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Helpful books on family health | |
| By The Associated Press Some useful additions to your family health shelf: - A woman's breast is more than just an organ, observes Dr. Miriam Stoppard, a British doctor and author specializing in women's health issues. "Through war and peace, fashion, religion, art and literature, it has been revered, praised, lusted after, reviled and exploited. A powerful representation of beauty, the breast remains a most compelling symbol of our femininity," she writes in "The Breast Book: The Essential Guide to Breast Care & Breast Health for Women of All Ages" (DK Publishing, $24.95 hardcover). Her book reflects this perspective, with sections devoted to the historical, social and physical significance of the breast, as well as comprehensive information about breast health maintenance, disease, and recovery. There are entertaining and useful chapters about the history of underwear, types of bras, nursing, and sex. - From the Texas Heart Institute comes "Heart Owners Handbook" (John Wiley & Sons, $29.95 hardcover or $16.95 paperback), with a foreword by the institute's founder and noted heart surgeon, Dr. Denton A. Cooley. The book starts out with an informal self-test to heighten the reader's awareness of his or her risk level, then follows up with chapters about the heart, its diseases, and learning to control risk factors such as diet, exercise, and behavior. - "The Aquatic Handbook for Lifetime Fitness" (Allyn & Bacon-Simon & Schuster, $24.95) by Dr. Jane Katz tells you why and how workouts in water can help you maintain healthy heart, lungs, muscles and weight. Katz, a World Masters swim champion and recognized expert in water fitness, offers programs for both swimming and aquatic exercises and explains how to get going even if you're way out of shape. - "The Harvard Guide to Women's Health" (Harvard University Press, $39.95 hardcover, $24.95 paperback) aims to give women information they need to make smart choices about their health care. The authors - Drs. Karen J. Carlson, Stephanie A. Eisenstat, and Terra Ziporyn - are all noted in the growing field of women's health care advocacy. This encyclopedia-style reference offers substantial discussions of subjects ranging from heart disease (a leading killer of women) to occupational injuries and risks from cosmetics. - "Random anxiety can deter women from looking after their breast health," notes June Engel, a biochemist and medical journalist. "Helping people dispel fear and gain control is a key goal in combating breast cancer. In "The Complete Breast Book" (Key Porter-Firefly, $19.95 paperback), she describes normal changes in the breast over a lifetime, benign conditions, and issues of prevention or detection and treatment of cancer. - The advent of antibiotics hasn't wiped out infectious diseases, as news about AIDS, Lyme disease, E. Coli food poisoning and Legionnaires' disease underscores. But old, common infections such as colds, flu, chicken pox and ear infections are on the rise, points out Phyllis Stoffman, a community health and infection-control nurse. Her book, "The Family Guide to Preventing and Treating 100 Infectious Illnesses" (John Wiley & Sons, $18.95 paperback) offers comprehensive and practical information about immunization, prevention, treatment, and risks for some of the most prevalent infections. Among her topics are disease screening of adopted children from foreign countries and infectious disease risks of international travel. - Weight is central to many health problems, and Dr. Lou Aronne, head of New York Hospital's Weight Control Center, advocates gradual, permanent changes in eating and exercise habits to reach healthy, stable weight. In "Weigh Less, Live Longer" (John Wiley & Sons, $22.95 hardcover), Aronne notes that there are no magic bullets to dissolve excess weight but says that understanding of metabolism, brain chemistry, "set-points," and the much-discussed "fat gene" is growing. This knowledge can help overweight people work to alter metabolism and interrupt the "yo-yo" dieting syndrome. - One path to better nutrition comes through vegetarian eating, and two titles from Macmillan are there to help: "Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Beginner's Guide" ($12.95 paperback) addresses those who are considering a vegetarian diet, even part time; and "1,000 Vegetarian Recipes" ($30 hardcover), by Carol Gelles, makes it simple to choose and make vegetarian dishes using common, easy-to-find ingredients. - The athletes among us often are gung-ho about what they eat, though sometimes they get tangled in the carbohydrates-versus-protein debate. Authors Susan Kleiner and Maggie Greenwood-Robinson say that different athletics often require different diets and map out these differences in "High-Performance Nutrition" (John Wiley & Sons, $16.95 paperback). Kleiner, a nutritional consultant to professional sports teams and Olympics athletes, and her co-author, a veteran fitness writer, focus on both strength training and aerobics and offer facts about supplements, food additives, sugar and fat substitutes, sports drinks and vegetarian diets. - Two titles from Avery Books can help the diet-conscious cope with modern realities: "The Fast Food Restaurant Nutrition Counter" ($5.95 paperback), by Art Ulene, has the numbers for over 3,000 menu items from over 65 restaurant chains, and "The Brand Name Fat-Fighter's Cookbook" ($13.95 paperback), by Sandra Woodruff, helps you keep fat off the fire while cooking with familiar name-brand products. - Office denizens who like to use their vacation time to get into shape can make their picks by consulting the newest edition of "Healthy Escapes" (Fodor's-Random House, $15.50 paperback), listing spas, fitness resorts and cruises. Those who prefer the more sporting, less structured versions can find descriptions in "Great American Sports and Adventure Vacations" (Fodor's-Random House, $17.50 paperback). Copyright 1996 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | |