Book Description

Book Description

This text incorporates an entrepreneurial approach and focuses on community nutritionists in action in the areas of the community, policy making, and delivering and designing community programs. ... Read more

Book Description

This classic book is accepted internationally as the standard treatment of the mechanical properties of biological fluids, solids, tissues and organs. It is used widely as both a reference and textbook in this rapidly-growing field. Biomechanics presents a general outline of the discipline, with applications to bioengineering, physiology, medicine and surgery. The second edition reflects the broad advances that have been made in this field during the past decade, and adds numerous new topics. References have been brought up to date, and the widely-praised emphasis on formulating and solving problems has been strengthened with numerous new problems. This book begins with a unique historical introduction to the field of biomechanics, followed by a vital chapter which relates the definitions and vocabulary of applied mechanics to biological tissues. These tools are then used to treat in detail the mechanical properties of blood, including blood cells and vessels. The remaining chapters discuss the viscoelastic properties of biological fluids and solids, as well as the mechanics of muscle, bone and connective tissue. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Masterpiece in Biomechanics!
What I would say is not a comprehensive review of what the great book talks, but just telling you a truth: if you have engineering and mathamatics background and wanna combine your background to do research in physiology, Fung's book is absolutely a must-buy. This book is profound, but it is actually rooted in nearly all fields of biomechanics research.
It is a conclusion for biomechanics research till 1980's; also this book is a truly great reference for all current researchers who are interested in biomedical research in point of view of a mathamatician and engineer.

Simply the Best
Fung takes a continuum mechanics approach to the principles that underly the human body. All of the ideas in the text are backed up with solid research and easy to understand equations, as well as text descriptions. Fung is also responsible for researching many of the ideas of biomechanics, and so, the text takes on a personal view not found in other books. All in all, the best book out there for introductory biomechanics, but one that you will use for the rest of your life. ... Read more

Book Description

Against the backdrop of unprecedented concern for the future of health care, The Cambridge Illustrated History of Medicine surveys the rise of medicine in the West from classical times to the present. Covering both the social and scientific history of medicine, this lavishly illustrated volume traces the chronology of key developments and events, while at the same time engaging with the issues, discoveries, and controversies that have beset and characterized medical progress. The authors weave a narrative that connects disease, doctors, primary care, surgery, the rise of hospitals, drug treatment and pharmacology, mental illness and psychiatry. This volume emphasizes the crucial developments of the past 150 years, but also examines classical, medieval, and Islamic and East Asian medicine. Authoritative and accessible, The Cambridge Illustrated History of Medicine is for readers wanting a lively and informative introduction to medical history.Roy Porter is professor of the social history of medicine at the Wellcome Insitute for the History of Science. He has written or edited numerous books about the history of medicine, including Western Medical Tradition (with L. Conrad, Cambridge, 1995), Drugs and Narcotics in History (with M. Teich, Cambridge, 1995), The Greatest Benefit to Mankind (Norton, 1999), and The Creation of the Modern World (Norton, 2000). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good Overview, Broad Spectrum
I think this book offers a good overview of medical history with a fairly broad reach. It covers many different cultures and famous physicians with what seems to be a good historical account. It is fairly straightfoward reading that doesn't have much of the little historical tidbits that make some history of medicine texts really interesting. It read more like a good textbook and is a good starting place in your learning of medical history.

Well written, lavishly illustrated
I decided, given the variation in literature available, to read and review three books on medicine by Roy Porter at once. These are this one, the Cambridge Illustrated History: Medicine the other two are - "The Greatest Benefit of Mankind" and "Gout, the Patrician Maladay". I thought this was the best approach as people might be looking for a reference work to buy and trying to toss up between which one to get and what the advantages and disadvantages of buying one of these would be. Well for the first two of these. I read "Gout" because it offered a view of Porter's work in a more focussed subject in contrast with the two other generalised works. So if you are interested in comparing and contrasting you can read the other reviews on my review page. I've offered some comments on the other two works here in this review though.

The Cambridge History is divided into ten chapters, four of which have been written by Porter himself (he is editor of the whole book). Each chapter is independent of the others and follows one quite broad topic. This means you might read over the same historical period more than one chapter. The subjects include such as 'History of Disease', 'Rise in Medicine', 'Hospitals'

The great advantage of this book over the other two mentioned is that it has been liberally illustrated in both colour and black white pictures. They intersperse the text all the way through - and this sort of socio-medical history very much benefits from this sort of treatment. It provides both support for the text and makes for easy reading. The text itself isn't too bogged down in technically yawnable detail, Porter himself is pretty readable, but at the same time it is not a light-weight work written simply to gratify a tabloid market. Naturally, because of constraints of size, it is neither heavy on statistics, nor is their room to fully develop some of the historical points which are made. As a matter of interest I compared some subjects in this work with Porter's other book which he wrote a year later "The Greatest Benefit to Mankind". And in detail the 'The Greatest Benefit.." certainly wins out - but it is twice as long as this one so simply has more room to supply detail.

