Book Description

The Vaccine Book provides comprehensive information on the current and future world of vaccines. It reveals the scientific opportunities and potential impact of vaccines, including economic and ethical challenges, problems encountered when producing vaccines, how clinical vaccine trials are designed, and how to introduce vaccines into widespread use. Although vaccines are now available for many diseases, there are still challenges ahead for major diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The Vaccine Book is designed for students, researchers, public health officials, and all others interested in increasing their understanding of vaccines.

Topics unique to this book:
* Ethics
* Economics
* Diseases that could be prevented
* Clinical trial designs
* Ideas about the future of vaccines
* Challenges facing research scientists in the vaccine area
* Burden of vaccine-preventable illness and the impact of vaccines
* Scientific obstacles to be overcome by existing and new vaccines
* Basic mechanisms of host immunity and pathogen interaction with host tissues
* New approaches to future vaccines against challenging diseases
* Real and perceived safety issues which dominate vaccine development and vaccination policies
* Microbial pathogenesis as a basis for vaccine design
* Planning vaccine trials
* Introducing new vaccines into the healthcare system
* Future challenges for vaccines and immunizations ... Read more

Book Description

Chronic and persistent pain syndromes are as much behavioral and psychological problems as physical or medical problems. Mental health professionals involved in pain management must have a thorough knowledge of the latest pain management techniques in order to select the best methods and strategies for helping each patient cope with pain.

Pain Management Psychotherapy is the most up-to-date comprehensive guide available for the psychological treatment of chronic pain. It addresses the behavioral, emotional, sensory-physiological, cognitive, and interpersonal aspects of pain problems and provides accessible technical knowledge that enables practitioners to alleviate unnecessary pain and suffering. Based on sound research and theory and written by two leading practitioners, this book introduces a short-term therapy model for treating chronic pain that integrates clinical techniques drawn from cognitive therapy, hypnotherapy, behavior therapy, and desensitization therapies. This remarkably thorough volume:

• Supplies step-by-step treatment methods from initial consultation through termination of pain treatment
• Describes brief, solution-oriented pain treatment strategies that work in a managed care environment
• Features assessment and outcome measurement instruments, checklists, worksheets, and clinical scripts
• Demonstrates the latest therapeutic techniques, including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, therapeutic imagery, relaxation training, and self-hypnosis
• Includes pain inventories, questionnaires, and other assessment tools

This book is an indispensable guide for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other mental health professionals who need fast, reliable methods for promoting pain relief. It is also an excellent text for undergraduate and graduate students in these and other disciplines, and a valuable reference for insurers, physicians, and managed care providers.

BRUCE N. EIMER, PhD, ABPP, a leading pain management therapist, clinical psychologist, and neuropsychologist, is in private practice in Philadelphia. Dr. Eimer is a Diplomate in Behavioral Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, American Pain Society, International Association for the Study of Pain, and a Certified and Approved Consultant in Clinical Hypnosis of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Dr. Eimer lectures frequently and gives seminars and workshops on pain management and other psychological topics.

"This is a practical and informative text that will be of great use to psychologists and psychiatrists who treat people with chronic pain. It is one of the most, specific, helpful, and user friendly volumes on pain management." —Dennis C. Turk, PhD

John & Emma Bonica Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Research University of Washington

"A remarkable, comprehensive, and practical guide for pain management therapy. Everything you wanted to know about the cognitive-behavioral treatment of people with severe pain problems is exceptionally well presented in this book." — Albert Ellis, PhD, President Albert Ellis Institute for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Author, A Guide to Rational Living

"Pain Management Psychotherapy makes a strong contribution to the clinical literature. It provides a clear overview of the management of persistent pain and offers insight into the psychological and interpersonal nightmare experienced by pain patients. This important work will help therapists better understand and treat chronic debilitating pain." — Richard S. Weiner, PhD, Executive Director America 0n Academy of Pain Management

"An exceptional handbook. Clinicians will emerge knowing how to mitigate the suffering of people in pain." — Arnold A. Lazarus, PhD, ABPP Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emeritus Rutgers University Author, Brief But Comprehensive Psychotherapy

"A definitive and comprehensive text for assessing and treating patients suffering acute, subacute, or chronic pain. I heartily endorse and recommend this text to students and practitioners alike." — C. David Tollison, PhD Editor, The Handbook of Pain Management

