional American and European medical communities have been long prone to dismiss unconventional healing methods such as acupuncture, herbal supplements, and massage therapy as ineffective, or outright crackpot methods of treating illness. The view of the medical community, however, seems to have little impact of the growing popularity of CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) among patients. An increasing number of people in the United States and Europe have been turning to these treatments in addition to or instead of traditional Western medicine. The sheer popularity of CAM has forced the medical community to better examine the acceptance of CAM in medicine. CAM encompasses a wide range of healing methods from acupuncture to massage therapy to herbal remedies such as St. Johnà ­s Wort and Echinacea. Many of these remedies have been around for centuries. In the case of Acupuncture, there have been regulations on acupuncture in China and Japan for years. However, since many of these procedures have not been proven à ¬scientificallyà ®, western medicine had largely rejected the remedies as being effective forms of treatment. One professor of medicine at the Rabin Medical Center likened CAM to beliefs in magic and superstition that medicine relied on before modern scientific advances. "The deep model of Alternative medicine is anthropocentric magic. The explanations of the practitioners of alternate medicine are giving patients a set of magical rules to control the physical world, rules that have the human as the fulcrum."(1). In this article, he argues that alternative medicine is fraudulent, impossible to prove in clinical trials, and t herefore, unacceptable even on the fringes of modern medicine. Arguments to the contrary have grown increasingly louder as acupuncture, holistic therapies, and herbal remedies grow popular in the western markets. Most of these remedies and treatments have been around for centuries, so there must arguably be some healing properties to these treatments. People turn to CAM treatments when western medicine fails them. CAM provides people with more options and gives them hope for remedy. One argument for the acceptance of CAM is the Psychological impact it has on its patients. Herbal treatments and acupuncture give people hope for alleviation of their symptoms. One example of this can be seen at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. They provide their cancer patients acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga, and other CAM services in addition to their chemotherapy treatments.

Bricolage: A Womans Use of Canonical Ideology :: Canonical Ideology Literature

Bricolage: A Woman's Use of Canonical Ideology le bricolage: travail dont la technique est improvisà ©e, adaptà ©e aux materiaux, aux circonstances.[1] In chapter one of The Savage Mind, Claude Levà ­-Strauss explains bricolage as a way of understanding the structure of mythical thought in "savage" societies. The term bricoleur can be used practically, to represent a kind of craftsman though Levà ­-Strauss brings the word to an analytical level, and it is with this level that we are concerned. The bricoleur's "universe of instruments is closed and the rules of his game are always to do with `whatever is at hand'"[2] so, as a craftsman, he is conservative and ecological. He works from within a structure in order to build out of it: "the materials of the bricoleur are elements which can be defined by two criteria: they have had a use.... and they can be used again either for the same purpose or for a different one if they are at all diverted from their previous function."[3] For more information on this chapter, "The Science of the Concrete", click here. In this paper, I will examine this concept as it applies to certain patterns an d ideas that exist in canonical American ideology and literature in the nineteenth century and how its double nature presents an opportunity for those "marginal" or "other" Americans. In examining this, the American writer will be considered a sort of craftsman. The concept of bricolage resonates strongly in the American literary tradition that is constructed alongside the nation itself. T.S. Eliot and Octavio Paz both support its prevalence in the tradition. They conceive of the literary canon as an ivory tower, "a closed edifice... that cracks open to allow entrance only to the work of genius - by implication, to a gifted man."[4] As Eliot perceives this monument as necessarily alterable, one which allows a new work to enter upon it if "the relations, proportions, values of each work of art toward the whole are readjusted,"[5] Paz presents a similar, though significantly radicalized view of the "constant revolt" of tradition" rather than its "continuity."[6] Paz's "tradition against itself" extends Eliot's with the notion that "what constitutes the modern tradition is the constant renewal of literary forms, as contemporary textual practices."[7] However divergent, both of these theories rely on a similar concept which shapes an American li terary tradition according to Levà ­-Strauss' bricolage: "in order to belong to tradition...