What I enjoyed most about this book is that it is; 1 - Lavishly illustrated and in colour.I'm not sure if a picture does indeed paint a thousand words, but it certainly provides a ready visual cue. 2 - I loved the inserts where subjects were dealt with in side-bars of short separate stories. These included things like 'Transience of Consumptive Beautry", "Nursing becomes professional", Black Death and various biographies.

It all goes to make it a better browsable read than the Greatest Benefit to Mankind - it is probably better for younger ages too who will enjoy the illustrations and the interspersing articles. It is difficult to make a decision, if you are choosing to buy one (Greatest Benefit vs Cambridge Illustrated) but I notice in soft cover both are quite reasonably priced. I think the illustrations win it for me in the end.

An excellente review of the "History of Medicine"
As a general practitioner I always wanted a single,low-priced book on this subject, easy to read, complete, critical and very accurate. And I am not forgetting about the quality of the paper and the printing!! I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about the birth, development, breakthroughs and actual state of the healing sciences. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A Fountain of Information in a Pot-Boiler of a Story
This book covers more than twenty-five years of the quest for a viable bacteria fighter recounting the lives of the major players and further depicting the slow progress of medical invention combating infection through all history. The most critical era of this story, however, is coincidently the most important and harrowing years of the 20th century. The all too real threat of a Nazis invasion of Great Britain served as the backdrop for this story's most vital moments.
Few would argue against the notion that the discovery and creation of Penicillin as a viable life saving medication is the most important medical event of the 20th century. Mr. Lax in a detailed, can't put it down, page-turner manages to incorporate the nuances of all of the disparate personalities of the main characters whose devotion to their science and unrelenting commitment to the saving of untold millions of lives refuse to be deterred by the often overwhelming obstacles that faced them each day. In this new century when bringing a drug to market is reputed to take upwards of 10 to 15 million dollars, we watch as Dr. Florey goes before his money sources for research at Oxford and other entities of the time in hopes of raising $100.00 for supplies and comes away with $25.00. (That's right, the decimal points were not misplaced) What we see to our amazement is that they made due.
Dr. Norman Heatley was a genius at coming up with a substitute for just about every necessary hospital research tool imaginable. We share his glee when he shows the rest of the team his latest Rube Goldberg contraption for making some vital process work.
There are countless anecdotes in the day-to-day stories of the mission's successes and failures, all notes and attributions are scrupulously noted by Mr. Lax.
Surreptitious night flights to America via Lisbon with blacked out plane windows, reminiscent of many wonderful movies of the forties portraying life risking events surrounded by war had me shaking my head not simply because of the inherent palpable drama but because it all really happened.
The Americans did lend support in terms of money and ingenuity but it was this team of Oxford scientists who would not be denied. Because of them millions of lives were saved before the end of World War Two and countless millions continue to be saved as a result of the second, third and fourth generations of anti-biotic drugs spawned by their initial discovery.
Mr. Lax has, to the great satisfaction of the reader, set the record straight. He gave credit where it was due without disparaging the reputations of any of many important contributors. It was pleasing and insightful to learn the true story of the greatest medical discovery of the century. Further, that these scientists did their work for the betterment of mankind rather than for the unabated lust for money and power that now confront us daily in news reports cannot be ignored.
My words and recollections only touch the tip of the iceberg that is this story, I urge everyone to pick up a copy of The Mold In Dr. Florey's Coat and then pass it on to a friend. Who knows maybe the notion of doing things for all of the right reasons might just start to spread. ... Read more

Book Description

During the twentieth century, lead poisoning killed thousands of workers and children in the United States. Thousands who survived lead poisoning were left physically crippled or were robbed of mental faculties and years of life. In Brush With Death, social historian Christian Warren offers the first comprehensive history of lead poisoning in the United States. Focusing on lead paint and leaded gasoline, Warren distinguishes three primary modes of exposure--occupational, pediatric, and environmental. This threefold perspective permits a nuanced exploration of the regulatory mechanisms, medical technologies, and epidemiological tools that arose in response to lead poisoning.

Because of profound shifts in the definition of childhood lead poisoning, children today undergo aggressive "deleading" treatments when their blood-lead levels reach one-third of the average blood-lead levels for urban children in the 1950s. Warren links the repeated redefinition of lead poisoning to changing attitudes toward health, safety, and risk. The same changes that transformed the social construction of lead poisoning also transformed medicine and health care, gave rise to modern environmentalism, and fundamentally altered jurisprudence.

"This is outstanding scholarship and a wonderful narrative. The story of lead--in our paint, gasoline, air, and soil--demands to be understood by someone who has both passion and a sense of outrage, and Warren, in his own measured and subtle way, makes it clear that such outrage is deserved."--David Rosner, Columbia School of Public Health ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Christian Warren's book, Brush with Death--fine book
I found this a very good book, and I highly recommend it to anyone with any interest in the topic of lead pollution and poisoning.