"Pain Management Psychotherapy has the best psychological techniques for the care of the chronic pain patient, which includes cognitive-behavioral, EMDR, and hypnosis therapy. This book should be in the library of every clinician who treats chronic pain." — Dabney M. Ewin, MD, FACS. Diplomate, American Board of Surgery Diplomate, American Board of Medical Hypnosis ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Pain Management Psychotherapy:APractical Guide
We recommend this book to therapists in our facility within our multidisciplinary pain facility. When a nurse case manager requests reference material to understand the treatment of chronic pain, this book is also recommended. It is one of the first of its kind, it assists clinicians in understanding the evaluation process and establishment of treatment plans for pain patients. The book assists in determining goals of treatment and recommended interventions to obtain the goals. It is an excellent guide for those just starting out in pain management, or well entrench in the pain arena. I have extentsive experience in treating chronic pain and treaching others how to manage these patients, and found tremendous knowledge in this book. Definitely a reference guideline.

An excellent resource for the pain management psychologist.
This book offers psychologists a clear and methodical look at pain management psychotherapy. Not just an overview but a thoughtful and thorough presentation of various traditional methods, techniques and approaches to working with those in chronic pain. It also offers a large appendix of pain measures, structured interviews etc. to assist with pain assessments and monitor treatment progress. Very highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The British epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" disease, is only one in a series of mysterious and often fatal afflictions that have baffled scientists for more than 40 years. Deadly Feasts is a compelling account of decades of research into a family of diseases ranging from kuru in primitive human tribes to scrapie in sheep. Richard Rhodes traces the attempts of scientists to understand these strange diseases, which are now known to be transmitted by ingesting the brain or nervous tissue of infected creatures, even though the pathogen itself is an enigma that seems to be neither bacterial nor viral. Deadly Feasts is packed with historical, anthropological, and epidemiological detail, and is graphic and occasionally even alarming in its speculations. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Excellent documentary but somewhat unprofessional
Deadly feasts is an extroardinary, readable, tale anyone interested in public health, medicine, and biology will enjoy reading. The tale is especially relevant now because of the spread of mad cow disease to the United States. I urge people to read this book because it will assist them in understanding the current risks facing the U.S. food supply. I also recommend the book because it is fascinating. Prion diseases are 100% lethal and transmitted in a way that defies conventional wisdom and may not be completely understood to this day.

Mr. Rhodes admirably reports that controversy remains regarding the method of transmission of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. However, I think he goes over the deep end by personally attacking/criticizing the activities of Dr. Pruisner--one of the nobel prize recipients who helped elucidate the "carrier" of prion diseases. If Dr. Prusiner intentionally tried to supress publication of alternative theories, then he has certainly violated good scientific practice. But, as Richard Feynman points out, "nature cannot be fooled," and the truth will eventually emerge regardless of what Dr. Prusiner thinks or does. Mr. Rhodes goes to the point of criticizing Dr. Prusiner for passionately advocating his own theory--maybe at the expense of delaying our arrival at the ultimate truth. We don't know what the ultimate truth is though (Dr. Prusiner may be correct) and science is a market place of ideas that eventually leads to that truth. I think Dr. Prusiner has the right to advocate his own theories, providing he reports his data accurately and fully.

A much more reprehensible matter in the book is entirely glossed over. While Dr. Prusiner's behavior is punished for pages and pages, hardly a sentence is written about the alleged sexual misconduct of another prominent nobel prize winning recipient who helped elucidate the nature of prion diseases. When placed side by side, the alleged immoral behavior of Dr. Prusiner pales in comparison to that of this other character. Mr Rhodes' fixation on criticizing Dr. Prusiner, but his comparative disregard for this other character suggests an unprofessional bias engrained in this book.

Gripping and spooky!
You might think you're not interested in prion diseases, or maybe you're not worried because Mad Cow and its grim relatives will never cross the ocean to North America. Perhaps you even believe that as a vegetarian, these issues could never affect you. In "Deadly Feasts," Richard Rhodes shows in gruesome detail how very wrong you may be in those assumptions.

Skilfully, Rhodes tells a captivating tale of prion diseases as they've made their way through the food chain and into human beings. Rhodes' predictions are grim, and the book does not end on a happy note. But though his style is sensationalistic at times, you can't flaw Rhodes' research or the suspense-filled way he lays out the facts.

