Body Signs:
From Warning Signs to False Alarms...How
to Be Your Own Diagnostic
Detective
by Joan
Liebmann-Smith and Jacqueline
Egan
We all notice things about our bodies
that don't seem quite right. But when are
these simply harmless physical quirks and
when are they signs that a visit to the
doctor is in order? This comprehensive and
fascinating guide covers every body part
from head to toe -- and everything in
between -- to help you decode the often
mysterious messages your body sends
you.
Drawn from cutting-edge research and
the latest scientific literature, and
vetted by a panel of medical experts, this
remarkable book also includes historical
trivia and fascinating factoids about each
body area in question, plus an invaluable
resource section. Whether you have a
health concern or simply enjoy playing
medical detective, Body Signs will
not only absorb and inform you but will
help you gain a more intimate
understanding of the wondrous workings of
your body.
An Ocean of
Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other
Mysteries of the
Atmosphere
by Gabrielle
Walker
We spend our lives surrounded by air,
hardly even noticing it. It's the most
miraculous substance on earth, yet
responsible for our food, our weather, our
water, and our ability to hear. In fact,
we live at the bottom of an ocean of air.
In this exuberant book, gifted science
writer Gabrielle Walker peels back the
layers of our atmosphere with the stories
of the people who uncovered its
secrets:
A flamboyant Renaissance Italian
discovers how heavy our air really is:
The air filling Carnegie Hall, for
example, weighs seventy thousand
pounds.
A one-eyed barnstorming pilot finds
a set of winds that constantly blow
five miles above our heads.
An impoverished American farmer
figures out why hurricanes move in a
circle by carving equations with his
pitchfork on a barn door.
A well-meaning inventor nearly
destroys the ozone layer.
A reclusive mathematical genius
predicts, thirty years before he's
proved right, that the sky contains a
layer of floating metal fed by the
glowing tails of shooting stars.
What You
Don't Know Can Kill You: A Physician's
Radical Guide to Conquering the Obstacles
to Excellent Medical
Care
by Laura W.
Nathanson
In 2003, Dr. Laura Nathanson was
widowed after the misdiagnosis of her
beloved husband. After this tragedy, she
was determined to help others protect
themselves and their loved ones from
similarly preventable health care
disasters -- and help them benefit from
health care miracles.
In What You Don't Know Can Kill
You, Dr. Nathanson provides a guide to
getting the best medical care and
navigating our frustrating and often
impenetrable health care system. In clear,
non-medical language, she shows how to:
Flag any signs of misdiagnosis and
misleading analysis of symptoms; Prevent
miscommunication among specialists from
having dire consequences; and Stay safe in
the hospital and bypass its dangers·
Choose a health care plan without falling
into the "uncovered services" trap
Full of empathy for each individual
patient and caregiver, What You Don't
Know Can Kill You will empower
patients to be their own best
advocates.
The struggle to perform well is
universal: each one of us faces fatigue,
limited resources, and imperfect abilities
in whatever we do. But nowhere is this
drive to do better more important than in
medicine, where lives are on the line with
every decision. In his new book, Atul
Gawande explores how doctors strive to
close the gap between best intentions and
best performance in the face of obstacles
that sometimes seem insurmountable.
Gawandes gripping stories of diligence,
ingenuity, and what it means to do right
by people take us to battlefield surgical
tents in Iraq, to labor and delivery rooms
in Boston, to a polio outbreak in India,
and to malpractice courtrooms around the
country. He discusses the ethical dilemmas
of doctors participation in lethal
injections, examines the influence of
money on modern medicine, and recounts the
astoundingly contentious history of hand
washing.
And as in all his writing, Gawande
gives us an inside look at his own life as
a practicing surgeon, offering a searingly
honest firsthand account of work in a
field where mistakes are both unavoidable
and unthinkable. At once unflinching and
compassionate, Better is an
exhilarating journey narrated by arguably
the best nonfiction doctor-writer around.
Gawandes investigation into medical
professionals and how they progress from
merely good to great provides rare insight
into the elements of success, illuminating
every area of human endeavor..
Riddled
with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex,
and the Parasites That Make Us Who We
Are
by Marlene
Zuk
We think of disease as our enemy,
something we try to eradicate; germs and
infections are things we battle. But in
this witty, engaging book, evolutionary
biologist Marlene Zuk reveals that, in
fact, disease is our partner, not our foe,
and is responsible for everything from how
we look to how we have sex.
Since the earliest days of life on
earth, disease has evolved alongside us.
Drawing on the latest research and
studies, Zuk explains the role of disease
in answering a fascinating range of
questions such as: Why do men die younger
than women? Why does the average male bird
not have a penis? Why do we -- and lots of
other animals -- get STDs? How is our
obsession with cleanliness making us
sicker? And how can parasites sometimes
make us well?
Using her own work on sexual selection
as well as a sampling of stories from the
natural world, Zuk makes us reconsider the
fearsome parasite.
