Yale University Press Health & Wellness – serie

From a caring physician who has treated thousands of breast cancer patients, a clear and reassuring guide to the disease, its prevention, and its treatment.A diagnosis of breast cancer is among the most frightening moments in a person’s life—so frightening that even to formulate questions for the doctor may seem impossible. This helpful book is written as a guide for women and men facing breast cancer and for their caring families and friends. It is also written for women who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer but are concerned that they may be.Drawing on her many years of experience with breast cancer patients, Dr. Ruth H. Grobstein provides exactly the information they want and need in order to make the best health decisions. Her jargon-free book deals with general issues of interest to all women—mammography, hormone replacement therapy, risk factors for breast cancer, and more—as well as the numerous issues that patients diagnosed with breast cancer confront. Her book will be an indispensable companion, providing reliable information for patients on the journey through a sometimes confusing and impersonal medical system.

A prominent gynecologist explains how to make the best choices for female reproductive health in this authoritative, easy-to-read guideThis book is for every woman who has wished for an unhurried, personal conversation with a sympathetic doctor who will answer her questions about reproductive health. Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a gynecologist practicing for more than 25 years, presents a complete and up-to-date guide to a healthy reproductive system for women in their teens through middle age.With warmth and understanding, Dr. Minkin and coauthor Carol V. Wright respond to questions about the gynecological issues that concern women today, including sexual activity, contraception, and family planning. Readers of The Yale Guide to Women’s Reproductive Health willlearn how the female body works, what problems may arise, and what solutions are available—in short, they will become better prepared to participate in their own health care and to make healthy decisions.

This up-to-date guide addresses all the subjects you would expect to find in an authoritative book on pregnancy plus issues of special concern to the 60 to 80 percent of women who hold jobs during their pregnancies:·         Is my workplace safe for my developing baby?·        When should I tell my employer that I am expecting?·        How can I handle the discomforts of pregnancy when I need to work?·        What laws will protect me when I take medical leave?The answers to these questions—and myriad others—can be found in the pages of this practical and reassuring book.Dr. Marjorie Greenfield draws from her experiences as an obstetrician and working mom, and from more than a hundred interviews with mothers ranging from factory workers to high-powered attorneys, to create a unique resource for working women. Dr. Greenfield includes checklists for multitasking working moms-to-be, helpful illustrations, stories and advice from experienced mothers, and information on everything from planning a pregnancy to balancing life after the baby is born. The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book is an invaluable expert resource that will inform, reassure, and empower any working woman throughout the miraculous journey of her pregnancy.

A new understanding of ADD, along with practical information on how to recognize and treat the disorder  A leading expert in the assessment and treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder dispels myths and offers reassuring, practical information about treatments. Drawing on recent findings in neuroscience and a rich variety of case studies from his own clinical practive, Dr. Thomas E. Brown describes what ADD syndrome is, how it can be recognized at different ages, and how it can best be treated.  This is the first book to address the perplexing question about ADD: how can individuals, some very bright, be chronically unable to “pay attention,” yet be able to focus very well on specific tasks that strongly interest them? Brown disputes the “willpower” explanation and explains how inherited malfunctions of the brain’s management system prevent some people from being able to deal adequately with challenging tasks of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. His book is an authoritative and practical guide for physicians and psychologists, parents and teachers, and the 7 to 9 percent of persons who suffer from ADD/ADHD.

More than 70 million Americans have some form of heart disease. For each of them, obtaining accurate information about the disease and the many options for dealing with it can be both empowering and life saving. In this book, cardiologist Dr. Barry L. Zaret and Genell Subak-Sharpe offer up-to-date facts about the best treatments available and an innovative approach that shows how treatment programs can be tailored to meet the needs of each unique patient.There are no short-term fixes and no one-size-fitsall programs, explain Zaret and Subak-Sharpe. Although certain characteristics are common to each form of heart disease and its treatments,these constants must be tempered against individual variables. The authors outline the constants for the full range of cardiovascular conditions, from angina and heart attacks to high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias. They then guide readers through the process of assessing personal variables to develop an individual treatment and life-style program.Written in a warmly reassuring style, this indispensable guide to heart care offers realistic hope and specific directions for designing a lifelong heart care program. Filled with practical advice, instructional case histories, a philosophy for controlling your health, self-tests to assess risk, and questions to ask your doctor, it looks toward an even better future for those with heart disease.