When you finish this book (IF you have the stomach to finish), you WILL reassess your meat-eating habits. You will squirm and wonder if it's not already too late. Rhodes sets himself up as a prophet of doom and he delivers most capably, with all the meticulous scientific detail modern readers expect.

Deadly Feasts will creep you out, but also send you scurrying to buy copies for your friends, neighbours and probably your local butcher, too. You'll regret having read it, but you'll never forgive yourself if you don't...

First, Last and Foremost
When Richard Rhodes published Deadly Feasts in 1997 it all seemed doubtful and futuristic. His investigations followed the development of this horror from the first, to 1997, and predicted the future (now). Rhodes insisted that if practices weren't changed the US would be plagued by infected cattle. Practices weren't changed, and recently cattle from the US were banned from most of the countries to whom we export. And practices still haven't changed.

If you want to read more about the future I'd suggest you read this book. Despite the passage of years there's not a better source of information about Mad Cow Disease, the protection of the US food supply, regulators bought and paid for by the regulated industry, and what the future holds for all of us.

Do Vegans Worry About Mad Eggplant Disease?
When I was an undergrad--way back in the late '70's--we were told that no concrete evidence of cultures that practiced cannibalism existed. This was back when "primitive" societies were depicted as being pure and uncorrupted by modern woes, like MTV and carjackings.

But, in fact, cannibalism has been a thriving tradition among some peoples, and has only recently been wiped out. (Maybe.) And among those who ate nervous system tissue (which would NOT be my first choice, had I been born a cannibal), kuru sometimes reared its ugly head.

Kuru is yet another variation of the encephalopathy that turns the consumer's brain into sponge, which is eventually fatal. Rhodes, always a riveting storyteller, spins the tale of research into kuru, and its parallel prion-based diseases like Mad Cow and scrapie. He also examines the cut-throat academic dispute that led some early researchers (Prusiner) to the Nobel Prize and led others, equally deserving, into oblivion.

Now, Mad Cow is in the news again. It seems we in the U.S. weren't safe, after all! Our meat processing industry has, for years, chosen to ignore warnings that selling "downer" cattle for human consumption is just WRONG. Also, we have been tweaking the diets of many food animals--not just cattle--with brain tissue-based protein, so who knows where it will turn up. We may be reading about Mad Chicken disease in a few years.

It seems that the public is either in complete denial that this is a problem, or else convinced that this is the plague of the 21st Century. I don't think we'll know for another generation, when the effects will have started to appear.

Not only that, but Chronic Wasting Disease, which affects deer and elk, has already infected at least two (that we know of) hunters who ate venison. As much as the media tries to play up the issue, and as much as the "authorities" try to play it down, we do have a problem that won't go away for awhile.

I think that, for those of us who are confirmed carnivores, we really should patronize ranchers who can offer "organic" products. That may also have the effect of increasing the number of smaller agribusinesses.

And we should be informed about this. Rhodes offers a primer on the subject that is as fascinating as it is chilling.

Cuts Through the Baloney
The spins and factual errors I was hearing on news reports about "mad cow" in the U.S. sent me back to Rhodes's excellent work for another look. Deadly Feasts is basic to a layman's understanding of the problem.

If more people read this book, we could build a better support base in this country for reforming operations of our food industry, especially how we feed and test animals to be processed for our dinner tables.

If we cheat ourselves of this knowledge, however, we'll be making the same mistake we made in the 1940s and 50s. We ignored scientific evidence of the harmful effects of radiation from atomic fission, and we sent people out to test sites just to see what might happen to them.

I don't care what the information or precautions or necessary reforms do to "the economy." I don't want my children's and grandchildren's brains wasting away 20 years from now because of the slow but relentless effect of "mad cow." ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (6)

rivalry between two scientists
Edward Marriott's book is an interesting, well-written, anecdoctal account of two rival scientists studying the plague that struck Hong Kong in 1894. In the light of present day news stories of mad-cow disease, SARS, and other exotic ailments that possibly could pose a pandemic threat, Marriott's book is especially relevant.

Marriott brings the rat-infested harbor area and the exceedingly crowded, poor districts of the city to vivid life. The stark pictures of those soon-emptied areas, so quickly deserted by panicked residents, are chilling to view.

