Book Description

NUTRITION: CONCEPTS AND CONTROVERIES, 9th focuses on nutrition principles and their application while offering outstanding coverage of the biological foundations of nutrition without assuming previous knowledge of them. Its colorful design and conversational writing style make it appealing and accessible to students and has made it the leading Nutrition text for the non-majors or mixed majors/non-majors introductory course. ... Read more

Book Description

This best-selling introductory nutrition text in colleges and universities has been used by more than one million students! UNDERSTANDING NUTRITION provides accurate, reliable information through its clear writing, dynamic visuals, and integrated study aids, all of which engage and teach students the basic concepts and applications of nutrition. This comprehensive text includes up-to-date coverage of the newest research and emerging issues in nutrition. The pedagogical features of the text, as well as the authors' approachable style, help to make complex topics easily understandable for students. From its stunningly restyled and refined art program to the market-leading resources that accompany this text, UNDERSTANDING NUTRITION connects with its readers and continues to set the standards for texts used in the course. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Required for a semester, but keeps for a lifetime
Overall, I found this text to be chocked full of helpful knowledge. I was required to purchase this book for a course I took in beginning nutrition, but I will keep it forever because of the wealth of knowledge. The concepts are suburbly explained and illustrations make understanding the information easier. Even though most people buy this for a class, I believe it is easy to read and assimilate the information. The Appendices are chocked full of useful facts about the current diet and exchange lists, including food pyramids and such.

The only information I disagree with is the section on vegetarianism. Surely they could have done a better job and included more than four pages! However, there are plenty of books dedicated solely to vegetarians/vegans that would be more important and informative.

It would also have been nice to see more updated information on fad diets such as Atkins or South Beach with respect to health issues. Or even more recent scientific studies throughout the book would contribute significantly to the reading.

Since the 2004 edition is just coming out, if you can pick up a cheap copy of this edition it is well worth the investment.

A Very Balanced Nutrition Textbook
This is a balanced nutrition textbook that combines the concepts of nutrition with exercise, disease states that are caused by nutrition deficiencies, eating a balanced meal, glycolysis cycle and other concepts. This book also has helpful tables in the inside cover of the book and all throughout the chapters of the book.

What makes this book so good is that it goes beyond a textbook. This book can also be used by any individual looking to find ways to eat healthier, lose weight and exercise. This book goes beyond the expectations of a learning textbook and that is what makes this nutrition textbook so good. Of course its primary use is as a textbook for the professor to teach basic concepts of nutrition to its students but IMHO, it can be used for more than that.

Additonally, this book makes the concepts easy to understand to the point that any person can follow the concepts easy. The infotract CD was also helpful as well.

In all for a book that is primarily focused on the concepts of nutrition, it goes beyond its primary focus. It is a great book. Sometimes I wonder if the officials at Jenny Craig Weight Loss Centers fashion their diet plans by just using this book and charge you a ton on money. With this book anyone can eat more healthy and you won't have to spned a ton of money at Jenny Craig Weight Loss centers to do it

A great book. I learned a lot about nutrition with this book. Kudos to the author. :)

Easily digestible
I loved reading this book as the language used is very attractive.Information introduced in a very reader friendly way and different colours are used to stop you falling asleep.This book explains even tiny things and avoids complicated pionts by referring the in depth reader to Appendices at the back of the book.I recommend this book for any body intrested to get significant information in a short time.This book is very useful and easily digestible specially if English is not your first language.

understandable for a difficult subject!
Although I found this subject much harder than I anticipated, the manner in which Whitney wrote the subject helped me understand the material. I have learned much more than I had thought I would.

An awesome book for the above average reader.
This book is very interesting. It has extensive amount of information about everything you ever wanted to know about nutrition. From tables that display the amount of vitamins and minerals your body needs to information of various food items (ie. calories, fats, protien, etc.), this book is for you. Gaining a little to much weight? This book could be a cheaper version of a dietician. However, you may not find this interesting if your english skills are not up to par. Students in post-secondary use this book, so if your english skills are not to good, you might want to try another book. To sum it up, you could use this book but you better be ready to get out that dictionary. ... Read more

Book Description

The Sixth Edition offers enhanced coverage of such topics as diet planning, the energy nutrients, vitamins and minerals, digestion and metabolism, weight management, life cycle nutrition, assessment and the nutrition care process, medical nutrition therapy, and complementary therapy.Whitney, Cataldo, and Rolfes incorporate the latest research in genetics, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and the Dietary Reference Intakes and Dietary Guidelines. New "Healthy People 2010" material (integrated throughout) reflects the latest health goals for the next decade. Also included are current recommendations from the American Heart Association for the prevention of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). Every chapter in this accessible, visually exciting book is designed to inform your students and involve them in nutrition.Students will find many features, activities, and unique Web resources to help them apply chapter concepts. For example, a new "Think Nutrition" feature reminds students to consider nutrition issues when encountering clients with varied clinical diagnoses . . . while case studies, clinical application exercises, and other features teach students how to apply their knowledge in the field. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A student's opinion
This textbook is actually one that is recommended for the Nutrition course at my university. I found it very useful and informative for all aspects of the course. Information was displayed in a clear and colourful manner, which made taking it all a lot easier. The study questions at the end of each section came in very handy when revising for exams. In addition the lists of resources relating to each topic were helpful, enabling you to look at other sources for further reading. I found the 'highlights' in particular useful as they covered particular points (such as eating disorders or osteoporosis) in depth and related it to the different aspects of nutrition.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone with a more than cursory interest in nutritional science as it provides a great of information on the subject.

