Never Bet Against Occam: Mast Cell Activation Disease and the Modern Epidemics of Chronic Illness and Medical Complexity


Lawrence B. Afrin - 2016
    Afrin started coming to understand that a newly recognized type of mast cell disease, now called mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), was the underlying diagnosis in many patients he was seeing who were each suffering large assortments — quite different from one patient to the next — of chronic multisystem inflammatory illnesses of unclear cause. Dr. Afrin soon gained experience that MCAS is far more prevalent than the only mast cell disease previously known to medicine (the rare disease of mastocytosis) and that most MCAS patients, once accurately diagnosed, can eventually find significantly helpful medications targeted at the disease. The frequency and magnitude of the improvements Dr. Afrin has seen — even the relief that comes from finally having a unifying diagnosis other than "psychosomatism" — have spurred him to focus in this area, not only tending to the needs of his patients but also pursuing research to advance our understanding of the disease and helping to educate other professionals who in turn can help even more of the many people who have long been suffering not only the symptoms of the disease but also the natural concern of not understanding why one would be so "unlucky" to have acquired so many medical problems. As it turns out, such patients are not so unlucky and truly have just one root issue (and a very common one at that), which has the biological capability to develop, directly or indirectly, into most or all of their previously diagnosed problems. There is a great deal yet to learn about this, but even with just the present very limited understanding, the opportunity to diagnose and help patients with MCAS seems to be enormous and Dr. Afrin felt a description of the disease, written for the general public, might help lead some MCAS patients on a journey to diagnosis and improvement sooner rather than later. Dr. Afrin hopes this book will help people who might have, or do have, MCAS. A portion of the proceeds of purchases of this book will go to support research and education in this area.

Small Animal Surgery


Theresa Welch Fossum - 1997
    Coverage includes basic procedures such as spays, castrations, and declaws, as well as more advanced surgeries that might be referred to specialists such as craniotomy, ventral slots, and lung lobectomy. Discussions of general surgical procedures include sterile technique, surgical instrumentation, suturing, preoperative care, and antibiotic use. Key sections provide clinically relevant coverage of soft tissue surgery, orthopedic surgery, and neurosurgery.Over 1500 full color illustrations provide exceptionally clear representations of anatomy and currently accepted surgical techniques, including approaches and closure.Over 600 full color photographs and radiographs offer clear images of specific disorders, diseases, and procedures.Information on the most efficient and cost-saving sterilization techniques including scrubless and waterless preparation solutions.General considerations and clinically relevant pathophysiology sections provide practical information for case management.Step-by-step instructions for surgical techniques are presented in italicized blue type for quick and easy reference.Special icons identify advanced procedures that should be referred to an experienced surgeon or specialist.Color-coded tables and boxes call attention to specific data, offering at-a-glance access to key information such as drug dosages, clinical signs, and analgesic protocols.Anesthesia Protocols provide quick and easy access to recommendations for anesthetizing animals with particular diseases or disorders.A new chapter on Fundamentals of Physical Rehabilitation details the basics of physical rehabilitation for practitioners who want to integrate physical therapy into practice.A new chapter on Principles of Minimally Invasive Surgery that describes the principles of performing surgery with the least instrumentation possible, including instrument selection and care and basic techniques.A new chapter on Surgery of the Eye that discusses diseases and disorders of the eye, their medical management, and corrective surgical procedures.Expanded coverage of perioperative multimodal analgesic therapy.Updated coverage of arthroscopy, canine elbow dysplasia, joint replacement, and management of osteoarthritis.The latest information on state-of-the-art radiologic techniques.

Physician Suicide Letters Answered


Pamela Wible - 2016
    Wible exposes the pervasive and largely hidden medical culture of bullying, hazing, and abuse that claims the lives of countless medical students, doctors, and patients. Now—for the first time released to the public—here are private letters and last words from our doctors who could no longer bear the pain of an abusive medical system. What you don’t know about medical training and culture can kill you. Dr. Wible takes you behind the white coat and into the mind, heart, and soul of our doctors—and provides answers.