Recommended to all readers, and especially to those involved in public health issues.

It's out there!
Plague, commonly known as The Black Death, has occurred in three major pandemics, and this is a fine history of the latest, which started in China in the late 19th century and spread worldwide from Hong Kong. Investigations into the nature of the disease in 1894 culminated in a contest between two early microbiologists, Kitasato and Yersin, a tale with obvious modern parallels. This historical footnote is one of the major themes of the book, but the author then follows the spread of Plague from Hong Kong to India and on to America. It has become entrenched in various wild animals worldwide. This is a great medical history, and one of the best of the rash of books on "killer diseases" that currently flood the market.

Enlightening, entertaining, abbreviated
This is really 3 1/2 stars. The subject was engrossing, the story of the rivalry between the heroic Frenchman and the brilliant but cheating Japanese researchers interesting, the history of the plague informative. BUT it was very condensed; the chapters were quite short and needed fleshing out.

I did like the organization - alternating between a breakout of the plague in modern India and the one that struck turn of the century Hong Kong. Particularly disturbing were the tales of modern plague and the rather easy conditions needed to engender such a horror.

The author did not spend enough time with the main story. He concentrated on colonial conditions, the prejudice of the imperialists, the still-existing problem of health in the 3rd world. But the heart of the story was the rivalry between the two researchers and the plague itself. This could have been a brilliant book - instead it was only above average. Pictures and a bibliography are included.

Trying too hard to be original
PLAGUE starts out slow but gathers steam in the last hundred pages. This progression may have been inevitable. True stories of killer diseases have emerged as a genre in recent years since the publishing of Richard Preston's THE HOT ZONE, and the plague in particular is probably the most written-about disease in human history. So Marriott needed to try something new or be hopelessly derivative. The problem with this book is that Marriott perhaps attempts tries in too many ways before the story steadies itself and becomes compelling.

The basic set up of the book is, HOT ZONE-like, an icky outline of what the disease can do, then the story of the scientific exploration of the disease. (Even more than THE HOT ZONE, PLAGUE's tale of scientific rivalry in the race to understand the disease reminded me of Gina Kolata's FLU). This story, the rivalry between French doctor Alexander Yersin and his Japanese competitor, Kitasato Shibasaburo, is essentially what the book is about.

But before the Yersin-Kitasato race becomes interesting, Marriott inserts several side stories, some of which distract from the momentum of the main story. Most distracting is an ongoing story about a 1994 plague outbreak in India. That's only the lengthiest of several stories of "future" plague outbreaks. I think the point is that even though the bacteria that causes plague was identified a hundred years ago, even though the disease is now treatable, even though its method of transmission is now understood, it is still a problem for human societies. But the point could have been made better in a more linear story. As it is, the side stories seem to be inserted in slow moments of the main story. Perhaps Marriott felt that the main story did not provide enough material for a full, suspenseful book.

Nevertheless, the suspense level of PLAGUE picks up and the Yersin-Kitasato story reaches a finite end. Not so the larger story of the plague, as indicated by the somewhat open-ended Indian outbreak story, which mutates into a more personal story about a family affected by the social impact of what turns out to be a small outbreak. Unfortunately, this is how the book ends. I think I understand why, but it just doesn't work.

Lessons of History
Ask most educated people about the plague and the response you will get probably revolves around the "Black Death" of the Middle Ages that wiped out a good portion of the population of Europe. Most books about the plague tend to focus on this period. But Marriott's book reminds us that the plague is not gone, still popping up its ugly head from time to time.

In a world chilled by thoughts of bio-terrorism and SARS, most people tend to avoid books like this but I find them interesting. Humans will always be susceptible to disease but we will always fight back. In this book, Marriott tells the parallel stories of an outbreak of plague in southeast Asia in 1894 where two scientists--Alexandre Yersin and Shibasaburo Kitasato--tried to determine the process of this disease and an outbreak of plague in India in 1994 where he shows how panic still dominates our reactions to epidemics in our modern world. Along the way, he reminds Americans that plague also has its claws in the United States though our medical system tends to keep things at bay.