This is a scholarly book, and Mr. Warren's scholarship is thorough and rigorous. He covers in detail the rise and fall of the leaded paint and leaded gasoline additive industries. However, because these industries and the problems they caused spun out in many different directions, Warren offers interesting and significant insight into many other areas of twentieth century American history: women's history, history of children and pediatric medicine, labor history, public health and medical history, urban history, business and industrial history, the history of science, the history of Progressivism and regulatory reform, among others. I found the accounts of childhood lead poisoning, women with afflicted children mobilizing to fight against lead paint, inner-city communities confronting the problem as an example of environmental racism, and the final battle to remove tetraethyl lead from gasoline particularly compelling. However, Warren's accounts of the work processes and business organization within the lead industry are also fascinating. Warren also handles some potentially very emotional issues with commendable balance.

Saying a book is a "scholarly book" might tend to frighten some people away. Don't let it. While this is a very solid work of scholarship, with lots of meticulous, detailed footnotes and such, it is also a very readable, interesting book accessible to any reader who wants to learn about the serious public health crisis it describes. This is a big story that deserves more attention. This is a good place to learn about it. ... Read more

Book Description

The Black Death was the fourteenth century's equivalent of a nuclear war. It wiped out one-third of Europe's population, takingmillion lives. And yet, most of what we know about it is wrong. The details of the Plague etched in the minds of terrified schoolchildren -- the hideous black welts, the high fever, and the awful end by respiratory failure -- are more or less accurate. But what the Plague really was and how it made history remain shrouded in a haze of myths.

Now, Norman Cantor, the premier historian of the Middle Ages, draws together the most recent scientific discoveries and groundbreaking historical research to pierce the mist and tell the story of the Black Death as a gripping, intimate narrative.

Reviews (116)

a waste of time and misleading, read Tuchman instead
As a European history teacher, I hoped that I would get some tidbits from this for my class and for my own edification. I found neither. I have trouble imagining that this writer is actually a Medieval scholar. I suspect he is suffering from Alzheimers. He has the reverence for facts of Ronald Reagan, among other dopey innacuracies: the end of the Roman empire is put two centuries late, the Romans he says had been fending off the Arabs for millennia (even though the Roman empire existed for less than one millennia), the plague came from Africa-it clearly came from East Asia. Further the writing style is terrible. It is nearly unreadable. There is constant repetition, bizarre and awkward phrases "biomedical disaster" and no structure. Each chapter wanders around without a thesis, repeats earlier chapters and makes pathetic attempts to tie in to recent events. There are also a huge number of ridiculous theories (plague was from outer space, without the plague the scientific revolution would have come centuries earlier, etc.) which Cantor badly explains and then doesn't critically evaluate. They might be true, he muses, without looking at any facts.
I suspect that this was cobbled together from hastily written lecture notes for an introductory history class for brain dead undergraduates without the editing that it desperately needs. Don't waste your time on this, there is almost nothing to learn here.
Instead read Barbara Tuchman's long, but fully researched and wonderfully detailed book: A Distant Mirror about the 14th century. It has a very powerful chapter on the plague and gives a real sense of Medieval life.

Medieval-like writing
Dr. Cantor is a medievalist, and writes in the style of his subjects: very rambling, with a tendency to ramify tediously so he can talk at length about what he finds interesting, whether or not it is relevant. Some good information, some mistakes even a non-scholar reader like me could spot. Not a lot about the plague. Some peculiar theories. What seems to me a misapplication of 20th-century terminology to 14th-century groups (for instance, what sounds like raiders or harriers, he calls terrorists).

Easy read, if somewhat jumbled
I bought this book at the airport in Boston and found it appropriate as an "airport book." On a late night flight, it was entertaining but not intense. Nor was it well organized. The end of the book abruptly stops with comments about Chaucer rather than a summing up of the main thesis. One gets the impression of an erudite academician, late in life, with lots to say but very little energy to say it in an organized way. Some of the errors are obvious, even to someone with only surface knowledge of the period. For example, he states somewhere in the book that Constantinople fell in the 14th century rather than in 1453. But for all that .. it is a quick read and can be considered as something like a "bathroom reader" -- full of interesting tid bits but without much of a unifying thread. His earlier books were much better organized. Maybe he just needs to take a vacation. I'd recommend it as a airplane or beach book (aka "history lite").

Did not meet expectations
I was given this book to read after a family member finished it. I wish I had asked their opinion of it prior to reading it. Not considering myself a subject matter expert, I was hoping for something a bit more substantive. What I got instead was a book filled with a wandering dialogue, broken up in places by the author's personal conjecture/supposition on unrelated matters. If I had wanted Cantor's opinion on today's British royal family, or the current state of the Catholic church, I certainly wasnt expecting to get it in here. But you will and more...
While it was readable, the lack of documentation was somewhat annoying to say the least. I am sure there are other more weighty and well-written tomes on this subject matter. Dont look here if you want the one-stop shop for the issue.
I cant say that I put the book down not learning something new, because I did--but I felt Cantor's own admonition in the text of other authors' predicament with publish or perish certainly reflected on his own writing here.