Mindstorms: The Complete Guide for Families Living with Traumatic Brain Injury


John W. Cassidy - 2009
    It may feel as if your world has shifted on its axis, and you'll never get your bearings. Navigating your way through the morass of doctors, medical terms, and the healthcare system can be daunting, especially when you want only what's best for the person you love. Dr. John Cassidy has devoted the past twenty-five years to helping families cope with traumatic brain injury; Mindstorms is his compassionate, comprehensive manual to demystifying this often frightening and life-changing condition. More than 6.3 million Americans live with a severe disability caused by a traumatic brain injury. In fact, because it's so commonplace, but little talked of, TBI is often referred to as the "silent epidemic." In these pages, Dr. Cassidy walks you through the different types of brain injury; explodes the common myths surrounding it; demonstrates the ways in which TBI may affect memory, behavior, and social interaction; explores the newest options in treatment and rehabilitation; and shows you how to hold on to your own sense of self as you journey through. Along with the practical information you'll need, Mindstorms offers a constellation of instructive, moving stories from families and patients who are slowly, but surely, finding their way back. Their experiences are sure to inspire you and yours.

The Chronic Cough Enigma: How to recognize, diagnose and treat neurogenic and reflux related cough


Jamie A. Koufman - 2014
    The Chronic Cough Enigma is written for people who have been coughing for months or years and cannot get useful answers from their doctors.More than 20 million Americans suffer from what is known as enigmatic chronic cough. This book provides insights from Dr. Jamie Koufman’s almost forty years of successfully managing thousands of long-suffering cough patients. Indeed, the typical chronic cough patient who comes to her office has been coughing for more than a decade. This book provides the many who suffer from chronic cough new and potentially life-changing information and the potential to be cured.

Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them


Mark Jerome Walters - 2003
    Lyme disease, and SARS. According to Walters, we are not only victims of these emerging diseases; we are helping exacerbate their creation and spread.

Fascinomas - Fascinating Medical Mysteries


Clifton K. Meador - 2013
    A paralyzed teen recovers overnight. A woman complains her breast implants speak. A man and his dog become gravely ill at the exact same time. These strange real-life cases and many more can be found in author and physician Clifton K. Meador’s newest collection, Fascinomas. Combining the word “fascinating” with the term for a tumor or growth, “fascinoma” is medical slang for an unusually interesting medical case. These are the extraordinary stories medical professionals recall forever and pass from one colleague to another in hospital lounges and hallways. Every medical professional has at least one fascinoma to tell, and in this collection of bizarre-but-true stories, Meador retells some of the most memorable. In the vein of Berton Roueché, the famed medical writer for The New Yorker, the author of True Medical Detective Stories is back with an all-new book of complex cases, where medical professionals must often race against the clock to find clues in the most unusual places. Fascinomas is an entertaining and informative collection for physicians, nurses, medical students and those who simply can’t get enough of bizarre clinical cases. Written from the point of view of an experienced doctor, the stories are crafted in an engaging style that can be enjoyed by medical professionals and laypeople alike. More than just interesting tales, however, these real-life mysteries serve as great examples of the need for doctors to listen closely to and ask the right questions of their patients, even in the computer age, when so much information is at their fingertips. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, and you never know where a crucial piece of evidence will be found by one of the detectives of the medical world.