Ultimately, Marriott gives us a good look into the foundations of modern medicine and how diseases came to be combated despite the combat, both intellectual and physical, between doctors of different nations and sensibilities. He also reminds us in a rather subtle way of how primitive our response to deadly sickness remains despite our drugs and treatments--something that we need to be reminded of in a world where we could be called to respond to an epidemic on many fronts. His prose may not be as gripping as some writers in this field (Richard Preston comes to mind) but he gets the job done in a very readable way. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

TRULY EMERGENCY-CHANNELLED
"Current Emergency Diagnosis and Treatment" is an ideal reference text, which provides timely information for both inpatient and ambulatory monitors.
This book is full of valuable advice on how to handle both trauma and non-trauma emergencies. It is versatile: with improved sections on paediatrics and cardiology.
The ease with which one finds information in this book shows that its structure is truly emergency-channelled. It is an important text whose timely information would benefit both doctors and patients. But, I must add that its handling of chemical pathology fell short of my expectation.

Belongs in every Emergency Department
----
I've been buying each new edition of the Lange series Emergency Medicine texts since they started coming out, and even though I'm no longer in active practice, I'll certainly be purchasing the 5th edition as soon as it comes available in January 2003. As a quick baseline reference and refresher oriented to the needs of the emergency medicine practitioner (and that includes NPs and PAs as well as us doctorly types), CEDT saves time and angst. It's also readable, reasonably well-referenced, and cheap enough to keep in the department without fearing that some light-fingered student or resident is licking his chops over the thought of walking off with the damned thing.
---

Excellent reference; good review
Having first seen this book in an emergency room where I was working, I thumbed through it and found it to be a good reminder of the many things to know. The book is well organized and easy to scan. In the few moments of down time, I enjoyed flipping through the pages and testing my knowledge. Regardless of your role in the medical community, this book is a good one to have around. While this one is the 4th Edition, I understand the 5th Edition will be coming on in January 2003. Best of luck and happy reading.

Current Emergency diagnosis and treatment
Este livro manteve a tradição da série current com textos atualizados, de fácil consulta e de grande praticidade, é um livro que todo médico que trabalha em sala de emergência deve ter. ... Read more

Book Description

Here's a quick, focused review of all of the core knowledge in pain medicine. Based upon Dr. Raj's PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT OF PAIN, 3rd Edition, it presents concise outline summaries of the most important concepts in the field, including anatomy and physiology • symptoms • acute and chronic pain syndromes • evaluation and investigation of pain patients • treatment modalities • special situations • and more. Board-style review questions, with answers, test readers' mastery of the material in each chapter. And, a new, comprehensive exam at the end of the book enables readers to assess their overall grasp of the subject matter. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

suprisingly DISAPPOINTED
As a non- pain specialist, i wanted a source of information that would provide useful for clinical practice rather than having to wade through a definitive text. I continually found myself with inadequate depth compared with what i had learned from other texts' chapters OR EVEN information remembered from medical school. It left me continually wanting and was a waste of my time and money. i would recommend the MGH of pain as a source that answered my questions adequately. ... Read more

Book Description

This atlas offers complete, concise, and highly visual guidance on the diagnosis of pain syndromes commonly encountered in clinical practice. Vivid illustrations depict the physical symptoms and anatomy of each pain site, as well as key imaging findings involving techniques such as MRI, CT, and conventional radiography. A consistent format for each pain syndrome progresses from signs and symptoms through physical findings, laboratory and radiographic testing, treatment options, clinical pearls, and diagnostic codes. Readers can quickly locate the information they need. ... Read more

Book Description

This empirically based book focuses on typical stressors, individual and family coping strategies, and psychosocial consequences associated with diabetes. Numerous case studies illustrate the difficulty of balancing normative development and adherence to the therapeutic regimen.The combination of theory, research, and practice guarantee the appeal of this book to an international audience of advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students and professionals in developmental and clinical psychology, pediatric medicine and other healthcare professionals concerned with the care of chronically ill adolescents. ... Read more

Book Description

A practical guide to the safe administration of chemotherapeuticdrugs, the Fourth Edition covers all aspects of this treatment.Focusing on specific plans of treatment, the book's compact size andoutline format make it an easy-to-use reference in the day-to-daymanagement of cancer patients, as well as a thorough review of theprinciples and goals of therapy. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

A must read for anyone with hepatitis C
The Hepatitis C Help Book is a collaboration between two of the best known and most knowledgeable practitioners working in the hepatitis field today - Misha Cohen O.M.D.,LAc. and Robert Gish, MD. This is a well-rounded and comprehensive guide that should be in the personal library of anyone dealing with hepatitis C, and can easily be used by both patients and health care providers. Highly Reocommended.