Avoid this like the Plague
Cantor strikes a populist direction with this book. He affects a breezy writing style (one can easily imagine much of his writing as a spoken, off-the-cuff lecture punctuated by more-or-less amusing asides, some of which totally derail his train of thought), the book is short (only 220 pages of text) and there is not a single footnote. The obvious comparison in terms of subject matter is to Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. Tuchman made a best seller from her remarkable approach in spite of her scholarly writing-style. Cantor's book lacks that sophistication of approach, and is further marred, as other reviewers have already noted, by too much repetition, too many asides, too much unsupported speculation, too many inconsistencies, and too many factual errors. There is some merit to the book, but its flaws far outweigh its worth.

Cantor at his best cites an interesting theory: that the Black Death was not a single disease, but two or more--not bubonic plague alone, but also some cattle-borne disease such as a particularly virulent form of anthrax. Supporting this theory are the Black Death's infestation of Iceland, an isolated island not known to have rats until the 17th Century, the often extremely rapid course of the disease--faster than that of bubonic plague; the lack of typical bubonic plague symptoms in many victims; the evidence that cattle were ravished by the Black Death; and the continued virulence of the plague in winter months when flea hosts would not normally live. The theory is not Cantor's own, but he has researched and supported it in seemingly convincing fashion, but he ignores the actual nature of the disease in its "pneumatic" form. Less adequate is Cantor's chapter "Heritage of the African Rifts", which discusses the three pandemics of smallpox, gonorrhea, and plague and places their origin in "the great mortality chute from East Africa. Certainly that is where the bubonic plague came from after A.D. 500." But in his bibliography Cantor cites William H. McNeill's Plagues and Peoples and says, contradicting his own earlier statement written with such certainty, "McNeill thought the Mongols, their migrations and conquests, were a key to plague history; there may be something in that."

Also of interest, but clearly quirky, was Cantor's chapter on various speculations on the true cause of the Black Death. "Serpents and Cosmic Dust" covers alternative explanations for the "biomedical catastrophe" from the medieval to the present, focusing on two suggestions: the first, that snakes were the carriers; the second, that plague came from outer space. Cantor is kind, although not entirely enthusiastic, about these speculations: at one point he says "It is just possible that medieval writers who placed the origins of the Black Death in serpents dispensing plague as they swam up rivers were on to something." Unfortunately, the only "evidence" he offers is that another historian on an unrelated issue once took medieval writers at their word in the face of academic thought and has since been vindicated. The argument in favor of the cosmic dust theory is basically that it was proposed by eminent astrophysicist Fred Hoyle--what is not mentioned is Hoyle's second career as a well-known science fiction writer. Hoyle's is a fascinating speculation, which only the most flimsy of circumstantial evidence can currently support.

Cantor mentions one fascinating fact in this chapter that needed to be explored much further: plague was not widespread in Poland and Bohemia. This has been explained "by the rats' avoidance of these areas due to the unavailability of food the rodents found palatable." This seems unlikely --elsewhere Cantor points out the relative agricultural wealth of Poland and the Ukraine. Could Polish grain really be considerably different than Western European grain--and what of the anthrax theory, which would have the disease unaffected by the rodent's diet?

Socio-cultural differences between Poland and Bohemia and the rest of Europe would make an ideal testing ground for those theories concerning the effect the Black Death had on society, the arts, and religion. But rather than do any original research comparing plague-ridden and plague-free areas, Cantor merely launches into various criticisms of his colleagues' work in his final chapter, "Aftermath". Cantor examines these theories and subjects them to a much less forgiving critique than the far wilder speculations mentioned previously. Some of these attacks are odd indeed, such as critiquing a book published in 1919! This is the most poorly written and argued part of the entire book, and honestly I cannot tell to what conclusion Cantor comes-whether the Black Death did or did not have any profound effect beyond killing off certain talented individuals.

Finally, the outright errors. Rather than repeat those caught by other reviewers, I'll discuss the extraordinary apparent claim of time-travel. Cantor recounts the story of the le Strange/Talbot family. Richard Talbot inherited the la Strange estate from the dowager Mary upon her "dying in 1396." (Whether this was a plague-related death Cantor apparently deems unimportant.) Later in the chapter we are told "Richard Talbot, newly enriched by the le Strange fortune, got his father out of debtor's prison and the old soldier died of the plague in 1387 in Spain..." How could Richard have paid his father's debts with money he wouldn't receive for nine more years? I cannot account for the chronology of events without either contemplating a typographical error, a rift in the space-time continuum, or a mis-informed or deeply confused author. Hopefully it is the former, and Mary died ten years earlier than Cantor reports; but I am left with the discomforting concern that the dates are correct and Cantor simply speculated on Talbot's source of funds. Unfortunately this is not an isolated error.

While Cantor's book is more up-to-date than Barbara Tuchman's is, I can't recommend it, even as a supplement. It is too deeply flawed on too many levels. I'm left to wonder if some horrible computer virus didn't work its way through the manuscript, decimating the writing and killing at least 40% of the ultimate value of the book. As Cantor says, "It is just possible." ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Delay and mistakes in the diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases may have devastating consequences. Reference laboratory data are scattered and clinical descriptions of rare conditions are hard to locate. This book describes 298 disorders, grouped into 35 chapters according to the type of condition. Within each group of disorders, chapters provide tables of pertinent clinical findings as well as reference and pathological values for crucial metabolites. Relevant metabolic pathways and diagnostic flow charts are included. There are three indices to make the book as user-friendly as possible: Disorders index, Signs and symptoms index, and Tests index. The Physician's Guide provides paediatricians and other physicians with a unique aid to help them select the correct diagnosis from a bewildering array of complex clinical and laboratory data. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Bridging the gap from physics to cell biology
I wish there was a way to give a book more than five stars, because if there was, this book would get them! One of the most important trends in cell biology in recent years is the study of mechanics at a single molecule level. Since most of the really interesting processes in cell biology, such as division and motility, ultimately are carried out by molecules that convert energy into motion, the question of how these molecules actually move has very broad implications and impinged on everyone. However, in order to understand this, one has to understand some basic physics which of course involves some math. The biologist who is interested in this subject thus has two, and only two options. one is to bury one's head in the sand and say its just too hard to understand, and the other is to read Joe Howard's book. Although the mathematical content is readily apparent, only the basics are needed to get started. The author has thoughtfully compiled detailed derivations at the end in an appendix, so that one can see the details without becoming enmired in them on first reading. Considering the potential difficulties of taking a "hard science" approach to cell biology, the book is remarkably easy to read, which is a tribute to the thought the author has put into presenting the subject in the most logical possible way.
In addition to being an excellent entry point for biologists into this subject, this book would also be an excellent resource for engineers who become interested in cell biology (like myself) because it presents many of the current research frontiers in cell biology from an essentially engineering perspective and using quantitative reasoning. Again, the author has taken great pains to present the subject in a logical way that does not require much prior knowledge about biology on the part of the reader. Thus, either for biologists who want to learn about the quantitative/physical approach to cell biology, and for engineers or physicists who want to learn how they can apply their type of thinking to problems of cell biology, this book is highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

The development of American medical education involved a conceptual revolution in how medical students should be taught. With the introduction of laboratory and hospital work, students were expected to be active participants in their learning process, and the new goal of medical training was to foster critical thinking rather than the memorization of facts. InLearning to Heal, Kenneth Ludmerer offers the definitive account of the rise of the modern medical school and the shaping of the medical profession.

Reviews (11)

The Foundations for all TCM students
This is the main book for diagnostics of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in the US. All TCM colleges that I know of require this text for all their theory classes. The book is very dense and to the point, and any student of TCM must utilize this text throughout his/her studies...

Get This Book
For the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Students:
Before writing a review I want to say that the Acupuncture Boards require this book as their main diagnostic book, but also; they require, "The Web that Has No Weaver," by Kapchuk and Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustiion (Rev. Ed.)(CAM) by Cheng Xinnong. I would also like to recommend - but not required - Foundations in Chinese Acupuncture (Rev. Ed.) by Ellis, Wiseman and Boss. This book is great for channel theory and has excellent detail throughout.

For Everyone else:
The above also applies to everyone else but mostly to TCM students. In review of Giovanni's book I must say that from a Western Medical science point of view it was easier to understand than "The Web" and I found that it presented the material in a logical systematic fashion with better and more complete explanations. It is better to start with this book, than with some of the others because once you have a good background with this one, you can understand the different wording in the other books (CAM, Web, etc.). Overall written well and highly recommended.

Five Stars!

A great book
A very usefull book for students of TCM. Should be read by any serious student who starts his journey to discover the TCM.

Dicey CA State Board Book
Maciocia's work has been quite influential in the U.S. despite the fact that some of his information is from the classics, while other parts are his own creation. He does not always differentiate between the two, nor does he always cite his sources.

For example, the idea that the outer back shu points are effective for the treatment of emotions... not from the Classic sources, according to Philippe Sionneau. So where did it come from? Who made it up?

However, we still have to know everything in his books for the CA state board. His zang-fu herbalized-style point functions, 5 phase type, three jiao patterns, etc. are unique to this book.

In its defense, it does have a lot of important basic info, and it's written by a native English speaker... but it's a vastly different look at Chinese Medicine from say The Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine by Nigel Wiseman.

Good start for the new student... but neither the last word, nor infallible.

Adequate
Gives an adequate overview of the basic concepts in chinese medicine, but is sorely lacking in many, many others. What it lacks, as does much of the information originating from communist China, are the Taoist roots of the medicine which have a very tangible impact on its practice (especially the psychospiritual elements) - something that is sorely lacking from the modern TCM iteration of Chinese medicine. Its understanding of the production of Qi and Xue is incomplete, which limits its usefulness clinically as well. Much more information from the classics should be included in this text to warrent its name as a 'foundational' text. ... Read more

Book Description

Everyone knows that regular exercise and sensible eating are the key to long-term weight loss, but getting started and staying motivated to do both can be a challenge. If hiring a personal trainer isn't an option, Weight Watchers Coach Approach can help provide the guidance, support and information you need to succeed.

Coach Approach provides the latest information on nutrition basics, weight-loss drugs, strength training, and aerobic exercise. It also provides up-to-the-minute tactics and advice for changing and rearranging your eating and exercise habits. It includes questions to help you determine your fitness level, as well as whether you're mentally ready to lose, and more importantly, control your weight.

In addition to the physiological aspects of weight loss, Coach Approach addresses the emotional and psychological issues as well, including body image, maintaining motivation, setting realistic goals and rethinking food attitudes. One section even features solid advice and how-to's on how to develop a sense of style when the body is a work in progress. You will learn how to navigate the supermarket and give your kitchen a makeover. As a bonus, there are 75 easy recipes for favorite dishes -- think of them as the only recipes you'll ever need. With Weight Watchers to back you up, motivation and staying power are sure bets. Coach Approach will give you the tools you need to devise a weight loss strategy that works for you. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

This an EXCELLENT book!
I love this book, it is full of useful information in an easy to read format (not to mention the spiral bound hardcover). You will find just about everything you could possibly want in a book about health, nutrition and excercise as well as a lot of "extras" such as "larger-size sources" a list of body-friendly clothing lines and "How to build a transitional wardrobe". The book also gives differant advice to women who want to lose 10 or 25 pounds than it does to someone who wants to lose over 50 pounds. It would be a great resource for someone on the Weight Watchers program, as well as someone like me who just wanted some additional information and advice. The price here is really great too,...I will never buy a book without checking Amazon first!

Solid Information for Health-Aware People
This is not a "fad diet" book. There are no quick fixes or extreme measures promoted in this book. This is a book for people who are serious about long-term weight maintenance. It is about making lasting changes in the way you eat, the way you think, the way you exercise, and the way you look at yourself. Using proven methods of long-term weight loss, the authors provide an abundance of information and exercises designed to help you make the lasting changes that will enable you to be successful.

The only part of this book that was not helpful for me was the recipe section at the end. Most of the recipes were not what I would normally eat. Items such as Lemon-Lime Swordfish with Mango Salsa or a Chocolate Egg Cream are just not things I would normally prepare.

Not just for Weight Watchers members
I was surprised by how much I liked it. I had feared it'd simply be a lot of rah-rah W.W. fluff. On the contrary, it was a globally useful, general information/motivation book. "Experiences last longer than flavors" and "no one but me puts food in my mouth." Lots of information on how to make INCREMENTAL changes in food quality/quantity and body movement. Lots of detailed info on things like types of fats, a very fair analysis of almost every type of weight loss method, and overcoming emotional challenges. I've read a lot of diet books in general... this one's a keeper and was definitely worth the money. 150 pgs of info, 100 pgs of recipes, 15 pgs of daily goal charts.

I Couldn't Put It Down!
I have been a WW leader for over 15 years and a member since 1975! I was sure that there was nothing in this book that would be new or motivating for me. I couldn't have been more wrong. This book was filled with more useful information than any single "diet" or nutrition book I've read (and, believe me, I've read them all...). Even as a leader, I hit my slumps and bumps in the road ... This book made me feel as if I were joining and embarking on new habits for the first time! It made me feel excited and enervated. Read it. You won't be sorry.

Disappointing
I thought the title was misleading. I thought it might be motivational in nature. It was kind of touchy-feely, get inside your head and try to figure out why you overeat. If you're into self-analysis, you might enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description

Dangerous Grains turns the U.S. Food Guide Pyramid upside down by exposing the myriad health risks posed by gluten grains (wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, and triticale). The authors, leading experts in the field of food allergies, and celiac disease, present compelling evidence that our grain-centered diet is to blame for a host of chronic illnesses. Largely misunderstood and frequently misdiagnosed, these disorders can be prevented and reversed by the useful program outlined in this important new book. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Finally a solid resource for celiacs
I highly recommend this book. It's well written & very engaging. It's chocked full of valuable information for anyone who is diagnosed with celiac disease, suspicious that they may have gluten sensitivity or anyone caring for a loved one with gluten sensitivity. When I was first diagnosed with gluten sensitivity, I searched my local library for solid information to help me improve my health. To my utter disappointment, all I could find at my local library was a couple gluten free cookbooks. I needed information on how to get well, not brownie recipes. Thanks & congratulation to Dr. Braly & Ron Hoggan for publishing this excellent resource in one convenient volume. I plan to buy multiple copies to give as Christmas gifts to my relatives.

A Warning for Everyone
I found this book to be super-excellent. It is a comprehensive resource that provides solid medical information about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity in a highly readable (but not condescending) style. Braly and Hoggan's well-documented explanation of gluten's destructive role in our diets is clear and telling. For me, as a newly diagnosed celiac patient, it was a life-changing eye-opener. But everyone should read it. The received wisdom that grains should be the major component of our diets is pervasive in our society and the general public is unaware of how wrongheaded - and even dangerous - this advice is. Certainly, as the authors are careful to point out, not everyone ends up with celiac disease, but everyone can benefit from the knowledge offered in this book. It makes an important social contribution.

Marion Bradley lives under a big rock
The person who wrote that this is some new diet fad has never been as sick as the people who actually have Celiacs disease, and who have to stay on this diet or DIE!!! Marion needs to become educated before she opens her mouth. This is a real disease, and believe someone who knows from experience, wheat can kill you if you have this disease.