Coleman's Laws: The Twelve Medical Truths You Must Know To Survive


Vernon Coleman - 2014
    Here's how Dr Coleman describes this book: `However good your doctor is, and however much you may trust him or her, you must share the responsibility for your own health, and you must know when to tell your doctor if you think that the treatment with which he or she is providing you, could be causing problems. After all, if things go wrong, your nice friendly doctor is more likely to kill you than is a burglar a deranged relative or a drunken motorist. Remember: one in six people in hospital are there because they have been made ill by a doctor. I have built this book around ther twelve basic laws of medicine which I have, over the years, formulated for my own benefit as a doctor, an observer and a patient. I have illustrated each of the 12 laws with clinical anecdotes and scientific data.' Here, for example, is Coleman's First Law of Medicine: `If you are receiving treatment for an existing disease and you develop new symptoms then, until proved otherwise, you should assume that the new symptoms are caused by the treatment you are receiving.' Dr Vernon Coleman is the author of over 100 books - many of them international bestsellers. His books have sold over two million copies in hardback and paperback in the UK alone and have been translated into 25 languages. Dr Coleman has written columns and articles for many of the world's leading newspapers and magazines and has presented numerous TV and radio programmes based on his books. In the mid 1980s he devised the world's first medical software for use on home computers. For more information about Dr Coleman's books please see the Vernon Coleman page on Amazon or visit www.vernoncoleman.com What the papers say: Vernon Coleman writes brilliant books - Good Book Guide The calmest voice of reason - The Observer A godsend - Daily Telegraph Brilliant - The People No thinking person can ignore him - The Ecologist Marvellously succinct, refreshingly sensible - The Spectator Probably one of the most brilliant men alive today - Irish Times King of the media docs - The Independent Britain's leading health care campaigner - The Sun Britain's leading medical author - The Star Perhaps the best known health writer for the general public in the world today - The Therapist The patient's champion - Birmingham Post A persuasive writer whose arguments, based on research and experience, are sound - Nursing Standard The doctor who dares to speak his mind - Oxford Mail He writes lucidly and wittily - Good Housekeeping The man is a national treasure - What doctors don't tell you Compulsive reading - The Guardian His message is important - The Economist Revered guru of medicine - Nursing Times His advice is optimistic and enthusiastic - British Medical Journal It's impossible not to be impressed - Western Daily Press Outspoken and alert - Sunday Express Hard hitting - inimitably forthright - Hull Daily Mail Refreshingly forthright - Liverpool Daily Post Dr Coleman made me think again - BBC World Service

Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults And Children


Kathryn L. McCance - 1990
    Part One presents the general principles of pathophysiology and discusses the influence of the environment and the role of genetics in the development of disease. Part Two, organized by body system, examines normal anatomy and physiology, alterations of function in adults, and alterations of function in children.

Clinical Examination: A Systematic Guide to Physical Diagnosis [With DVD]


Nicholas J. Talley - 1992
    Set out logically and systematically, this best-selling textbook has comprehensive coverage of essential skills necessary for history taking and examining the patient. Highly regarded by students world-wide, this text continues to grow in strength. Clinical Examination, 5th edition has been revised and updated to include: more evidence-based medicine; new full-color artwork; and a fresh new look allowing greater accessibility for readers. The new edition covers clinical examination and concepts in a systems approach in a clear, consistent and user-friendly approach. Readers using this edition of Clinical Examination will have access to www.studentconsult.com. Here you will receive full online access to the text and numerous interactive extras such as video clips demonstrating some of the more difficult examinations & MCQ's. Written by two internationally renowned authors, Clinical Examination, 5th edition will continue to provide students with a superb reference for performing clinical methods.

Can We Live 150 Years?: Your Body Maintenance Handbook


Mikhail Tombak - 2003
    Our looks, longevity, as well as our physical and mental conditions result from the way we eat, breathe, and take care of all our physical and psychological needs. The question is not limited to nutrition only, as is the case of dieting programs.

Autism - A Practical Guide for Parents


Alan Yau - 2012
    Oh, and you want a book that is concise and easy to understand, right? This book is what you're looking for. Think of this book as a collection of sparks. Real sparks ignite fires. The sparks in this book will ignite ideas in your head about how to teach your child with autism. Here's an overview of what you will learn in this book: How children with autism are wired differently, and how that affects the way they learn. Why Intensive Play is so important to everything else. Why it's so hard to get your child's attention, and what you can do about it. How visual tools can help your child, and how you can use them easily. Why focusing on well-being is so important, and some simple steps you can take to ensure you do. What general strategies will help you teach your child. Why behavior difficulties happen, and some ways you can help. Why today's technology is making it easier for children with autism to communicate, learn and much more besides.This book will give you ideas and strategies that you can use immediately with your child. Many of the strategies are made clearer by the inclusion of examples from the author's own experience. You will see echoes of your own child in some of the examples, and they are sure to provide lots of light bulb moments for you.