One of the best books available on Hepatitis C today...
I have read all of the other books on Hepatitis C. This book is wonderful, informative and easy to read. The Hepatitis C Help Book is the first guide that offers comprehensive programs that include both Western and traditional Chinese medicine treatments for hepatitis C. The book is designed to inform people who are infected with the virus, as well as health care practitioners, about how these two medical systems can be used together to achieve the most effective treatment possible. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Must Have
Misha Cohen's expertise in providing specific ways in which to improve your quality of life when dealing with Hep C and other viral diseases, is a relief for the soul. ... Read more

Book Description

An increasing number of patients with a variety of illnesses are cared for in the ambulatory setting. In addition, many diagnostic and treatment modalities, including invasive and surgical procedures, are now performed in ambulatory settings. The combination of immunocompromised patients and complexity of care in ambulatory settings results in a need for focus on prevention of infection.

This book assists all professionals who practice infection prevention and control and healthcare epidemiology in ambulatory settings in formulating a planned, organized approach to infection control in compliance with JCAHO requirements. It provides background information on infection control in ambulatory care, an overview of the basic principles and methods of infection control, and describes recommended practices for various ambulatory care settings. A chapter on bioterrorism reviews the various agents, and issues such as early recognition, isolation precautions, disinfection/sterilization, occupational health, and education.

With this unique, comprehensive book you can plan, organize, and apply an effective infection control program in your ambulatory care facility! ... Read more

Book Description

A clever, accessible overview that uses a survey of 12 of the most common viral infections, to teach the fundamental principles of human virology. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

From the author:
I'm the guy who wrote this book. I thought it might useful to tell you a little about what's in it -- and why I wrote it.

There are many books which employ viruses as tools to teach molecular and cellular biology. This makes sense. A lot of what we know about these subjects was learned by observing how viruses usurp the biochemical machinery of their host cells. However, these texts tend to treat viruses as bit players, focusing mainly on the cells they inhabit. Consequently, such a book can teach you a lot about cell biology, but it usually won't give you much insight into the "mind of the virus." In How Pathogenic Viruses Work, the virus occupies center stage, because my goal is to give you an overall picture of virus-host interactions from the point of view of the virus.

There are also big, heavy books that seem to contain every possible detail about every virus in the universe. These texts are great for reference, but they give the impression that viruses are incredibly complicated and almost impossible to understand. In fact, viruses are quite simple. They really only know how to solve three problems, and the diseases viral infections cause are the consequences -- frequently the unintended consequences -- of the different ways viruses solve these problems.

How Pathogenic Viruses Work is written in the form of "lectures," because I want to talk to you directly, just as if we were together in a classroom. In this book, I focus on the important concepts, and leave out as much detail as possible. I also limit my discussion to viruses that cause diseases in humans. Lord knows, there are plenty of them, and to me (and probably to you), these viruses are really the most interesting ones.

Your professor may use this book as the core text for a course, supplementing these lectures with fascinating facts about his or her favorite viruses. Alternatively, your professor may use this book as a course preview, both to provide you with a global view of how pathogenic viruses work, and to give you "pegs" on which to hang more detail as the course progresses.

But no matter how your professor may choose to use this book, you should keep one thing in mind: I didn't write this book for your professor. This book's for you!

A review from a layman
I'll admit to being intimidated by a book titled 'How Pathogenic Viruses Work.' Being a well educated layman more attuned to marketing than medicine, I expected to be completely lost while reading about the various bugs that invade our bodies and how the body calls to battle its natural defenses.

However, I was rescued by some of the best writing and the most logical presentation I have ever read. This is no small claim as I have published over 150 articles for high tech magazines covering some very detailed topics in computing. My hat is off to Sompayrac for communicating complex topics in a style that is both clear and entertaining.

Sompayrac organized his book in the very way I would want to study the subject. His opening chapters (which he calls 'lectures') deal with the way viruses 'think' and the three basic problems that all viruses must address in order to survive. Sompayrac's explanations bring home the mechanics of Darwinism that viruses face when invading our bodies or breading themselves in cross-species transplants.