Amber Graves of Grain
A BARGAIN: 244 pages and 383 citations with accessible science about hundreds of illnesses.
READ THIS BOOK, and if the symptoms and illnesses of yourself and/or esteemed others jump out at you, read it again (as I have) for relevance, understanding, connection, note-taking, retention, resolve and competence in sharing. Also read the appendices and the 28 pages of information-dense references. Also, if you have the fortitude, look up the definitions of all of the listed illnesses - such work and knowledge acquisition might provide the discipline required for making any recommended dietary changes.
MAIN TOPICS: illnesses and diseases in the US population resulting from 1) celiac disease which is "an ailment whereby the inside lining of the small intestine...is chronically damaged by gluten proteins and their interaction with the immune system" (~1% of population). and 2) "non-celiac gluten sensitivity (which) exists whenever an individual's immune system is mounting an abnormal reaction to gluten" (~ 20% of population).
USEFULNESS: The authors skillfully explain the role of gluten grains in almost 200 medical and psychiatric conditions as they emphasize about 20 auto-immune diseases. Some attention grabbers: ADHD, arthritis, asthma, autism, cancer, Crohn's disease, depression, dermatitis herpetiformis, diabetes, epilepsy, headache, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, liver disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, schizophrenia and thyroid disease. They strongly advise testing for food sensitivities and celiac disease when these (especially autoimmune) illnesses exist. They recommend providing doctors copies of reference articles, since they may not know about the rapidly-expanding repertoire of available tests. Already experiencing digestive improvement, I share this book with friends and relatives.
CELIAC DISEASE AND HEREDITY: first degree relatives 4.5-8.5%; siblings 13.8%; offspring 12%; identical twins 70%.
LESS-FAMILIAR FACTS:
1. Humans have consumed grains during less than 0.5% of their history.
2. Gluten-related illnesses have newly occurred with "many aboriginal groups just recently introduced to a gluten-rich diet."
3. History: Stanislas Tanchou published findings over 150 years ago that imply that foods from grains cause cancer. Samuel Gee provided a highly-regarded description of classic celiac disease by 1888 and Willem Karel Dicke realized that wheat caused celiac symptoms by 1936. Incidence is 40 times that claimed a decade ago.
4. Schizophrenia incidence During WW-II substantially decreased among European populations suffering grain shortages. Ca 1969 F. Curtis Dohan et al reported that schizophrenia is frequently found in celiac disease and the reverse.
5. Genetic markers for gluten sensitivity or celiac disease occur in 43% of US population.
6. Genetic marker testing, especially if there is gluten-induced illness in relatives, is also advised for the asymptomatic because, "Those who do not feel ill in response to allergic substances in their environment are more likely to succumb to the harmful effects of these allergens."
7. Celiac disease waits for an average of 11 years before diagnosis and only 2.5% are ever diagnosed.
8. Malabsorption may not be permanent - villi, the millions of nutrient absorbers that line our small intestines, which can be flattened by disease, can be raised up again.
9. Depressive illness is the most common symptom of gluten intolerance
10. Rheumatoid arthritics (about half) show clear signs of gluten sensitivity.
11. AIDS death rate is increased by 20-fold when there is selenium deficiency which is commonly found in non-celiac, gluten-sensitive persons.
12. Significant bone loss occurs in 70% of persons with undetected celiac disease. Dairy products and calcium supplements may actually decrease bone density, while, for celiacs, a year on a gluten-free diet with proper supplementation can increase bone density.
13. Diabetes (IDDM) can be prevented by a gluten-free diet if genetic proneness is detected early.
14. Diet and nutrition's medicinal value is indicated in tens of thousands of studies.
BREAKING THE GLUTEN ADDICTION: There are certain peptides, or protein fragments, found in gluten (in grains) and in casein (in milk) that look and act just like the narcotic known as morphine. Hence, while a gluten-free diet is essential for management of celiac disease, only 50% are able to stick with it, even when they know their health risks. Supplemental to the authors' comprehensive advice about nutrition, support groups etc., I would suggest that, after reading Jacquelyn Rogers' book, You Can Stop - whether you are a smoker or not - you will be able to quit just about anything addictive, including gluten foods.
MSG CONNECTION: There seems to be overlap in msg-free and gluten-free diets. Either substance may be found "hidden" in hydrolyzed plant/vegetable protein, textured plant/vegetable protein, soy sauce, barley malt, stock cubes etc. They write that gluten can even be found "hidden" in msg (monosodium glutamate).
VEGETARIANISM & VEGANISM: The authors urge inclusion of high quality meat in the diet, but some dieters are so militant (and perhaps so disabled by a gluten-induced depression) that they might actually prefer dying to eating meat. I hope that the gluten-sensitive among them will identify vegetable and plant glutens and hidden glutens that might be used as meat substitutes in vegetarian and vegan prepared foods, and I hope they will develop therapeutic gluten-free diets. The authors do report that rheumatoid arthritics experienced "significant objective and subjective benefits" when they were subjected to fasting followed by a vegetarian, gluten-free diet.
WHATEVER WORKS: One could argue that the authors' program is so broad that a conscientious follower might improve his health but never know whether it was the removal of gluten grains (wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, kamut, triticale), dairy products, non-gluten allergenic foods or hundreds of food additives and chemicals; or whether it was the addition of supplements and more wholesome foods that was the primary factor. But removal of a potential causative element (gluten) of a host of illnesses would certainly tend to simplify the symptom set, enabling easier identification of any remaining dietary offenders.