Normal and Clinical Nutrition
I found this Nutrition book to very helpful. It is very informative and easy to understand. I enjoyed this book and will most likely keep it because it can be very helpful in the future. It contains information that is very helpful ... Read more

Book Description

No disease the world has ever known even remotely resembles the great influenza epidemic of 1918. Presumed to have begun when sick farm animals infected soldiers in Kansas, spreading and mutating into a lethal strain as troops carried it to Europe, it exploded across the world with unequaled ferocity and speed. It killed more people in twenty weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty years; it killed more people in a year than the plagues of the Middle Ages killed in a century. Victims bled from the ears and nose, turned blue from lack of oxygen, suffered aches that felt like bones being broken, and died. In the United States, where bodies were stacked without coffins on trucks, nearly seven times as many people died of influenza as in the First World War.

In his powerful new book, award-winning historian John M. Barry unfolds a tale that is magisterial in its breadth and in the depth of its research, and spellbinding as he weaves multiple narrative strands together. In this first great collision between science and epidemic disease, even as society approached collapse, a handful of heroic researchers stepped forward, risking their lives to confront this strange disease. Titans like William Welch at the newly formed Johns Hopkins Medical School and colleagues at Rockefeller University and others from around the country revolutionized American science and public health, and their work in this crisis led to crucial discoveries that we are still using and learning from today.

The Washington Post’s Jonathan Yardley said Barry’s last book can "change the way we think." The Great Influenza may also change the way we see the world. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

The Great Influenza: The American Experience
In The Great Influenza, John Barry has produced a massive and exhaustively researched description of one of the greatest disasters of human history. At least, from the American point of view. While there are a few glancing references to what was going on in the rest of the world, there is no serious discussion of any attempts to deal with the pandemic in other countries, even in other industrialized countries. On the other hand, Barry has chosen a very specific point of view: the transition of American medicine and medical training from folk wisdom to science. It's a compelling point on which to balance a long and exhaustive (there's that word again) study of how America and, specifically, American medicine confronted an epidemic in which people were dying faster than the technology of the time could handle, an epidemic in which society itself was nearly overwhelmed by death.

As other reviewers have noted, the book's weakness is a tendency towards melodrama, as in the far-too-often repeated tag line "This was influenza. Only influenza." After a while, you think to yourself, "Yes, we get it. Give it a rest."

On the other hand, the book has one of those quirky displays of real brilliance in the last two chapters in which Barry deals with how science is done well (in the case of Oswald Avery) or done poorly (in the case of Paul A. Lewis). These two chapters are so strong that they could stand on their own, and what they have to say about the process of scientific thought itself is fascinating. Avery's story is that of a man who was just relentessly focused, who kept digging deeper and deeper into a single issue until he discovered the source of heredity itself. Lewis's story, on the other hand, is that of a man who simply lost his way. Distracted by the need to administer an institute, the need constantly to raise money, to deal with the politics of science, the need to socialize and just plain hustle to support the work of others, Lewis lost the focus that Avery had and ending up flailing in a sea of theories and methodologies. In fact, if you don't read any other part of this book, read these two chapters.

There is no question about The Great Influenza being a monumental work. It's so good that you just have to overlook the bits of melodrama that pop up from time to time. The research is, well I obviously can't use "exhaustive" again, so let's say nearly encyclodedic. In fact, there's so much research, and so much documentation that Barry has used an odd method of footnoting. Instead of using footnote numbers that refer to the notes section at the end of the book, you have to turn to the notes section and find the specific page and text being referenced. Unfortunately, as a result you don't know while you're reading which bits have footnotes and which don't. I'd prefer actual footnote numbers. Ah, well. I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time.

In any case, Barry has produced a massive and important work of epidemiological history which is, at the same time, as readable as a thriller. In writing this review, I kept wavering between giving it four stars or five stars and finally decided on five based on the scope, the thoroughness, and what Aristotle would call the "point of attack," that is, the point at which the story really begins, which is, in this case, the birth of truly scientific medical education in America. All in all, it's a truly fascinating and immensely readable piece of history.

Sobering look at a deadly pandemic...
A book that recently caught my eye was one by John Barry titled The Great Influenza - The Epic Story Of The Deadliest Plague In History. Now, I generally have a phobia about needles, and have *never* received a flu vaccination, but I think that will change next year. This was scary stuff...

Barry details the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 in great detail. He starts by setting the stage of how American medicine was practiced at the end of the 19th century, and how there was little control or respect for the profession. And rightly so... Nearly anyone could call themselves a doctor and do nearly anything. But through the efforts of a few key people, John Hopkins university was formed to bring the medical education up to European standards. Most of this transformation was occuring when the flu pandemic started. This is where the book gets interesting... and frightening.

Because of World War 1, recruits were overcrowded into training facilities that were less than sanitary. When the flu first broke out in one of the army camps in the states, it was quickly transferred to other camps when soldiers transferred. From there, it easily jumped into major cities, decimating large numbers of people. And when these soldiers went overseas, the flu went with them. Being especially contagious, it swept the globe in short order and left, by some estimates, over 100 million dead. That is so hard to comprehend.

When you look at the struggle they had to even identify the cause of the illness, you understand how it could so easily run rampant. One would think that it couldn't happen today, but one would be wrong. SARS, AIDS... diseases that defy attempts to quickly identify the virus, and are resistant to attempts and efforts to treat them. It's not hard to imagine how a pandemic could start so much more quickly today due to the ease of worldwide travel.

Well worth reading to understand how precarious the general health of society could be...

Just the flu
Wow. The Great Influenza sort of blew me away. Like most people I've heard of the 1918 influenza, but also like most I've never actually read anything on the epidemic. My first introduction to the topic came as a young nurse working on a neurology ward where Parkinson's Disease was diagnosed and treated. At the time it was believed to have arisen as a late neurological response to that infection. For all I know they may still think so. During the swine flu epidemic and the controversy over whether the vaccine had caused a rise in the incidence of Guillian Barre, the so-called French polio, the 1918 flu was frequently mentioned. After reading Mr. Barry's book I can certainly see why.