Using Caffeine is a Sin Against God :: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Using Caffeine is a Sin Against God One of the most widely misunderstood commandments in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Word of Wisdom.   The question that seems to trouble many members of the church is whether or not caffeine is part of the Word of Wisdom.   In this paper, we will find that as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we cannot drink caffeinated beverages and say that we keep the Word of Wisdom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   President Hinckley asked and answered a question in General Conference on October 4th of 1997. "Are we moving to mainstream America as some observers believe? In this, I fear we are." The comment came due to the increasing amount of shopping that is being done on sundays in LDS communities, and the increasing amount of disobedience to the Word of Wisdom. His tone was one of concern and love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We have a great responsibility to be an example of virtuous thought and deed. We have been blessed exceedingly with knowledge, that combined with wisdom will give us understanding. Why then, as a whole, do we seem to be regressing and becoming more like the world, as our Prophet has stated, instead of like the savior of all mankind, even Jesus Christ.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We have been counseled heretofore by prophets of old, "to seek learning, even by study, and by faith". We have an obligation to search the scriptures and to learn what the Lord is teaching us and warning us of. We must go forward with faith, and not backward. We must come unto the Lord, and not expect the Lord to come unto us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of   the many dangers in this world, the greatest danger that we have is an uninformed citizenry. Being informed is an obligation that each of us has to ourselves. Brigham Young said that "Education is the ability to think clearly, to act well in the days work, and to appreciate life".   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By this definition, and after knowing the effects of caffeine upon the human body, I have come to the conclusion that drinking caffeine is a sign of a lack of respect for oneself, and of an unappreciative attitude toward the life that each of us has been blessed with. Furthermore, it shows of either our inability, or unwillingness to learn to think clearly.

Effects of Drinking Alcohol Essay

Drinking alcohol is like taking a drug. It is a form of drug abuse, and drug addiction. This is a worldwide problem that many people are involved in. There are good effects of alcohol if it is in small amounts, and in moderation. On the other hand there are bad short and long term effects. The effects that a person will get are all based on certain factors like, how much and how often alcohol is consumed, the age of the person, when the person started and how long they have been drinking for, gender, their family history and last but not least based on their health. Lately scientists have been saying that a little bit of alcohol with dinner is not only okay but it is also good for you. This is true in moderation. They say that if you drink a small amount of alcohol it will help you sleep. Also if you drink a moderate amount every day it can help your health in the long run. A moderate amount is considered to be 1 drink for women daily and 2 drinks for men daily. This can help bring your HDL level up, which helps protect your heart against disease that causes heart attacks. Also a moderate amount of alcohol everyday can lower your risk of developing diabetes by increasing your insulin sensitivity. It can also raise ‘good cholesterol’ levels. In the long run they have said that for women it helps keep the mind sharp in later years. Now when they talk about having a helpful amount of alcohol they mean small doses of it a day with a meal, so that the absorption rate is slowed down. Now this doesn’t mean that a person should start drinking for the benefits that it gives, it just means that if you drink in moderation already it could be slightly helpful to you in the future. If you take advantage of that and drink in excess there are effects that you should be aware of. Contrary to some beliefs, alcohol is a depressant. This is the opposite of a stimulator, meaning that it calms you down, and slows down some organs in your body. Alcohol therefore has short term effects on your body. With about 0. 05% blood- alcohol level you start to get dulled judgment and your inhibitions are released. After that stage you start to get clumsy and will have slurred speech with about a 0. 10% blood-alcohol level. Once you come close to unconsciousness you have a 0. 30% blood-alcohol level. After that point it starts to get dangerous, because you can go into a coma at 0. 45%, and then at 0. 70% the brain starts to shut off and stop controlling things like breathing, and your heart, which will end up in death. These facts are not meant to scare you, because most people can’t drink past 0. 40% because they are asleep. Some other short term effects include blackouts, where you can’t remember what happened, and insomnia, where you can’t fall asleep. While you are drinking you will be less alert, less aware of your surroundings, lose your muscular coordination, have difficulty walking, have blurred vision, and have slow reaction times. This can lead to accidents, injuries, and death. Also after drinking you may get a hangover the next morning which will include effects like headaches, nausea, thirst, heartburn, dizziness, and fatigue. If you are not careful with the amount of alcohol that you drink you can get some bad side-effects. Once you start to become addicted to alcohol you are considered an alcoholic. There are many long term effects that come along with drinking lots of alcohol for a prolonged amount of time. Drinking alcohol like this will damage your organs, like the brain, liver, stomach, intestines, and heart. The brain is affected, because brain cells die which leads to memory loss, confusion, learning difficulties, problems with attention, and brain disorders. The liver is effected, because cancer can develop there, and also in the mouth and throat. The stomach may acquire ulcers. From prolonged drinking you can have a stroke, or have heart failure. The nervous system can also get damaged, and when this happens the person will get physical and behavioral problems. Impaired vision can also be a result of this type of drinking. It also affects your health. One reason for this is because alcohol is high in calories which can lead to obesity. Another reason is that poor nutrition normally comes side by side with lots of drinking. This could be because the alcohol interferes with the absorption and storage of the vitamins you get. Also the water soluble minerals get lost because of the increased urination that happens. Because of the lowered health you also have a lowered resistance to infections. Some other less serious effects of prolonged drinking are vomiting, profuse sweating, hallucinations, tremors, and sleep disturbances. All of these problems can quickly lead to injury to oneself or to others, violence, and death. Also it leads to a loss of employment, and a loss of family life. If you are addicted to alcohol or drink a lot of alcohol for a long period of time you will shorten your life span by about 12 years, and get a lot of serious side-effects. In conclusion alcohol can affect your life in a good or bad way depending on how you drink, how often you drink, and how much you drink. It is better to drink in moderation, and responsibly. This normally means drinking only 1 to 2 glasses a day with a meal, and to also have a healthy diet that goes along with that. Otherwise the health benefits of drinking alcohol are gone, and replaced with some horrible side-effects. Everyone can make their own decision on what drinking in moderation is and what drinking responsibly means, but everyone should be informed with the facts.