Revised 1-Oct-03 (now fewer than 1000 words)

Excellent primer on gluten sensitivity/Celiac disease
This book is probably the best collection of information and ideas on gluten sensitivity and Celiac disease that I've ever read. There is less sensationalism than I expected and a lot of good discussion contained therein. Autoimmune and behavioral problems associated with gluten sensitivity are also covered very well in this volume. The only negative thing that I have to say is actually not about this book... but about the fact that grain-related illnesses seem to have been largely ignored by the medical establishment until recent years.

I have both Celiac disease and Asperger's syndrome myself and would highly recommend this title to anyone who feels that they are a newcomer to dealing with this spectrum of illnesses. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent- a masterpiece
This book has truly vastly surpassed my expectations. It has several indexes- one comprehensive index, one for drugs, one for nutrients and the drugs that affect them, monographs on all the nutrients, and then the piece de resistance, the abstracts of the medical literature to back it all up.

Written by a team of pharmacists, it is very even handed and lists the negative literature as well as the positive. Thus one can ascertain which nutrients are affected by which drugs, and vice versa and quickly review some of the medical literature to make up one's own mind. I've found it helpful.

Some good examples are that omeprazole reduces B12 absorption around 70%, that simvastatin reduces Q10 production significantly, HRT reduces B vitamins, anticonvulsants reduce vit D folate and calcium.

Unfortunately it doesn't deal with anesthetic gases- N2O depletes B12 and halothane causes oxidative stress on the liver.

I still have more to learn about this book, but it is one of my best purchases. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

An Excellent Resource
I love to cook and eat. It's wonderful that I can now prepare healthy and traditional fare for my family without worry over fat and salt. Thanks ladies!

Diabetes
This book is very helpful, because it teaches a person to cook with flavor. Most times the foods that we (diabetics) eat are so bland. This is a well written book. The exchanges are a plus.

Not bad but stock up on extracts
There are some great recipes here but the one thing I found annoying was that to cut the fat and keep the taste they added lots of extracts to desserts; things I had never used before in cooking.

On the other hand, I figure 5 new extracts is a small price to pay to be able to eat the foods we love while keeping a diabetic diet.

This is the best cookbook I have ever read for diabetics
Since I have purchased the book I have seen the interest soar in many who thought they had to give up tradition in their diet. I thank God for those two authors.... they have given me something back that I missed. Thanks Roniece and Fabiola .

An excellent book for diabetics and non-diabetics!
This book is a great resource book for those with diabetes and for those who want to make a change toward healthier cooking and eating. The review of diabetes is clear and concise while offering interesting cooking options for preparing healthy meals. The recipes make delicious down home meals! ... Read more

Book Description

The safety, effectiveness, and utility of medical nanorobotic devices will critically depend upon their biocompatibility with human organs, tissues, cells, and biochemical systems. In this Volume, we broaden the definition of nanomedical biocompatibility to include all of the mechanical, physiological, immunological, cytological, and biochemical responses of the human body to the introduction of artificial medical nanodevices, whether "particulate" (large doses of independent micron-sized individual nanorobots) or "bulk" (nanorobotic organs assembled either as solid objects or built up from trillions of smaller artificial cells or docked nanorobots inside the body) in form. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A timely contribution to nanotechnology literature.
Once again Robert A. Freitas, Jr. has turned out a remarkable volume of information (similar to Nanomedicine Volume 1). It is probably useful to have read Nanomedicine Volume 1 before reading Volume IIA, but Volume IIA can be read on its own particularly if one has a biological or medical education. Its emphasis is on whether we can expect nanotechnology based devices to be able to operate within the human body but it also deals with whether or not certain aspects of nanotechnology might be dangerous to biological life in general. I thought the aspects of the book that identified the areas where we lack knowledge at this time to be particularly useful. They pointed out topics that still need to be researched. The book is excellent in suggesting solutions for problems we can anticipate at this time in the area of biocompatibility.

This work is particularly timely because groups such as the ETC Group and Greenpeace have recently released reports that might reflect negatively on nanotechnology. This book provides a partial basis for informed debate on the risks vs. the benefits of nanotechnology. Since medical applications of nanotechnology may save 10's of millions of lives annually -- arguing against it requires very strong arguments. Anyone who has not read this book and attempts to criticize the development of nanotechnology for biological applications can probably be considered poorly informed.

The only criticism that I might list is that the publication may have been somewhat accelerated, perhaps in response to rising criticisms by luddites with respect to nanotechnology, and as a result very interesting information that was intended to be in Volume II, may only appear in Volume IIB. (So I'd perhaps only give the work 4.5 stars due to disappointment over not having more information included -- though if IIA and what I anticipate will be in IIB were combined it would be a very large book).

Disclaimer: My reading of this volume was in a pre-press version. ... Read more