The most informative book available on prostate cancer by a doctor who has himself survived the diseaseWhen Dr. E. Fuller Torrey was diagnosed with prostate cancer, none of the books he could find was current enough or comprehensive enough to satisfy his need for information. This book is for the hundreds of thousands of other men who each year receive the same frightening diagnosis. It is the book Dr. Torrey wished he had when he was facing the countless questions that a man with prostate cancer, and his family and friends, all confront. Complete, up-to-date, and readable, the book explains how to come to terms with the diagnosis of prostate cancer, evaluate the severity of the disease, and assess the variety of treatment options and their complications. Many chapters provide information other books barely consider, such as a full discussion of the causes of prostate cancer and an evaluation of other books on the subject. Also included is a summary of the most useful Web sites. The author mixes his personal experience with factual material, and he maintains a reassuring sense of humor. His advice is practical, with dozens of tips and lists including “Ten Steps to Sanity for Men Recently Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.” With Dr. Torrey’s book in hand, readers can now tackle all the important decisions about prostate cancer, confident in having the most accurate and complete information available.

"An interactive and empowering book."—BET.com"Plain talk. Strong medicine. A long-overdue prescription to cure what ails our community. A must-read for every African American." —Tavis SmileyAccording to the federal Office of Minority Health, African Americans "are affected by serious diseases and health conditions at far greater rates than other Americans." In fact, African Americans suffer an estimated 85,000 excess deaths every year from diseases we know how to prevent: heart disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. In this important and accessible book, Dr. Michelle Gourdine provides African Americans with the knowledge and guidance they need to take charge of their well-being.Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness begins with an overview of the primary health concerns facing African Americans and explains who is at greatest risk of illness. Expanding on her career and life experiences as an African American physician, Dr. Gourdine presents key insights into the ways African American culture shapes health choices—how beliefs, traditions, and values can influence eating choices, exercise habits, and even the decision to seek medical attention. She translates extensive research into practical information and presents readers with concrete steps for achieving a healthier lifestyle, as well as strategies for navigating the health-care system.This interactive guide with illustrations is a vital resource for every African American on how to live a healthier and more empowered life, and an indispensable handbook for health-care providers, policy makers, and others working to close the health gap among people of color. Says Gourdine, "I wrote this book to empower our community to solve our own health problems and to save our own lives."

Research shows that supportive family and friends can improve the outcome of a loved one’s hospital stay, but how exactly can they help?Hospitalization is often as dismaying and frightening for family members as it is for the patient. And despite a heartfelt desire to understand what is happening and to comfort a sick or injured loved one, too often relatives and friends feel helpless and marginalized by the hospital system. This valuable book is the first to assist families and friends of adult patients to navigate the unfamiliar and intimidating territory of the hospital. It spells out in the clearest terms how a family can form a partnership with medical providers to ensure the best patient care possible.Patrick Conlon’s inspiration for the book was the sudden, frightening hospitalization of his longtime partner, Jim, and his personal struggle to develop a useful role for himself as a caregiver. Here he provides the handbook he wishes he’d had when Jim was admitted to the hospital. Conlon offers encouragement, proven strategies, and straightforward advice—all with the goal of empowering others to become successful care partners at the bedside of their loved ones.Special features of the book:--Simple dos and don’ts to help you help your loved one and interact with hospital professionals--Handy tear-out checklists to fill in when consulting a surgeon, preparing for discharge, making a complaint, updating family and friends, and planning important meetings--Definitions of hospital jargon—terms, abbreviations, euphemisms, an acronyms--Sidebars with interesting facts: Can cell phones interfere with sensitive medical equipment? Why don’t British doctors wear neckties? What’s the average length of stay in an ICU?--Easy-to-use caregiver’s chart and diary

The first comprehensive, accessible, authoritative guide on chronic wounds and how best to treat themSeven million Americans suffer from chronic or slow-healing wounds—this number includes people with diabetes, dementia, paralysis, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and poor circulation, as well as the elderly and those with reduced mobility. Healing Wounds, Healthy Skin provides patients and caregivers with everything they need to know on the subject, including:Why chronic wounds develop and who is at risk of developing themWhat "normal healing" isWhat the different types of wounds are, including those associated with chronic diseaseHow to find appropriate care and get a correct diagnosisWhat role exercise and nutrition play in treatment and preventionWhat treatment options are available, from surgery to alternative therapiesAlso covered are the patients' psychological and emotional experiences, myths about wounds and wound healing, steps to take in an emergency, and a wound patient's bill of rights. With up-to-date information, insightful patient case histories, and a wealth of essential resources, this is the book that chronic wound patients and their caregivers can turn to with confidence.

