The Complete Cancer Survival Guide by Peter Teeley and Philip Bashe
Drawing on the advice and information provided by specialists at dozens of major cancer centers in the United States, this book provides the most up-to-date, cutting-edge information available on how each of the twenty-five most common forms of cancer is diagnosed and staged, what the most advanced treatments are, and where to go to get the best possible care. Complete with the newest cancer therapies and referrals to trustworthy organizations and agencies offering support and services for people with cancer, it remains the single best resource for empowering patients and their families. [616.994 Tee]
The Earthwise Home Manual: eco-friendly interior design
and home improvement by Kristina Detjen
With the aid of The Earthwise Home Manual, anyone can go "green" when making changes around their home—and save money in the process. Whether getting ready to do some serious spring cleaning, planning a major renovation, or making any changes around the house, a good place to start would be to consult The Earthwise Home Manual. Written in a straightforward, room-by-room, entertaining fashion, the book is packed with useful tips, specific recommendations, and new ideas to make any home not only fresh and attractive, but also safe and eco-friendly. [613.5 Det]
The Five-Second Rule and Other Myths About Germs
by Anne E. Maczulak, Ph.D.
The five-second rule says that if you drop a cookie on the floor, you have five seconds to snatch it up before germs swarm over it and render it unsafe to eat. Microbiologist Maczulak uses this bit of home-spun wisdom to introduce readers to the world of bacteria, viruses and fungi. As the author reminds us, many of the creatures in the microscopic world are needed for our bodies to function normally; only a relatively small number are pathogens. Maczulak reveals the current thinking on how long you're contagious when you have a cold, what's the dirtiest room in the house (not the bathroom) and why your doctor is right in refusing to prescribe antibiotics for the flu. [616.9041 Mac]
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, M.D.
On average, a physician will interrupt a patient describing her symptoms within eighteen seconds. In that short time, many doctors decide on the likely diagnosis and best treatment. Often, decisions made this way are correct, but at crucial moments they can also be wrong—with catastrophic consequences. Jerome Groopman pinpoints the forces and thought processes behind the decisions doctors make. He explores why doctors err and shows when and how they can with our help—avoid snap judgments, embrace uncertainty, communicate effectively, and deploy other skills that can profoundly impact our health.
[610 Gro]
Intern by Sandeep Jauhar, M.D., Ph.D.
A cardiologist describes his experience in the high-pressure, high-tech world of medicine in an account of his internship and residency at a busy New York City hospital. Jauhar questions the medical establishment, in which he spends brutal hours, that seems to disregard patients’ concerns. It isn’t until he becomes a patient himself that he realizes medicine can be a humane science after all. [610.92 Jau]
Lying in Weight:
the hidden epidemic of eating disorders in adult women by Trisha Gura
Gura sheds light onto the eating disorders that plague women over twenty-five, many of which are often misdiagnosed and ignored. Many women have what she calls “subthreshold” eating disorders—symptoms that for one reason or another fall just outside the standards set by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Gura notes that these untreated symptoms threaten women’s health in all stages of life. Steps and resources for self-diagnosis and self-healing are included. [616.8526 Gur]
The Probiotics Revolution by Gary B. Huffnagle, Ph.D.
Some friendly bacteria, called probiotics, are not only beneficial, they're essential. Thanks to recent research, it is clear that the healthy bacteria that inhabit the digestive tract are the body's silent partners for good health, optimizing the power of the immune system to fight disease and the "bad" germs we fear. Here is a guide to probiotics and the foods and supplements that contain and support them. Discover the role of probiotics and prebiotics in restoring healthy balance to our bodies, improving immune system functioning, and curbing inflammation. [615.329 Huf]
Unstrange Minds:
Remapping the World of Autism by Roy Richard Grinker
When anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker's daughter was diagnosed with autism in 1994, it was considered a very rare disorder, occurring in only about 1 in every 10,000 children. Within ten years, rates as high as 1 in 150 were being reported, and the media was declaring autism an epidemic. Unstrange Minds documents Grinker's quest to find out why autism is so much more common today, and to uncover the implications of the increase. His search took him around the world showing that the identification and treatment of autism depends on culture just as much as on science. As more and more cases of autism are documented, doctors are describing the disorder better, school systems are coding it better—and children are benefiting. Filled with moving stories and informed by the latest science, Unstrange Minds is unlike any other book on autism. It is a powerful testament to a father's quest for the truth, and is urgently relevant to anyone whose life is touched by one of history's most puzzling disorders. [616.85882 Gri]
What to Eat
Marion Nestle
Nutrition professor Nestle presents a guide to navigating the supermarket in which she addresses the marketing hype, contradictory health claims and overwhelming variety found at the grocery store. Chapters on produce, dairy, meat, fish and beverage sections will explain food mysteries—like how decaf coffee is made—while at the same time reveal nutritional research and consumption guidelines. Easy-to-understand statistics, charts and label comparisons further sort out the facts. Nestle doesn't set definitive guidelines on what to buy or eat, but instead provides readers with the critical information that will help empower them to make their own educated and healthy choices at the supermarket.
Best Picks by Kassia Worst