The Healer's Betrayal


Helen Pryke - 2021
    . .Morgana Innocenti was born on the cusp of the 1600s, on the cursed ground inside the Grove. Deaf since the age of eight from a childhood illness, and able to see shadows where no shadow should be, she has learned to face any difficulty with strength and determination.But a three-hundred-year-old vow of revenge, and a terrible secret revealed on her grandmother’s deathbed, throw Morgana’s life into turmoil, and nothing will ever be the same again. To protect her family’s name, she must marry a man she hardly knows, and trust that she has made the right choice.While she settles into her new life, rumours arrive from England of witch hunters who leave a trail of death and devastation behind them as they cross the country. When her daughter is born with the mark of the devil, Morgana lives in constant fear that they will come to Italy.She has no idea that she is about to suffer the ultimate betrayal. Before, she had to marry to save her family’s name. What will she sacrifice to save her daughter?

Urinalysis and Body Fluids


Susan King Strasinger - 1985
    In this reference, case studies and clinical situations analyze and explore the clinical significance of non-blood body fluids and are designed to aid students in developing the skills of problem solving and critical thinking that are essential in a clinical laboratory.

Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry


Stephen Klaidman - 2007
    Chae Hyun Moon, a celebrated cardiologist in Redding, California. Corapi had been suffering from exhaustion and shortness of breath, and although a physical examination and a conventional stress test revealed nothing abnormal, Moon insisted that the calcium level in Corapi's coronary arteries called for a highly invasive diagnostic test: an angiogram. A chain-smoking Korean immigrant known for his gruff bedside manner, Moon performed the procedure briskly and immediately handed down a devastating diagnosis: "I'm sorry; there is nothing I can do for you. You need a triple bypass tomorrow morning." He then abruptly left the room.Several hours later, however, Moon inexplicably decided the surgery could wait until Corapi returned from a previously scheduled cross-country trip. Unnerved by the dire diagnosis and also by Moon's inconsistent statements, Corapi sought other opinions. To his amazement, a second, third, and fourth doctor found that his heart was perfectly healthy. In fact, for a man his age, Corapi's arteries were "remarkably free of disease."Sensing a cause more disturbing than human error, Corapi took his story to the FBI. As local agent Mike Skeen soon discovered, Corapi was one of a number of people who had suspicions about Moon and Moon's go-to cardiac surgeon, Dr. Fidel Realyvasquez, an equally respected member of the close-knit northern California community. Working ata hospital owned by Tenet Healthcare, Moon would make the diagnoses and Realyvasquez would perform the surgeries. Together, these leaders of the Redding medical establishment put hundreds of healthy people at risk, some of whom never recovered. Soon Skeen launched a major investigation, interviewing numerous doctors and patients, and forty federal agents raided the hospital where the doctors worked.A timely and provocative dissection of America's medical-industrial complex, "Coronary" lays bare the financial structures that drive the American healthcare system, and which precipitated Moon's and Realyvasquez's actions. In a scheme that placed the demands of Wall Street above the lives of its patients, Tenet Healthcare rewarded doctors based on how much revenue they generated for the corporation.A meticulous three-year FBI investigation and hundreds of civil suits culminated in no criminal charges but a series of settlements with Tenet Healthcare and the doctors that totaled more than $450 million and likely put an end to Moon's and Realyvasquez's medical careers. The case's every twist and turn is documented here.A riveting, character-rich narrative and a masterpiece of long-form journalism, "Coronary" is as powerful as it is alarming. This is a hair-raising story of the hundreds of men and women who went under the knife, not in the name of medicine, but of profit and prestige. Brilliantly told, Stephen Klaidman's "Coronary" is a cautionary tale in the age of miracle medicine, and a shocking reminder to always get a second opinion.