Park and Sprague

The average American life expectancy is at 75 years, which reflects an increasing population of Senior citizens projected to reach around 80 million when year 2050 comes around. This is also true with countries as developed as the USA and that of Korea estimating to be at one for every five persons belonging to the senior category. What is also projected is the fact that also by 2050, more Americans will live at 85 and above at a 30 percent increase of the population.This implies a lot of things; mainly, the need for continuing care will be increased as facilities for such arrangements obviously have to be taken cared of or planned as well (Park and Sprague, 2007). Changing values in the family, the fact of urbanization and improved financial capabilities of those reaching their senior years account for this increased need for continuing care retirement institutions. The picture of current sophisticated nursing care for the elderly is no longer confined to the typical home for the ag ed.Today’s communities prepared for those in their retirement years take into consideration the sense of independence or autonomy of senior adults, the preservation of their dignity and especially the needed care of each unique individuals, making the residents feel that home becomes an integral ambience of their stay (Park and Sprague, 2007). Definitely, the challenges that are distinctive of the senior years include first and foremost the physical decline of the elderly.This alone cascades into several ramifications including the loss or diminished use of some sensory capacities such as loss of touch and impairment of hearing and visual capabilities (â€Å"Factors in the elder care decision. † 2005). Reduced strength becomes a source of daily struggle since motor reflexes become slow as energy levels are equally diminishing (Park and Sprague, 2007). With these changes, the decision to commit elderly to the care of professionals in institutions is usually made when al l the advantages and disadvantages have been considered.Advantages include having the facilities such as residential care social services where the physical needs are virtually taken cared of; senior community center where the social interactions are looked after to alleviate loneliness and sense of detachment from the family and the community; independent housing, and nursing home care where the health is maintained and diseases are reduced to a minimum; all the needs of the elderly have been thought of and designed basing on the continuum of care concept (â€Å"Factors in the elder care decision.† 2005). Bathing, meals, and medications are practically relieved from the care of the immediate relatives and provided for by trained personnel. In addition, the elderly who can hardly sustain themselves are provided with skilled nursing facilities; those who have become totally dependent such as the bedridden and myriad health problems (Park and Sprague, 2007). Disadvantages start with the rent or cost which is understandably high.Some residential areas may be lower in cost but the isolation may complicate or worsen the health conditions of those who become lonely for their loved ones and other vital connections. Other disadvantages are the risks of physical abuse and neglect which are not hundred percent guaranteed in some or many facilities despite the promise of administrative personnel to their clients. In addition, there may limitations as to the number of residents that a facility may take in; hence it may take a while to apply and be accepted in some of the excellent communities.Questions arise whether excellent care is actually given to the elderly, or whether the staffs that are hired are actually knowledgeable and skilled to take care of the individual clients (Park and Sprague, 2007). In conclusion, the relatives or loved ones of the elderly will eventually make their decision on affordability and sense of security that they feel concerning the pr ospective community that they will confine their elderly into (â€Å"Factors in the elder care decision.† 2005). Studies reveal that most elderly have maintained and/restored vitality when confined to the care of these trained professionals. On the other hand, it would probably be all important that decisions be made exhaustively, as residents may find their options are decisions they need to accept as lifetime (Krooks and Stoppel, 2007) as they will be leaving homes and loved ones, and in all probability will include the decision to sell their residential abodes. Reference:Krooks, Bernard and Kirsten Stoppel. 2000. Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Accessed February 18, 2008