Sompayrac then discusses how viruses enter our bodies (inhalation, orally, through birth and through sex) and why each path has its advantages for specific viruses. For each entry method, Sompayrac discusses three unique viruses and how they conquered the problems of replication, spreading and evasion of host defenses. Sompayrac finishes the book by discussing the tactics that modern medicine is employing or testing to combat viruses. The discussion of tactics and their usefulness or dangerousness in regard to HIV is most illuminating.

Unique to this work ' and hopefully for Sompayrac's other books including a rumored book on cancer ' is his light, almost playful style of writing that keeps the reader riveted to the discussion despite the occasional need to drill down into medical jargon. Despite being only a layman limited by a typical array of college biology electives, I read, understood and enjoyed the entire book. I walked away with new insights into the miracles of life ' ours and those microscopic life forms that occasionally try to kill us.

Had I encountered this book in high school or college I suspect I would have changed my major from technical and business realms to medicine and virology. Sompayrac's insights show these worlds to be compelling, intricate and violent places where the very fate of mankind may lay. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The best investment ever!
Having been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 1996 I would not have expected to learn boatloads of material from this book. But, much to my surprise, and with the giant library of FMS literature already owned, I DID learn more than a boatload, of knowledge! I was hoping to learn a few new facts here and there. I sat down and flipped it open to see what the inside was like, and to my astonishment, I found I could not stop long enough to start reading at the beginning of that chapter let alone the beginning of the book. I could not believe that I could have learned so much information after all this time. I have been a host in a support chat for years and still found I missed out on vital tips and information. The greatest part about this, well one of them, was when Dr. Williamson discussed a topic that is a problem to most, then she also had a positive reaction to the situation. I was thrilled to read ideas to help some of the topics I couldn't find help with for years! One of the best ideas in this book, that is missing in many, is a Resources Section, one written in common English! I have already started to use the resources today. I called for some catalogs for items that I didn't know where to find nor from companies that I knew nothing about.
This book is not for the newly diagnosed or nearly new but it is for EVERY person, male or female, adult or child/teen. I even recommend this book for the family or friends that give support to a person with FMS, I mean emotional and mental not financial. I also recommend this book for kids whose parent, sibling or other relative has this. What a great way to find a positive way to get the kids and others to do something for you that you need done and without feeling uneasy about it.
One great thing I read was not having to say, "No, I can't" about something. I can now say, "I am not able to do that at this time." Period. What a feeling of freedom of not having that "I can't" hanging over my head day in and day out! I love the idea of not "having to" give up my bed when someone comes to visit. She is right, that is why there is a guest room and a sofa, not to mention nice hotels nearby that are reasonably priced too!
I am very excited to sit down and read this book but then take it one step further and put her ideas into action in order to really improve the quality of my life, just like the title says! This book was worth every penny and if someone could only have one book about fibromyalgia, I would recommend this one. This has plenty of day to day ways to make life easier while teaching long term changes also! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Practical and easy to read
Ms. Williamson, herself a patient with fibromylagia, follows up on her previous book, "Fibromyalgia: A comprehensive approach" with a very up to date information, practical ideas and coping strategies for millions of patients with fibromyalgia. A job well-done. ....

Practical ideas for improving daily living
This is an excellent book for everyone tring to cope with fibromyalgia on a daily basis. I attend a monthly support group facilitated by the author, (who is a fabulous role model of a FMS survivor). Before I became too ill to take care of myself, I worked as an occupational therapist helping other people to maximize their daily function after illness or injury. I found this book a real comfort and I plan to use much of the information when I go back to work as an occupational therapist specializing with fibromylgia patients. I gratefully thanked the author for writing this book which is full of so many practical and easy to understand strategies for coping more succussfully with my FMS. Even as a rehab professional, I had a lot to learn!

A re-hash of other books on the market....
Dollar for dollar, there are much better books on the market. This book just repeats what has been written by other authors, and even this author in her first book. I would seriously look at Devin Starlynal's books for comprehensive information both for the newly diagnosed or the person who had known about fibromyalgia for years.

This book is simply a re-hash and so basic you could find the information in the newspapers or old magazines and pamphlets from the Arthritis Foundation in your doctor's office.

disappointed by not finding useful hints I could use
This book was very basic. I had heard everything before. I was looking for a challenge in order to fight off the effects of the illness. I have read many better books on the subject. ... Read more