A comprehensive personal guide, filled with reliable advice on every important aspect of growing olderFor anyone who is approaching a 65th birthday with trepidation, this valuable book offers heartening advice on navigating the later years of life. Dr. Eric Pfeiffer, who for thirty years has cared for—and learned from—elderly people, addresses with compassion and deep understanding the multitude of issues that arise for aging individuals and their families. He writes authoritatively but in a conversational tone. His advice is easy to read, easy to follow, and full of wisdom.In short, practical chapters, Dr. Pfeiffer advises on choosing an ideal place to live, finding a range of satisfying activities, and maintaining an active social life. He also explains how best to maintain one's health, mental health, wealth, and independence. Other chapters explore the importance of a spiritual life and the value of maintaining an active sexual life. In addition, the author speaks to the value of charitable giving and describes how it is possible to prepare for a good good-bye to life. Filled with illustrative anecdotes and enhanced with a lovely selection of poems, this reassuring book demonstrates how it is possible to direct and control the aging experience. For every person approaching retirement years, and for their friends and families, the book is an excellent resource and a practical guide.

A leading oncologist demystifies cancer with accurate, accessible, and honest informationAnyone who is diagnosed with cancer receives a frightening blow, and in many cases the diagnosis is accompanied by a bewildering array of treatment choices. In this invaluable book, a compassionate and knowledgeable physician explains what cancer is, which factors determine a patient’s prognosis, how cancer treatments work to eradicate cancer, why they sometimes fail, and what patients can do to optimize their own survival. The second edition of this essential resource for patients and their families discusses new treatment options that have become available, including targeted therapies, immune therapies, and personalized cancer medicine. Information on the types of medicines used to fight cancer has been completely updated and revised; also included is a new section on alternative cancer therapies. Winner of the 2010 American Medical Writers Association Medical Book Award in the Health Care Professionals–Nonphysician category Winner of the 2010 Will Solimene Award for Excellence in Medical Communication, given by the New England Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association

The foremost resource for parents and caregivers seeking ways to help their child increase comfort and overcome chronic pain—a 2016 National Parenting Product Award winner  “Dr. Coakley’s book is a superb roadmap and guide for parents of children and adolescents with chronic pain. Her tone and message will resonate with parents from a very broad array of backgrounds and parenting styles. Just the right balance of contemporary research, evidence for what works, and down-to-earth, practical guidance. Simply the best book on this subject for parents.”—Charles Berde, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Pain Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital  Parents of a child in pain want nothing more than to offer immediate comfort. But a child with chronic or recurring pain requires much more. His or her parents need skills and strategies not only for increasing comfort but also for helping their child deal with an array of pain-related challenges, such as school disruption, sleep disturbance, and difficulties with peers. This essential guide, written by an expert in pediatric pain management, is the practical, accessible, and comprehensive resource that families and caregivers have been awaiting. It offers in-the-moment strategies for managing a child’s pain along with expert advice for fostering long-term comfort.  Dr. Rachael Coakley, a clinical pediatric psychologist who works exclusively with families of children with chronic or recurrent pain, provides a set of research-proven strategies—some surprisingly counter-intuitive—to achieve positive results quickly and lastingly. Whether the pain is disease-related, the result of an injury or surgery, or caused by another condition or syndrome, this book offers what every parent of a child in pain most needs: effective methods for reversing the cycle of chronic pain.

The best advice for those with hearing loss, from a leading audiologist and from patients with personal experience  Where can the most accurate and helpful information about hearing loss be found? From a friend or relative who has impaired hearing? From an experienced audiologist? Both, says the author of this essential book!  In an unusual new approach, audiologist John M. Burkey offers not only specific and up-to-date information based on his own extensive experience with patients, but also useful, first-hand advice from those patients themselves. The Hearing-Loss Guide presents clear, basic facts on hearing impairment and treatments, followed by candid personal recommendations from people who are coping successfully with hearing difficulties. For anyone confronting hearing loss, for family members and friends, and for others who work alongside or care for a person with a hearing impairment, this book is a must-read.  Inside The Hearing-Loss Guide:  ·     Specific practical advice from patients and family members for coping with hearing loss·     A professional audiologist’s clear explanations of hearing loss, current treatments, hearing aids, and other devices·     Helpful suggestions for friends, co-workers, and caretakers of persons with hearing difficulties