Help! I need ideas for a paper topic...

[James]

Yeah . . I am going along with what Texs Princess is saying . . .

Smallpox, some of the history of it, how it was eradicated and how real the current threat is. also what treatment options are avilable now.

But current events can very important: So West Nile virus . . how to spot out, treatment options etc.

Various coming plagues . . . I have a list pm me if you want them . . .

Also, a really important thing . . . multi drug resistant strains of diseases!! NASTY.

Basically stuff that was easily cured that now won't go away!

A lot of it has been caused by Doctors giving bad treatment . . .

Originally posted by texas*princess
Some medical/health topics I think could be interesting:

*Smallpox? (since the news brings it up *a lot*)

*alztimers (i know i spelled that one wrong.. but i think it would be interesting to learn about)

*Allergies (a lot of people have allergies.. I think adults and children could both benefit from learning more about them)

[justamom]

James-A lot of it has been caused by Doctors giving bad treatment . . .

...and patients not following directions. For example- antibiotic resistance is HUGE! Over medicating because "Mom" wants an antibiotic for a sore throat caused by a virus vs bacteria. Plus,
many on Rx stop taking antibiotics before the full 7-10 day run causing the surviving bacteria to become stronger (think Darwin)and resistant to the medication. Patient education is really lacking in this area.

In hospitals, staph infection is a leading cause of death. Where is Phi Mu Nursie?

As a side note, when choosing your topic, it might be wise to pick one that hasn't been done to "death" yet has tons of information.
Good luck! You have a big pool of topics, let us know what you decide! This is interesting!

[DWAlphaGam]

Wow, thank you for all of your suggestions! It was very helpful to see all of your different points of view. I did a little preliminary research on a few of these topics, and I decided to go with stem cell research because it's fairly new to most people (i.e., people not in the scientific/medical research field) and because there's a lot of controversy and information available about it. For my project, I'm going to write a letter to a senator/congressman advocating the use of federal funding for stem cell research (our audience is supposed to be imaginary, so it won't be sent...although if it turns out well, maybe I will send it!) and I'm going to put together a pamphlet for uninformed audiences outlining the basics of stem cell research and the possible benefits of it. I just hope that my professor accepts my proposal!

Although I really liked the asthma idea (my brother and I both have asthma), I did a Google search and found that my potential project was pretty much already done within the first two or three links.

Thanks again for all of your help! I knew I could count on GCers to come up with great ideas!

[Optimist Prime]

yay!!! stem cells are good. I want superman to fly again.

[DWAlphaGam]

I got an A on my proposal!!! I just thought I'd let you know. Thank you all so much again for your help!

[texas*princess]

YaY congratulations!