Brave Girl Eating: A Family's Struggle with Anorexia

Brown tells the story of her familys battle with anorexia, the demon that suddenly possesses her bright, pretty daughter, Kitty. Brown is alternately an introspective and anguished parent and a fierce advocate for the Maudsley approach, a family-based therapy that focuses on restoring the patient to physical health before fully dealing with the psychological challenges he or she faces. Brown carefully amasses facts about anorexia and the effects of starvation in between bouts at the dinner table as Kitty refuses to eat and, occasionally, hides her food. The standoffs are emotionally draining for the entire family, including Kittys younger sister, Emma, whom Brown worries is also at risk for the disease. At the crux of Browns affecting and informative memoir is the idea that anorexia can happen to any family and that it can be defeated through determination and love, even though Brown recognizes that permanent success can be elusive. In the end, she knows that all any family can do is try, and that her eldest daughter will not be left to fight her demon alone. (Check Catalog)

100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's and Age-Related Memory Loss

If trying something new can delay or offset the effects of Alzheimer's, as former CNN medical correspondent and syndicated "EatSmart" columnist Carper (The Food Pharmacy) contends, then readers would do well to try many of the ideas she offers in this empowering compendium. Genetically disposed to Alzheimer's, Carper, now in her 70s, has compressed the latest research on this and other types of dementia into short sections, each with a bottom-line action plan. While some are basic to all-around good health (e.g., taking a multivitamin, not smoking, limiting alcohol), others might surprise: consuming apple juice and vinegar, meditating, and surfing the Internet. Although Carper admits she has not tried all of them, she recommends that readers experiment with those best suited to their situations. Even a few nutritional (a Mediterranean diet) and lifestyle (exercise, stress relief, sleep) changes, she states, can gain as much as a decade disease-free, and by supplementing with anti-Alzheimer's powerhouses like niacin, choline, folic acid, and alpha lipoic acid, readers can push mental decline even further into the future. Whether in their 20s or well into retirement, readers will likely feel motivated to do the impossible: beat the approaching epidemic of a disease commonly viewed as hopeless. (Check Catalog)

Stress Less: The New Science That Shows Women How to Rejuvenate the Body and the Mind

In her first book, journalist Singer argues that, while everyone is dealing with stress these days, the burden falls on women, particularly female baby boomers, who "essentially invented the Superwomen syndrome." Through extensive research and interviews with prominent scientists, the author examines stress as a genetic enemy and reveals the neurological and biological mechanisms that tie stress to aging. As we age, telomeres, the "chromosome life-savers" that govern the repair of DNA, erode as old or damaged cells are replaced; life-style factors such as smoking, diet, exercise, infection, and stress contribute, but studies have sown that the damage can be reversed. Singer refers to the most recent science as motivation for employing tried-and-true remedies for coping with stress, like meditation, sleep, maintaining a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. Singer, who has covered the science and health beat for over 30 years, has an accessible approach to difficult material, employing personal stories as a way into her lessons. Though these stories often feel overly functional, the message behind them is clear: if women stress less, they can turn back the clock. (Sept.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information. (Check Catalog)

The Doctors 5-Minute Health Fixes: The Prescription for a Lifetime of Great Health

Paging Dr. Jim, Dr. Travis, Dr. Lisa, and Dr. Drew! America needs your help—and your 5-minute health hints
 If you are like many, you probably think you just don’t have time to be healthy: It’s too much work, and there’s just too much conflicting information out there. Both leave you feeling powerless. But the best doctors know that an informed patient is a healthy patient. So before you lift your hands in defeat, know that great health is just a page away—and much easier to achieve than you think. After combing the very latest medical literature, the Doctors have isolated the seven factors that have been linked to the most vibrant, happiest, longest lives. The secret? Each body system (heart, brain, gut, skin) can be vastly improved with very small shifts in your lifestyle—most of which take less than five minutes to do. And whether it’s adding cinnamon to your coffee to balance blood sugar, sipping cold water through a straw to nix nicotine cravings, or brushing and flossing your teeth before you eat each morning to prevent heart disease, all are easy fixes that anyone can make.
Utilizing the show’s dynamic expert hosts, and based on interviews and research from the top authorities in multiple disciplines, The Doctors’ 5-Minute Health Hints is the one-stop source for readers looking for comprehensive, top-notch self-care advice and novel, cutting-edge tips, trivia, and information. Use these helpers as building blocks, and before you know it you’re easily on your way to 24-hour health . . . while preventing disease, reversing aging, getting the most out of your annual checkup, and looking fantastic. (Check Catalog)

Treat Me, Not My Age: A Doctor's Guide to Getting the Best Care as You or a Loved One Gets Older

A must-have manual for anyone 40+ to take control of their health in a broken health-care system.
Too often our culture defines the aging process negatively, instead of embracing it as a natural part of life. Nowhere is this problem more pronounced than in our health-care system, where "ageist" medicine often serves to worsen our medical issues instead of helping us figure out how to address or avoid them. Whether we're forty or eighty, what we need is an insider's guide to staying healthy despite the system.
Renowned geriatrician Mark Lachs takes readers on a grand tour of adult medicine, showing how we can navigate a complex and confusing system to make the best choices for ourselves and our loved ones. With gentle humor and great wisdom, Lachs explains how being proactive and making smart decisions can lay the groundwork for a satisfying, active lifestyle that lasts well into later life. You'll find out:
*How to identify the right primary care doctor, specialist, or care facility
*Why the hospital is no place for sick people
*How to make home improvements that will keep the nursing home at bay
*Why small life changes in your forties can lead to an extra decade of good health later on
*What to think about when planning financially for your future health (Check Catalog)

Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold

Some colds are like mice, timid and annoying; others like dragons, accompanied by body aches and deep misery. In AH-CHOO!, Jennifer Ackerman explains what, exactly, a cold is, how it works, and whether it's really possible to "fight one off." Scientists call this the Golden Age of the Common Cold because Americans suffer up to a billion colds each year, resulting in 40 million days of missed work and school and 100 million doctor visits. They've also learned over the past decade much more about what cold viruses are, what they do to the human body, and how symptoms can be addressed. In this ode to the odious cold, Ackerman sifts through the chatter about treatments-what works, what doesn't, and what can't hurt. She dispels myths, such as susceptibility to colds reflects a weakened immune system. And she tracks current research, including work at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, a world-renowned center of cold research studies, where the search for a cure continues. (Check Catalog)

babycenter Pregnancy: from preconception to birth

Practical and reassuring, this essential guide explains what happens at every stage of your pregnancy, from the latest medical advances to parents' real-life experiences. Covers the most popular online pregnancy topics and gives expert insight.
Babycenter Pregnancy covers every aspect of pregnancy, from preconception through to the first weeks of life with a new baby, including parents tips and comments, expert views, interesting statistics and polls. (Check Catalog)