Today Americans have a better chance of living longer, healthier lives than ever before. But before we can utilize the benefits of modern medicine we must learn how to manage our own health. The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide is an essential, empowering resource that can help you to navigate our health care system with ease and confidence. Whether you depend on traditional fee-for-service care or subscribe to an HMO, this comprehensive volume will provide you with all the medical know-how you need at every stage of life, including:

? up-to-the-minute information about the diagnosis and treatment of hundreds of medical conditions, including the latest breakthroughs in diagnostic testing and the newest drug discoveries

? an easy-to-understand introduction to our health care system and how to navigate it

? expert advice on how to make the most of the time spent with your doctor

? the benefits and side effects of many brand-name and generic drugs

? what to do in case of a medical emergency

? suggestions for healthy living and disease prevention

? first-person survival stories and testimonials

? coping strategies from the country's most renowned physicians

? the latest scientific studies on low-carbohydrate diets, nutrition, and good health

...and much more. With symptom charts, benefit/risk-assessment graphs, resource listings, a full glossary, even personal medical forms, this guidebook is the key to getting the best health care possible for you and your family.


These days, when you only get to see your physician for 10 minutes after waiting several weeks for an appointment, you're often forced to get your information somewhere else. Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide will do what your doctor can't: answer your questions for hours on end. This richly packed compendium offers more than a thousand pages of health information compiled from the expertise of 7,000 physicians and researchers. Whether you're figuring out what your symptoms might mean, researching a disease, looking up a medication, learning about a body part or function, or formulating questions to ask your doctor, you can find the medical knowledge here--and in simple, layperson's language.

You'll undoubtedly make the most use of the diagnosis section, in flow-chart form. You identify a symptom, then answer a series of "yes" or "no" questions--where the pain is located, when it occurs, what makes it worse, and other related symptoms, for example. Each answer leads you to another question and/or to an action you should take, with page numbers where you can find more information about the condition you may have. Very clear and well organized! The Color Guide to Visual Diagnosis lets you match your symptom with close-up color photos of various skin infections, cancerous growths, fungal infections, insect infestations, and other conditions. The book also has chapters on lifestyle changes that will enhance health, such as nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, and safe sex. Added bonuses are sections on eldercare, death and dying, drug interactions, and emergency care. This book is a treasure and a bargain! --Joan Price