In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

by Gabor Mate    (Find this book)

Based on Gabor Mate's two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouver's skid row, "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" radically re-envisions this much misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach. Dr. Mate presents addiction not as a discrete phenomenon confined to an unfortunate or weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs throughout (and perhaps underpins) our society; not a medical "condition" distinct from the lives it affects, rather the result of a complex interplay among personal history, emotional, and neurological development, brain chemistry, and the drugs (and behaviors) of addiction. Simplifying a wide array of brain and addiction research findings from around the globe, the book avoids glib self-help remedies, instead promoting a thorough and compassionate self-understanding as the first key to healing and wellness. "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts "argues persuasively against contemporary health, social, and criminal justice policies toward addiction and those impacted by it. The mix of personal stories--including the author's candid discussion of his own "high-status" addictive tendencies--and science with positive solutions makes the book equally useful for lay readers and professionals. -- Publisher Marketing

Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon

by Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa    (Find this book)
Today he is known as Dr. Q, an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and neuroscientist who leads cutting-edge research to cure brain cancer. But not too long ago, he was Freddy, a nineteen-year-old undocumented migrant worker toiling in the tomato fields of central California. In this gripping memoir, Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa tells his amazing life story--from his impoverished childhood in the tiny village of Palaco, Mexico, to his harrowing border crossing and his transformation from illegal immigrant to American citizen and gifted student at the University of California at Berkeley and at Harvard Medical School. Packed with adventure and adversity--including a few terrifying brushes with death--"Becoming Dr. Q" is a testament to persistence, hard work, the power of hope and imagination, and the pursuit of excellence. It's also a story about the importance of family, of mentors, and of giving people a chance. -- Publisher Marketing

Deadly Monopolies: The Shocking Corporate Takeover of Life Itself - And the Consequences for Your Health and Our Medical Future

by Harriet A Washington    (Find this book)

From the award-winning author of "Medical Apartheid," an expose of the rush to own and exploit the raw materials of life--including yours.
Think your body is your own to control and dispose of as you wish? Think again. The United States Patent Office has granted at least 40,000 patents on genes controlling the most basic processes of human life, and more are pending. If you undergo surgery in many hospitals you must sign away ownership rights to your excised tissues, even if they turn out to have medical and fiscal value. Life itself is rapidly becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the medical- industrial complex.
"Deadly Monopolies" is a powerful, disturbing, and deeply researched book that illuminates this "life patent" gold rush and its harmful, and even lethal, consequences for public health. It examines the shaky legal, ethical, and social bases for Big Pharma's argument that such patents are necessary to protect their investments in new drugs and treatments, arguing that they instead stifle the research, competition, and innovation that can drive down costs and save lives. In opposing the com modification of the body, Harriet Washington provides a crucial human dimension to an often all-too-abstract debate.
Like the bestseller "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," "Deadly Monopolies" reveals in shocking detail just how far the profit motive has encroached in colonizing human life and compromising medical ethics. It is sure to stir debate--and instigate change. -- Publisher Marketing

Sciatica Solutions: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Cure of Spinal and Piriformis Problems

by Loren M Fishman    (Find this book)

Sciatica is the feeling of pain, numbness, "electric shocks," or strange sensations in the seat and running down the leg. It will afflict some five million Americans this year. In easy-to-understand terms, Loren Fishman demystifies the relationship between neurological injury and sciatica, explains the most common causes, leads readers to an exact diagnosis, and outlines the options available for lasting comfort and cure. -- Publisher Marketing

The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic

by Linda Carroll    (Find this book)

On the heels of the recent deaths of NHL player Derek Boogaard and NFL safety Dave Duerson involving possible brain trauma, this book detailing the current plague of sports-related concussions, written by MSNBC.com health writer Carroll and sports scribe Rosner, is a very hot topic. The authors cite estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that there are 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports-related concussions every year. With more than 44 million girls and boys playing organized sports, the writers spell out the dire consequences of impact games without proper safety measures. They provide grisly statistics and cautionary examples of schoolchildren and sports figures such as big league football stars Troy Aikman, hockey star Pat LaFontaine, and boxer Jerry Quarry, who have compromised health after a life of competition and concussions. The authors recount how scientists have come to understand the danger concussions present ranging from memory loss to impaired judgment and dementia and note that although treatments and research in brain injuries are showing promise, prevention is the best way to protect both child and adult athletes. This noteworthy book issues a challenge to the "macho play-through-the pain" sports culture and urges a rethinking of safety versus spectacle. (Sept.) Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information. -- Publishers Weekly