What amazes me most about the pandemic of 1918 is not its virulence so much as its repercussions. It definitely occurred during the most inopportune time, almost proving Murphey's law that if anything can go wrong it will and at the worst possible time. Probably one of the most significant outcomes of the flu seems to have been the effect it had on the peace terms. One is left to wonder if Wilson had not been affected by the flu in so damaging a way and at so crucial a time, whether World War II could have been avoided. Moreover much is made of the nihilism of the 1920s, that lost generation between the two world wars. The young of the era seemed to have gone through a loss of innocence that is often attributed to the effects of the WWI experience and the death of the overconfident 19th century way of life. It seems to me that far more damage to the confidence of young adults was due to the effects of the influenza epidemic. Certainly Barry's discussion makes the character of the 1920s and 1930s much clearer to me.

The differential effect of the flu on the various age groups, suggests much about the effect of the virus on the immune system. Having had to manage patients with ARDS in ICU, most of them very young people like those in 1918, I can hardly imagine what it might have been like to be a nurse during a time prior to mechanical ventilation and sophisticated drug therapy. We lose ARDS patients with an unpleasant frequency even now. In 1918 I don't know how one could have helped even a single patient survive it. It had to have been appallingly painful to the staff, overworked as they were, even ill themselves as some were, to watch a patient die that way especially as the author points out again and again because so many of these patients were in the prime of life and had so much to live for yet. I certainly know what its effect has been on me over the years.

Although the author attempts to reassure the reader that although we may have another similar pandemic, the outcome will be less devastating because of our modern medical facilities and experience, I can't help but think of the Titanic! It couldn't sink, you know, because it was the product of the most modern and up to date technology of its time. Maybe MRSA (methacillin resistant staph aureus) and VRE (vanco resistant enterococci) will be our armageddon!

A serious and fascinating book. One every health care worker should read.

Dense with detail, full of melodrama
I read many reviews of this book, and finally had to buy it.
This is a book you can easily put down! Dense with detail and many fascinating characters, but ruined by the melodramatic style. Along the lines of: " Then suddenly, it struck with incredible force!" Not an actual quotation, but you get the idea.

Over and over again he uses this same device. It ultimately becomes tiresome. I'm about halfway through, and I have not picked it up in about 3 weeks.

Hold out for the (used) paperback!

a mesmerizing book
This has just become one of my favorite books. It is a compelling read, like a real-life Stephen King novel. But it's built around a lot more than just plot and character. It also gives you tremendous insight into how the body works, how viruses work, and how diseases interact with the environment--- and it makes clear that one of the most important elements of the environment is the political climate. This book tells you more about Woodrow Wilson than most history books on World War I. Finally, it's extraordinarily well-researched and accurate: a doctor-friend who is actually a pulmonary expert told me it not only gets things right, but taught him something. I think it's obvious by now I love this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Gives students the most thorough understanding of cell and tissue biology, structure, and function is now revised and updated in a FULL-COLOR Tenth Edition!

Reflecting the latest research in the field, the tenth edition provides students with a solid knowledge of how cell and tissue structures are linked with their functions. This book examines the structure and function of cells, the four basic body tissues, and each organ and organ system of the human body. Throughout, cell biology is emphasized as the most fundamental approach to understanding structure and function.

Features a full-color design, 300 full-color photomicrographs highlighting important structural details of cells and tissues, a companion CD-ROM Atlas with all 600 photos and illustrations in the book. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Basic & excellent histology - reviewed by Marcelo Antunes
This book presents all basic tissues followed by descriptions of all human body systems. Microscopic anatomy and physiology are well balanced throughtout the textbook.The brazilian authors, Junqueira & Carneiro, used a simple, readable language along with very good illustrations and photos (including a colored atlas) to produce this book: the result is a text in which the student will find not only precise informations but a textbook of Histology simple enough to read, to study, to learn, and to review. Perhaps, more clinical comments and/or Pathology relating topics should be included in the next edition.

The Cd-Room is great but...
The CD- room is user friendly and thats good when you have to study a lot and need something easy .. But The figures in the book never had the zoom or the Microscopy resolution with every slide in the book. And well Is important to know that kid of information specialy if you are interested in microscopy

Just Great
This book is one of the best books i've ever read in basic histology. it's really good for medical students, Simple and straight to the point.
Every histologic feature had it's clinical correlation which is so helpful for students throughout their Predoc studies.

GREAT
it's the best basic histology book i've read ..... it's excellant for Predoc students

I am from Brazil and that¿s the book that we used at our sch
I am from Brazil and that's the book that we used at our school for histology.
We kind of liked it a lot since it was very easy to read and straightforward with its explanations so you would understand it easily, plus it covered everything that you needed to know for a histology class, for 1st year medical students.
Yours truly,
Thereza M.P.S.Melo. ... Read more

Book Description

Would you like to bring guest lectures like researchers, physicians, or fellow instructors into you microbiology course? With this third edition of INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIOLOGY you get the perspective of all of those three professionals. John Ingraham, a professor of microbiology at University of California at Davis, and Catherine Ingraham, his daughter and a practicing physician, utilize their experience within a case history approach complemented by a great technology package. Each chapter in INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIOLOGY now consistently begins with a case history, which John Ingraham has found very motivatonal to students who are new to the study ofbasic science. Because Catherine Ingraham studied to become a physician by interviewing patients, determining causes and implementing solutions, she knows mastry comes from high interest human stories rather than clinical presentations. Many of the case histories found in this book are taken from Catherine's experience as a physician. This combination of experiences and talent brings a case-based quality to every lecture and homework session.This unique author team also provides up-to-the-minute currency. Coverage of new microbial "events" such as biological warfare, studied by John and its effects prepared for in Catherine's office, keeps students interested. The authors also highlight reemerging diseases, such as tuberculoses and smallpox.As with previous editions, this book takes a "body systems" organization. Students are exposed to the unknown, the world of the microbes, through the known, and the different parts of their own bodies. And, because art is so important, there is again a multimedia manager with this title, but with more exciting capabilities than ever before. Instructors receive powerful PowerPoint slides for all the illustrations, tables and figures from the text, plus several animations are at your fingertips. ... Read more

Book Description

This introductory-level text is ideal for a college-level course that covers the basic elements of food preparation, food service, and food science, and provides the information needed by students preparing for careers in one of the many related fields of the food industry. Highly researched and comprehensive in coverage, while also student focused and manageable for any quarter or semester course, UNDERSTANDING FOOD, SECOND EDITION thoroughly explores the science of food through core material on food selection and evaluation, food safety and food chemistry. The many aspects of food service are covered including meal planning, basic food preparation, equipment, food preservation and government regulations. The final sections of the text supply food preparation, classification, composition, selection, purchasing and food storage information for a range of traditional food items. A rich illustration and photo program and unique pedagogical features help to make the information easily understandable and interesting to students. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nutrition/Dietetic STUDENTS: Do Not Resell This Book.
All,
I have taken the course that calls for this book. The course..., but this is a very good book. If you're majoring in nutrition/dietetics, do not get rid of this book. It is invaluable. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Incredibly boring!
This entire series of "Incredibly Easy" books should be called "Incredibly Boring"! I've found all of them to be useless in keeping my attention or in helping me to remember. There is nothing memorable about anything in these books.

Very helpful book!!!!
This book helped me get through Pathophysiology. When you are learning about Fluids and Electrolytes, it really breaks it down into an easier to understand format. The quizzes and questions at the end of the book are also helpful. They do not only give you the correct answer but also tell you why it is correct. I would reccommend it to any nursing student, even if your program does not require Patho!

Must have for nursing students!
This book is a must have for nursing students! Makes fluid and electrolytes easy to understand.

Great For Nursing Students!
I read this book over my summer break from nursing school and found it very helpful. It is easy to follow and you will be amazed at how interesting fluids and electrolytes can be! It made everything "click"

Excellent book
I am an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and ACLS Experienced Provider (ACLS-EP) Instructor and use this book in my classes. It is a great book to teach electrolytes, and is very clear. I am also an Excelsior student, and this book was essential for Nursing Concepts 2 test. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing this book if you plan on taking NC2 or ACLS-EP. If you are ever confused about why you have electrolytes infusing, this book is clear and to the point. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent book - But it could use a "cosmetic" update
Good subject coverage, knowledgeable author, and plenty of uncluttered figures makes this book very worthwhile. The only thing missing from this excellent book is an update. Although this is the third edition (1998), almost all of the equipment photographs are from the early-to-mid 1970's. An extensive and broad Suggested Reading section follows most chapters but again far far too many references are to early 1970's books and manuals. An update could earn this book a 5+ rating. ... Read more

Book Description

This textbook provides the reader with thorough coverage of the role nutrition plays in enhancing one's health, fitness and sport performance.Current research and practical activities are incorporated throughout. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not for a typical student
This book might serve the purpose of an athlete, but may not be good for a typical student or non-student.
It has cited too many references, as if it is for a student pursuing a research program. An average undergraduate student has no time to scan through piles of references cited in this book.
It has little by way of visual aids.
Its contents do not present a straightforward methodology for an average person to deduce pros and cons of a food menu.
It has some biased opinions. For example, Figure 1.4 does not list Smoking as a possible cause for Lung Cancer.
It does not give any information about the author, apart from the author's being at the Old Dominion University.
The web link www.mhhe.com/williams stated on the back page of this book is not valid. This becomes a frustrating experience.
The book is in Paperback format, is used mainly by community-college students with limited budgets for books, and is not a monopoly book. Many better and cheaper textbooks on this subject are available from other publishers. Thus, this book's price tag of $95 is super high. Even the 7th edition's price tag of $75 seems to be high.

Excellent textbook
I highly recommended "Nutrition for Health, Fitness and Sport" to exercise science and nutrition students. It's comprehesive yet not too technical.

You may also want to order "Creatine: The Power Supplement" by Williams et al. (Human Kinetics 1999).

PS. You may also want to read my article "Protein metabolism in exercising human with special reference to protein supplementation":

Tons of information that you can understand and apply
Melvin Williams has written a great book on sports nutrition.He takes a chapter to cover every nutrient including supplementation and athletic performance in regards to that nutrient. He also covers fluid and electrolytes. He also includes weight loss, weight gain chapters that arevery useful for any athlete of any level. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A vital MUST HAVE handbook for professionals!
Whether one is cooking in a restaurant or a school kitchen, this is the most valuable handbook. You'll want it at ready reference. I know, because never a week went by that I didn't consult it while running my bakery/deli in the Oregon Cascades.

I must confess that I didn't tell customers my recipe source. I preferred they think me a genius or as having come from a family steeped in cooking history. They knew I was no genius (hell, they knew I wasn't even very smart) but they did like the foods we provided. And, when I decided to produce a new, tasty meat pie, it was this book that I consulted to improve upon my concept.

Choose not to buy this book and you probably are never going to know what you don't know. Choose not to consult it while it sets on your shelf will probably endanger your relationship with your harshest critics.

A Must-Have!
I discovered this book several years ago while working as a hall director for a cooperative living residence hall. The college women who lived there cooked for their fifty housemates.

Molt's book was a godsend for us; the instructions were basic, easily understood, and useful.

The best aspect of Food for Fifty is the fact that, recipes aside, the book gives excellent tables and instructions for cooking times/weights/quantities beyond the recipes it lists. In other words, it is quite useful when adapting one's own recipes to meals for 50 or 100 people.

I have since used Food for Fifty in another food service job, where it was equally useful and well-received. I highly recommend it to anyone, whether you're doing institutional meals, church meals, or simply work with large food quantities on a regular basis. It's worth it!

Small variety and non-healty recipies make this book a pass
Unfortuately, this book has a limited number of fish and chicken recipies and the ones it does have, aren't very healthful. It does have more of a selection for meat recipies. I returned the book.

Great book that explains how to do food service excellance!
Most referance books I use in my job (I am a cook) does not go into detail how to use math to compute how much to use or how less to use according to scale. Examples and explanation makes it so much easier to understand what is required to do the proper job. I love the equilivants of which items which could be compatable to food items. My only complaint is that sections to find measurements to total needs to be more organized to make it easier to find in the tables. At my job, this book really is considered a "bible" and I'd buy it for my own personal use!

"bible" for serving 100+ young professional musicians/staff.
The tables provided are worth the price alone but the basic recipes are invaluable. They can be adapted to different requirements. Quantities, particularly vegetables, are somewhat conservative compared to what I find needed but the age of the "fifty" (or 100)and their physical activities make a difference. It is the general guides - cooking temperatures/times/specific cuts of meats/yields of purchased bulk versus usuable portion that I find myself referring to over and over. This is also what is missing or reduced in other similar books. I have used a number of the baked goods recipes and find them all to be excellent. Seasonings are very low in most recipes but that is easily remedied - especially spices in the sweet breads and desserts and herbs in most dishes. They need to update that which I hope to find reflected in the newest edition. This book would be a great resource for any type of small catering company, restaurant with changing menu, or institutional food service. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Pass The Black Cherry Juice
I shouldn't be commenting on this, since I have not read the book. I don't know if I'm repeating information from the book, but as a Gout sufferer, I feel compelled to mention that black cherry juice or concentrate helped relieve the pain in my toe and ankle. Your mileage may vary, but Google it and there seems to be plenty of anecdotal evidence that it works.

One of those great small books. NOT snake oil.
This is an excellent concise but comprehensive book on the gout for the lay reader. It would be better not to have gout, but if you do need to manage it, this is the best book I've seen. The size, title and the photo on the cover gave me the impression that the book was likely to be simplistic and wrong. In fact, it strikes a good balance between readability and detail. It also turns out that Dr Emmerson has published quite a few papers on gout in serious peer reviewed journals.

GREAT BOOK - NEW GOUT SUFFERS MUST READ!
If you have gout then READ THIS BOOK ASAP - This is the only comprehensive guide to GOUT I could locate. Excellent reference if you want to understand all aspects and possible causes. I ask lots of questions and this book answered 99 percent of my concerns. Buy your doctor one also - I am new to this condition but now have a definitive plan of action to determine the cause and cure it - not just treat the symptoms. DR. Emmerson if you read these THANK YOU! My TOE wishes I would have found this book 9 months ago.

Sound words
This complaint has vexed me sorely for a full threemonth. Mr Shoesmith the chirurgeon has procured some foul liquor from a mountebank toothpuller at Bartley fair, which he vouchsafes will rid me of this abhorrent contagion if assiduously applied by means of a poultice. His advice put me in mind of the wise counsel of the Mahomedans "Never take succour from an envious man". I therefore threw myself upon the mercy and good grace of Messrs Emmerson and Emmer. In matters apothecary they are gentlemen of wit and learning, and though their counsel to abstain from port wine was burdensome indeed, follower of Bacchus that I am, I must report an abatement of my pains which will enable me to travel to Europe on the Lisbon packet later this year.

Thinking of buying a copy for my doctor ! ! !
This well written 148 pg. book has all the information that I wish my doctor had shared with me when he diagnosed me. There are a lot of books offering "homeopathic" based remedies. I got this because I wanted to get a clear medical perspective on the disease.

A few of the reviewers have complained that the book does not have enough dietary information, however, as the book points out, there really isn't a generic formula of what foods you can and can't eat. Matching notes with several other gout sufferers, I concur. As the book words it each individual will have his or her own "peculiarities" - - and there are factors besides diet as well. Of course, everyone I talk to has a different "time tested" answer, and they're willing to state it authoritively. All I can tell you is that I've suffered miserably enough from this disease not to want to play any more games. I got this book to hear about my medical options... how the disease is caused, treated, managed and cured - it does this in plain English then you can decide on your own about your course of treatment. I really wish I had this book several years ago. Initially my doctor told me, "Oh, just don't eat..." and gave me a list. I followed it and a few months later it came back with a vegence. I suffered miserably. The third time I saw an internist. He gave me an anti-inflammatory drug which within 20 minutes relieved the pain and enabled me not only to put on my socks and shoes, but walk. Was all the suffering from the time before necessary? Then came the issue of going onpermanant medication, its long term side effects (I'm barely 30 !) and adjusting it (I had another attack after I started on it.) The point is, I now have a better understanding of the disease and can make better informed decisions.

On a lighter note, the book also offers a fascinating history of the disease which actually goes back to the times of Hippocrates and while the book is light on "kiche" there are a few hillarious cartoons with the gout sufferer and the propt up foot that you will associate with if you are a sufferer or live with someone who is.

(P.S. Best of luck in your treatment, I hope this book will help you out ! ! ! ) ... Read more

Book Description

Bioinformatics – the process of searching biological databases, comparing sequences, examining protein structures, and researching biological questions with a computer – is one of the marvels of modern technology that can save you months of lab work. And the most amazing part is that, if you know how, you can use highly sophisticated programs over the Internet without paying a dime and sometimes, without installing anything new on your own computer. All you need to know is how to use these technological miracles.

