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Healthcare is both the largest (17 + percent) and the most rapidly growing (three plus times the consumer product index (measure of inflation) and half a percent of gross domestic product each year) segment of the US economy. The purpose of this paper is to focus on outcome successes that illustrate application of a previously reported health equation. The health equation allows an organized and more transparent assessment of healthcare outcomes.

The approach includes “end use/least cost” techniques that identifies healthful care as a big unmet need (BUN) and equally attractive business opportunity in identifying health promotion that improves outcome at lower net costs.

Opportunity exists to reduce costs while also reducing adverse events, healthcare morbidity and morality. Transparency is essential to find what works more effectively to yield desired outcomes. Metrics and measures, particularly more precise tools to assess true outcome in promoting health or managing ill health, are given priority as they allow quantified and, often econometric, outcome opportunities in the midst of current uncertainties.

This paper is for consumers and businesses, managers and administrators, professionals and allied health professionals. The successes described herein illustrate fundamental opportunities driving change and innovation within healthcare and in our society.

Attention is called to opportunity areas that can fund out of savings the transition from the authors' current “sickness care” system to a healthful care, proactive prevention approach to delivering care. Novel application of transparency and end use/least cost can help guide choices to achieve healthier outcomes.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) had a long history and has been widely practiced worldwide. TCM includes acupunctures, herbal medicine and chiropractic. However, limited studies examined the relationship between knowledge, attitude, utilisation and satisfaction of TCM among the Hong Kong general public. This study has developed a research model which aims to examine the relationship between knowledge, attitude, utilisation and satisfaction of TCM in Hong Kong by using partial least square structural equation model.

An online-based questionnaire was distributed by using convenience sampling. The questionnaire consisted of five parts to collect the data regarding the knowledge, attitude, utilisation and satisfaction of TCM of respondents. The reflective measurement model and structural model were examined with SmartPLS 3.0 statistical software.

A total of 131 respondents completed the survey, and all data were valid after data screening and cleaning. Around 60% of the participants received TCM information from their friends and family members, and 42% from the internet. Likewise, there is positive relationship from the knowledge of TCM to the utilisation, from the attitude to the utilisation and from the utilisation of TCM to the satisfaction. However, the positive relationship of knowledge regarding TCM and attitude is not proven. A t-test and one-way analysis of variance showed no significant differences between gender and age groups on each measurement items.

This paper provides insights for researchers and policymakers to understand the significance of attitude and perception of the benefits of treatments in the use of TCM. The positive experience of TCM from other people is essential for enhancing the willingness to use TCM while education is also fundamental in promoting TCM to the public.

As part of a nationwide research about knowledge, attitude, experiences and educational needs towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among Indonesian clinical psychologists (CPs), the purpose of this paper is to explore CPs’ perceptions of CAM research and their interest in learning CAM.

A link to an online survey was e-mailed to all 1,045 CPs across Indonesia. At the end of the survey, two open-ended questions were asked: “What do you think about CAM research in Indonesia?” and “Why are you interested in learning about CAM?”, which were responded to by 127 participants (87 per cent of females; M_age=36.67, SD=9.02). Participants’ responses were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.

It was found that two global themes for CPs’ perceptions of CAM were to improve participants’ professionalism and as part of continuing education and development for mental health professionals. The favourable responses in this study may reflect participants’ willingness to be involved in collaborative CAM research and education. Moreover, CAM was perceived as part of Indonesian culture and participants viewed CAM research and knowledge as a chance to promote Indonesian local wisdom to complement conventional psychotherapy.

These findings might call for stakeholders to integrate CAM knowledge into psychology education, facilitate CAM research in psychology settings and encourage collaborative CAM research. However, self-selection bias may limit the findings of this study.

This study explored perceptions of CAM research and interest in learning CAM that have rarely been investigated among mental health professionals and particularly, until now, have not been investigated in Indonesia.

Freshly prepared, unstained peripheral blood smears from 46 of 50 patients with chronic environmental illness showed clear microscopic evidence of advanced oxidative injury to all elements of circulating blood. As observed with high‐resolution (15,000×) phase‐contrast and darkfield microscopy, morphologic patterns of oxidative injury to blood components have been designated oxidative coagulopathy, a state of circulating blood comprising: structural abnormalities involving erythrocytes and granulocytes and zones of congealed plasma in its early stages; fibrin clots and thread formation with platelet entrapment in the intermediate stages; and microclot and microplaque formation in late stages. Moderate to advanced changes of oxidative coagulopathy were seen in only two of 15 healthy control subjects. Oxidative coagulopathy begins with oxidative activation of plasma enzymes and leads to oxidative permutations of plasma lipids, proteins, and sugars, and is not merely confined to oxidative activation of recognized coagulation pathways. It is proposed that oxidative coagulopathy represents one of the core pathogenetic mechanisms of homeostatic dysregulation seen in environmental illness and leads to oxidative injury to intracellular matrix, cell membranes, and intracellular organelles such as mitochondria. The observed cellular and plasma changes shed considerable light on many aspects of the macroecologic toxicants and their cellular targets, as well as the microecologic oxidants and their molecular targets. Oxidative coagulopathy is a powerful explanation of the production of symptom‐complexes characteristically encountered in environmental illness.

The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnic entrepreneurship within the contexts of religion, cultural hybridity, segregation, diasporic network and enterprise.

The study collected two sets of data from 15 black African respondents/entrepreneurs through face-to-face interviews in London, UK.

Findings point to immigrants’ entrepreneurial adaptation through traditional and dogmatic interpretations of religious beliefs in the informal sector.

The paper offers fresh insights into the religion/faith and socio-cultural meld in the sagacity of black African entrepreneurship. Such insights afford great opportunities to construct new sites of meaning or frame new explanations of entrepreneurship among the ethnic group – using religion and culture as important environmental munificence.

Most grey literature tends to support the disciplines it serves and does not usually raise issues regarding social, political, or ethical considerations. The “other” grey literature, publications issued by alternative presses, attempts to inform readers about aspects of a particular scientific endeavor that may have social ramifications. In the electronic age, the World Wide Web has played a major role in making scientific information accessible to a wide audience more rapidly and efficiently. This democratic approach to information dissemination in science is changing the way science is perceived and implemented in our daily lives. Alternative presses in both electronic and print formats will continue to play a role in shaping the science research and public policy agendas well into the future. This article explores the role of alternative presses and its impact on scientific communication.

In the USA, there has recently been an unprecedented convergence of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) with mainstream biomedical care. This confluence may lead to a deeply rooted philosophical conflict. This qualitative study works to identify factors that health-care leaders can use, which will build a pathway to greater integrative practice between medical doctors and CAM practitioners – from parallel existence to partnership – by examining the tensions between biomedical medicine and naturopathic medicine. The purpose of this study is to offer short-term suggestions for partnership and long-term recommendations for better understanding.

An original qualitative study using semi-structured with CAM practitioners and biomedical practitioners.

Areas of conflict that are preventing synergy are identified and a pathway for health-care leaders to follow to create greater integration and partnerships is suggested.

This is a qualitative and exploratory study that has significant limitations on generalizability.

This study suggest steps that both types of health-care practitioners can take to increase their success at working together on an individual level, a group level, an organizational level and on an industry-wide basis, as well as provide a specific pathway to create greater integrative practice for health-care leaders.

The results indicate that stronger partnerships between different types of medical practitioners increase patient choice, patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Increasing interested in CAM modalities is driving more contact between CAM practitioners and biomedical practitioners. This contact is best established in partnership between practitioners rather than in parallel. This original research outlines the sources of conflict and provides recommendations for encouraging greater synergy.