Professional advice. . - Health & Medicine - review of The Complete Home Wellness Handbook - Brief Article - book review

American Fitness, May-June, 2002 by D.K. Howe

If you're looking for a book on health to add to your home reference library, check out The Complete Home Wellness Handbook (Rebus Inc., $34.95) by John Edward Swarzberg, M.D., F.A.C.P., Sheldon Margen, M.D., faculty members at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and the editors of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. Long-term clinical experience, research, as well as the review and evaluation of the best studies available, are the foundation of this text. This book provides information on ailments, disorders and complaints that can be treated at home without medical assistance and identifies conditions that require professional intervention.

The first section of the handbook explains the connection between lifestyle and patterns of behavior with the occurrence of chronic diseases (such as heart disease and cancer), offers practical tips and guidelines on nutrition, exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking cessation, weight control and more. "By integrating healthy habits into your daily life, you not only increase your chances of preventing serious illness, but also fend off many bothersome complaints, such as back pain, constipation and varicose veins," state the authors. The main section of the handbook is an easy-to-use A to Z compendium of ailments and disorders. Each entry includes: Symptoms, What Is It?, What If You Do Nothing?, Home Remedies, Prevention, When to Call Your Doctor, What Your Doctor Will Do and For More Information.

To order The Complete Home Wellness Handbook, call (800) 462-6420.