That's where Bioinformatics For Dummies comes in. If you want to know what bioinformatics is all about and how to use it without wading through pages of computer gibberish or taking a course full of theory, this book has the answers in plain English. You'll find out how to

• Use Internet resources
• Understand bioinformatics jargon
• Research biological databases
• Locate the sequences you need
• Perform specific tasks, step by step

Written by two experts who helped develop the science, Bioinformatics For Dummies is all about getting things done. If you're just getting your feet wet, start at the beginning with a quick review of those necessary parts of microbiology and an overview of the tools available. If you already know what you want to do, you can go directly to a chapter that shows you how. Get the lowdown on

• Researching and analyzing DNA and protein sequences
• Gathering information from all published sources
• Searching databases for similar sequences and acquiring information about gene functions through sequence comparisons
• Producing and editing multiple sequence comparisons for presentation
• Predicting protein structures and RNA structures
• Doing phylogenetic analysis

With an Internet connection and Bioinformatics For Dummies, you'll discover how to peruse databases that contain virtually everything known about human biology. It's like having access to the world's largest lab, right from your desk. This book is your lab assistant – one that never takes a day off, never argues when you ask it for help, and won't demand a benefits package. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Bioinformatics for Dummies by J.M. Claverie & C. Notredame
"Bioinformatics for Dummies" is an excellent resource. It is clear, easy to read, well organized and illustrated. I was particularly pleased by the colloquial tone of the writing: in addition to being informative, it was fun to read!

As a scientist who spends at least half of my time BLASTing, I also read it for accuracy and found it to almost error-free (any errors were in the figures). Additionally, most of the web pages were up-to-date, although as time passes the links will decay and web pages will change their look. In addition, the book contained enough in-depth content to teach me several new tricks of the trade.

Further, I believe the book had sufficient background material to educate the novice. To test this, I gave the manual to a material science chemist and he was able to understand the material, at least until he decided it was more than he wanted to know and quit reading.

This is a useful text for those who want to know more than an operational definition of bioinformatics and a must for the library of all bioinformatics users.

Walking amongst Dummys
I'm glad I bought this book and I will continue to refer to it. The remit of the Dummies series is to provide a guide to its subject matter without any great fuss. The text focuses on practical techniques without unnecessary diversion into the detail of molecular biology or computer science. In this respect it would have been a difficult book to author, readers having come from one discipline or the other. I agree with previous reviewers that this is well worth reading before doing a bioinformatics course or degree. Bioinformatics is a new field, and this book has delivered a useful introduction to it without recourse to expensive textbooks full of unreadable filler.

A great resource for teachers too!
I have used databases before (mostly NCBI, TIGR and SWISS PROT) and yet, this book (presumably for dummies) has shown me so much more(which say a lot about me)! It is accurate and gives good step by step guide to how to perform many tasks - from how to find a gene to using the analysis tools and to exploring some of the newer features of these databases - and the areas like you have never looked into before.
It is a well-researched book and the authors are clearly knowledgeable in this area.

Even though I have been for a 4-day bioinformatics course (6 months ago), which I thought was pretty good, this book still had so much to offer. Using this book, I was easily able to substitute the proteins of my interest into their examples and generated meaningful hits.

The book also covers deeper and more advanced features of BLAST, discusses sequence alignments using several types of algorithm and even has a section on 3D structures. Towards the end of book - it features a section on working with mRNA and building phylogenetics trees - which again are excellent resources for teachers involved in teaching beginners molecular biology.

I am a teacher teaching at a Pre-unversity level. The way the book is structured also lends its material to be modified into lesson materials for training students.

It is really a great book! Worth every dollar I spent on it!

Get this book first, before enrolling in an expensive course
This book will get you up and running on Bioinformatics in no time. I wish I got this book before I enrolled in a $$$$$ Bioinformatics course. I got more knowledge and information from this book $$$$$ than the course! And I am just in chapter 5 of the book and I'm more than half way through that $$$$$ course.

Great book-- Technical without the Computer-ese
I got this book a week ago because one of my profs offered to buy it for a volunteer who was willing to check it out and then make a recommendation on it to the rest of the class. I'm glad I volunteered, and I'm encouraging my classmates to get their hands on a copy. This book wasn't boring. It was completely hands on, and it addressed the topic from the perspective of a biologist, not a technophile-- which was exactly what I needed. It helped me reconcile my love for pure science with my increasing anxiety about needing to be so darn computer proficient to have any kind of job I can apply my degree to these days. I'm glad I got a hold of it early in the semester. I think it's going to really impact my grade in the class-- Oh, and my understanding of bioinformatics! ... Read more

Book Description

Completely and thoroughly revised, The Web That Has No Weaver is the classic, comprehensive guide on the theory and practice of Chinese medicine. This accessible and invaluable resource has earned its place as the foremost authority in the synthesizing of Western and Eastern healing practices.

Reviews (10)

An OK source for TCM information
I had to learn TCM basics as part of my chinese martial art training. This book was invaluable in learning the basics of TCM. Ted Kaptchuk's writing is at times confusing, but overall is pretty well easy to understand.

A Great Book! 5 Stars

********************NEW COMMENTS************************
The above was my former review of this book. It is now almost a year later and I am now enrolled in Chinese Medicine school. Now that I have to know a great deal of theory, I find that this book is a bit lacking on explanation, as compared to "Foundations of Chinese Medicine : A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists" by Giovanni Maciocia. This book, I find is a much better basic explanation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) than "The Web That Has No Weaver." Apparently the California Acupuncture board uses The Web book for their exams, as well as others including Giovanni's. I wanted to correct my review now that I have some perspective and understanding in Chinese Medicine. Still a good book with 3 stars.

Eye-opening Primer on TCM and Taoist philosophy
Lent to me by an acupuncture and herbal doctor, I originally read "The Web" without any prior background and found it extremely enlightening. Thousands of years of Chinese philosophy and medicine explained by a Western doctor helps to bridge the chasm between the two approaches to medical care.

In the end, expect to be frustrated that Western medicine largely ignores what is proven to work, or steals the ideas and repackages them as "new".

The irony of the title is that Taoist philosophy acknowledges the intricate web of life, but ignores the Creator (the weaver). This is because, unlike western medicine and philosophy, Taoists do not constantly ask "why?", but instead focus solely on mapping what is. Understanding this fundamental difference may be key to understanding the Chinese mind and how to deal with their government and people.

This book gives one a sense of how much we could learn from the Chinese, and what Americans miss by ignoring a medical practice thousands of years old.

Over the course of two years since first reading, my mind repeatedly returns to lessons learned from this book.

More Technical than you may want, but an eye-opening classic
This text is often refered to as the classic introduction to Chinese Medicine Theory. Because I am not a practitioner of Chinese medicine--or of Biomedicine--I cannot comment on its accuracy of portraying its subject matter. (I have heard that various texts abound with differing interpretations.)

I can say that the book is known as a classic, and it is HIGHLY DETAILED. It illustrates very well how Chinese Medicine is completely different from the view of health we are used to in "The West". For example, instead of diagnosing someone with cancer, or arrhythmia, or bronchitis, a diagnosis sounds something like dampness affecting the Spleen, Deficitent Kidney Yang, Congealed Blood, etc... (These are not respective equivalents for the western diagnoses cancer, et al.)

And Blood, Kidney, Spleen, Spirit, and a host of other terms that look familiar to our eyes take on larger meanings than we are used to.

What I liked best was the chapters on Meridians and on Organs, showing the organization of energy and systems of the human body.

Other later chapters got extremely detailed. While this was more than I wanted, it was fine, I just skimmed them without trying to memorize or really remember too much. Just get a basic sense of how there is a completely different approach to health and illness, which showed me that different possibilities and viewpoints always exist. I definitely enjoyed the book despite being more technical than I wanted. It opened my eyes.

(I am a massage therapist with just a pinch of training in "5 Element Theory" and Shiatsu, which is accupressure.)

AMAZING, COMPLETE, THOUGHT-PROVOKING
I found this book to be the most complete resource on Traditional Chinese Medicine. It goes through the introduction and goes to quite deep details of the basics, the diagnoses, and more. I found this book to be the best so far at explaining pulse diagnosis on a level understandable to a beginner.
This book can be read on many, many levels. It is meant to be read several times over the course of one's studies of TCM, each time getting a bit more than the last time.
Some advice to beginners like myself: If while reading this book you get stuck and feel uninterested and repelled by some part of the chapter, just skip it and move on. Don't get discouraged no matter what. You may just not be ready for that part yet. Skip it and move on to the next part. You can always come back and read it.
I found that the language of this book is very easy and flowing, there is no difficult jargon at all. It is very smooth and easy to follow.
An amazing book, I would recommend it to everyone interested in TCM!!

For those studying for the California State Board...
This is a classic book for acupuncture in the U.S. In many places, it uses specific different terminology from other books. The appendixes contain a large amount of info on diagnosis and pattern differentiation. I had to pull out the patterns with unfamiliar names like "heat poison in the Liver and Gallbladder" to make sure I wasn't stumped on the test. Apart from the appendixes, however, the rest of the info is covered in other books or is too philosophical or speculative to be tested.

It's not a bad first book for those new to chinese medicine, but it assumes you want to know a lot... and you may not! ... Read more

Book Description

Design and Development of Medical Electronic Instrumentation fills a gap in the existing medical electronic devices literature by providing background and examples of how medical instrumentation is actually designed and tested. The book includes practical examples and projects, including working schematics, ranging in difficulty from simple biopotential amplifiers to computer-controlled defibrillators. Covering every stage of the development process, the book provides complete coverage of the practical aspects of amplifying, processing, simulating and evoking biopotentials. In addition, two chapters address the issue of safety in the development of electronic medical devices, and providing valuable insider advice. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Will the real fats please stand?
The role of fats and oils in human health has received enormous attention in recent years. Popular media are filled with articles about dietary fat, and what we should and should not be eating. Medical organizations such as the American Heart Association have recently published new guidelines concerning new dietary recommendations with an increased emphasis on omega-3 oils - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/4304635102.

While this book is primarily for the layman, it provides a sufficient detailed overview of lipid biology, biochemistry and physiology that professional readers will find it very useful. Journalists who write about these health areas should be especially encouraged to study it. Indeed, anyone seeking an understanding of the role that dietary fats play in human health and disease should give this a read. The style is succinct and jargon free, with many illustrations and useful tables that not only facilitate an understanding of the material covered, but serve as a source of information for future reference. It provides an in-depth discussion of the many facts and fantasies regarding dietary fats and oils. A General Glossary of terms, common to fats and oils in foods and lipids in biological systems, is included at the end of the book.

A distinctive aspect of the book is the challenge to the scientific community which she feels is partly responsible for propagating many of our current misunderstanding regarding the health risks and benefits of various dietary fats. Dr. Enig was an early and outspoken critic of the use of trans fatty acids and has advocated their inclusion in nutritional labeling, so that we can more easily avoid them. In addition to her views on partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, she is critical of other mainstream beliefs, including the decision to vilify tropical oils many years ago. She feels that their virtual exclusion from our current diet has been detrimental to our health. In her support of including these and other saturated fats in our diet, such as those in dairy products, she places herself outside the conventional establishment. The challenges she presents to the food industry and the scientific community should help prevent complacency in this important and evolving arena.

