Is osteoarthritis a fate unconditionally vested in genetic makeup, or are joints aggravated into inflammation by the way they are treated? Humans are a complicated conglomeration of experiences, decisions, and inheritance. Osteoarthritis, likewise, has evaded simplicity in any explanation of its causation, so it necessitates a multi-dimensional perspective. This research considers the relevance of Alexander Technique in filling a void in which treatment and management of osteoarthritis is not equally equipped to answer this multi-dimensional causation. Alexander Technique is classified as a movement therapy, but this does not quite encompass the mindset of it—that it is indeed largely a mindset about movement. More concisely, Alexander Technique emphasizes self-awareness about how a person uses his or her body to perform daily tasks. It is physical minimalism, and involves continual recognition of muscle tension along with the ability to let go of any tension that is burdensome and unnecessary. This technique has diminished pain and increased the ease of movement for those who have experienced it, even people with osteoarthritis. To build the argument that osteoarthritis can be hindered through a heightened consideration of how joints are treated, the initial component of this research investigated the vast amount of information already gleaned about the pathogenesis of this disease. The fields of physiology, genetics, immunology, and clinical practice already have much to share, and this knowledge has been combined with studies about the benefits and goals of Alexander Technique to discover the common ground of osteoarthritis treatment. The experimental component assesses the association of Alexander Technique to the minimization of pain from osteoarthritis. An online survey asks osteoarthritis cohorts about the history of their disease, the effect it has had on their pain levels and activities of daily living, and about the efficacy of their management strategies. Because each participant will be asked if he or she has received Alexander Technique lessons, the survey can be used to analyze each respondent’s experience of osteoarthritis with respect to that. It was found that participants who had received Alexander Technique lessons reported an average of one more pain-free day per week, and experienced diminished pain levels for daily physical activities such as walking. Management strategies also indicated the benefit of Alexander Technique; those who had taken lessons less frequently used pain and anti-inflammatory medications and were able to be more physically active than the unexposed group. No statistical significance was achieved from the data, largely owing to small sample size (Alexander Technique, n=12, no Alexander Technique, n=25). This study is a step in the direction of better osteoarthritis management, promoting prevention-minded awareness of joint use and providing preliminary fuel for more extensive research.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:57:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 GabrielMiglioriNeto02072007.pdf.jpg: 14846 bytes, checksum: 5c13babd5ecf2a1369dd196da4a6f478 (MD5) GabrielMiglioriNeto02072007.pdf.txt: 241074 bytes, checksum: e369f6e6a81f4ecfd270416a7643f0e7 (MD5) GabrielMiglioriNeto02072007.pdf: 1135840 bytes, checksum: bc63df438cae64f4efbccfe378c669f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-07-02T00:00:00Z / This workpiece is intended to study, from a wide theoretical basis about economic growth, the case of scandinavian countries – Sweden, Norway and Denmark, focusing on the role of natural resources in the growth process. It adresses the question if natural resources have really had a significant impact in the sustained development of Scandinavia. Looking through the changes in the economic structure in the last century, using at the same time a quantitative and qualitative methodology, the conclusions answer in a positive manner the previous question. Natural resources have been a quite important leverage to economic growth in scandinavian countries. They have acted in two distinct ways, the first directly and the second indirectly. In the first case, where Sweden can be fitted, part of the income generated by natural resources has been invested, along decades, in underlying high valueadded segments. In the second case, the indirect way, where Denmark and Norway are found, part of the natural resources income has been allocated in important assets to sustain economic growth in the long run, such as infra-structure, education (human capital), research and development. Other factors, such as the geografical proximity to the main economic centers, favorable institutions and the high ratio of literacy, at the end of the nineteenth century, have also contributed to the expressive growth of scandinavian countries in the last 150 years. / Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar, a partir de uma base teórica sólida levantada sobre o processo de crescimento econômico, o caso dos países escandinavos Suécia, Noruega e Dinamarca, com destaque para o papel exercido pelos recursos naturais. Ele deseja responder à indagação se os recursos naturais tiveram realmente efeito significativo, e positivo, no desenvolvimento sustentado escandinavo. Ao concentrar a análise na evolução histórica da estrutura produtiva escandinava, através de uma metodologia híbrida quantitativa e qualitativa, que busca traçar uma sequência lógica de raciocínio, as conclusões do trabalho respondem de maneira bastante positiva à indagação anterior. Os recursos naturais foram uma alavanca muito importante no processo de crescimento econômico dos países escandinavos, atuando através de duas vias, uma direta e outra indireta. Na primeira delas, presente na Suécia, parte da renda gerada pela exploração direta dos recursos foi investida, gradativamente, em segmentos de maior valor agregado, adjacentes aos recursos naturais. Na via indireta, onde enquadram-se Dinamarca e Noruega, parte da renda gerada pela elevada competitividade em recursos naturais, presente durante décadas, foi investida através do setor público em “ativos”, como infra-estrutura, educação (capital humano), pesquisa e desenvolvimento, fundamentais para a sustentação do crescimento de longo prazo. Outros fatores históricos, como a proximidade aos principais centros econômicos mundiais, instituições favoráveis e o elevado índice de alfabetização no final do século XIX, também contribuiram para o expressivo crescimento escandinavo nos últimos 150 anos.