Fats and Folks
This is one of the better nutrition books available today. I learned a lot, and Dr. Enig wrote it in a way that made it understandable to the non-lipid chemists among us who would be reading it. She has done the world a great service by explaining the real place in the human diet for saturated fats and cholesterol. I "lived" on a fat-free diet for about 15 years, and in that time managed to disrupt every major endocrine and metabolic process in my body. When I came to my senses (thanks to a book called "The Metabolic Trap" by Calvin Ezrin, MD), and began to add meat and fat back into my diet, I was able to reverse EVERY SINGLE SYMPTOM. With no medications, no special medical treatment, no doctors, I restored my health by simply replacing SATURATED FATS in my diet. Nothing else. My overall cholesterol at my last test was 179, and my blood pressure remains in the low-normal range. This book vindicated what I had already figured out, and explained it in terms simple enough for anyone to understand. I used up a whole yellow marker on it, and was pleased with the careful and thorough way she explained each fatty acid and its role in metabolism. I am really glad she stood her ground in the face of the criticism I am sure she suffered for her stand, which is 180 degrees opposed to the current medical "wisdom" of "Eat lots of carbs!" "Don't eat saturated fats!" "Don't eat cholesterol!" The standard American diet (correctly and aptly acronymed "SAD") is a mishmosh that consists of 65% BREAD ("complex carbohydrates"). This, in the nation that had the highest-protein diet in the world until somebody came up with the stupidly misguided idea that dietary fat equaled body fat, and that essential saturated fatty acids were somehow responsible for heart attacks. How this "fact" was arrived at in view of HISTORICAL facts of primitive and modern unrefined diets, I will never understand. Thanks, Dr. Enig. I hope you write another book about saturated fats in the diet and metabolism, and I hope I'm the first person to read it! http://www.opinions3.com

Hands down the best
This is quite simply the best book available on lipid chemistry in nutrition that is accessible to non-scientists. It lists and describes the actions of fats in our diet, and the role fats play in our body chemistry and health. Dr. Enig takes us all the way from chemical formulas and molecular diagrams to descriptions of various kinds of oils and fats used in cooking, as well as the sources and makeup of different types of oils and fats.

Dr. Enig pulls no punches in discussing misunderstood or misused research, and this honesty is welcome and refreshing, not to mention possibly life saving. It is so tiresome trying to wade through the hype and PR noise around nutrition. Like medical research, the food business is about Big Money, and truth seems to be a stranger to that part of our society. More and more, one must become an informed advocate for one's own health and welfare. This book is an important tool for the enlightened consumer.

The book is well written in a very clear style with no extraneous scientific jargon. It is well referenced and cited, which I like in a book that discusses scientific research. These days people have much more access to original research papers than ever before.

If you get only one book on fats in your diet, this should be it. The research and information is solid, free of fads and commercial influence.

Not as hyped
he book cover makes prominent note of a website, which is still not available, three years after pub. date, and has never been. There is some useful info., though not very much, and certainly not enough to justify it's price. It is not well organized, nor well-written or laid out (and printed with a cheap typeface on cheap paper--like a Dover paperback, if you've seen them). The arguments regarding animal fat, as another reviewer from Boston wrote, are less than convincing. The book starts out with highly technical chemical information which is of little interest to lay readers. There is useful information on the benefits of tropical oils and the misrepresentation of fats on nutrition labels, which is helpful However, you might learn more about tropical oils, for free, from, say, the Spectrum Naturals website.

Got Fat?
Together with the carbohydrate mania, fat mania has overtaken the media and the billion dollar diet industry. In this informative and easy-to-read book, the role of fats and oils (lipids) is further examined. Even fast-food pits distribute fact sheets about dietary fat, and consumer groups relentlessly press this killer to public enemy number one in their crusade. Enthusiastic writers have produced whole books about fat. Ironically, in a nation that is the fattest in the world. However, it is a fact that too much of what they have written or said is either incorrect or incomplete.

In "Know Your Fats," a serous effort has been made to keep the terminology understandable and in accordance with the terms the public sees in the plethora of reports written for consumers by government agencies. Occasionally, scientific words are necessary to use for technical terms in order to avoid simplistic wording that would not be accurate. A user friendly glossary of these terms regarding fats, oils, foods, and lipids in biological systems, is at the end of this book.

This book by Mary Enig, Ph.D., will be of interest to those into nutrition, and/or how eating affects the body from a biological standpoint. But it is written to be fun and easy to understand by the average person (like me). Also helpful, is that you'll learn about the relationship between dietary fat intake and your health, and the specific links between dietary fat intake and disease. So you can learn, and/or also apply what's in this book to make you healthier. ... Read more

Book Description

For students who lack a strong science background, Contemporary Nutrition provides the ideal balance of reliable nutrition information and practical consumer-oriented knowledge. With his friendly writing style, Gordon Wardlaw acts as the student's personal guide to dispelling common misconceptions and to gaining a solid foundation for making informed nutrition choices. ... Read more

Book Description

Now healthcare professionals can have the facts at their fingertips with The PDR for Nutritional Supplements, the first comprehensive, unbiased source of solid, evidence-based information covering a full range of nutritional and dietary supplements.And in addition, a clinical research summary synthesizes all the published findings on each supplement.

The PDR For Nutritional Supplements provides practitioners with the most current and reliable information to help them assist their patients in making more educated choices. This comprehensive volume will also help educate the consumer as to whether the many claims being made about hundreds of supplements are true, require more research, or are unsubstantiated.

The latest figures show that 75% of Americans are currently using nutritional supplements on a regular basis. These include:

· Vitamins
· Minerals
· Sports nutritional products
· Amino acids
· Probiotics
· Metabolites
· Hormones
· Enzymes
· Cartilage products

For the first time The PDR for Nutritional Supplements puts these facts at your fingerti