Book picks similar to
Atul Gawande's Being Mortal: by Ant Hive Media
nonfiction
non-fiction
health
fiction
The Danger Within Us: America's Untested, Unregulated Medical Device Industry and One Man's Battle to Survive It
Jeanne Lenzer - 2017
An estimated 10 percent of Americans are implanted with medical devices -- like pacemakers, artificial hips, cardiac stents, etc.The overwhelming majority of high-risk implanted devices have never undergone a single clinical trial. The FDA lets device manufacturers decide whether to report serious complications or deaths that may have been caused by their products.The average salary and compensation package for CEOs of the 18 publicly traded medical device companies in the U.S. was $1.3 million and $15.4 million respectively as of 2015. In The Danger Within Us, award-winning journalist Jeanne Lenzer brings these horrifying statistics to life through the story of one working class man who, after his "cure" nearly kills him, ends up in a battle for justice against the medical establishment. His crusade leads Lenzer on a journey through the dark underbelly of the medical device industry, a fascinating and disturbing world that hasn't been written about before. What Lenzer exposes will shock readers: rampant corruption, elaborate cover-ups, shameless profiteering, and astonishing lack of oversight, all of which leads to dangerous devices (from artificial hips to pacemakers) going to market and into our bodies. In the vein of America's Bitter Pill and A Civil Action, The Danger Within Us is a meticulously researched and propulsive read that will fill you with anger and indignation, a stirring call for reform, and a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of American healthcare.
Cheating Destiny: Living With Diabetes, America's Biggest Epidemic
James S. Hirsch - 2006
James Hirsch’s myth-shattering blend of history, reportage, advocacy, and memoir will speak for, and to, the 20 million Americans who live with this disease. Cheating Destiny offers revealing views of the diabetic subculture, the urge toward secrecy that many diabetics feel, the glycemic rollercoaster they ride constantly, and the remarkable perseverance—even heroism—required for survival.Hirsch is uniquely qualified to write this book. An award-winning journalist and best-selling author, he has lived with type 1 diabetes for twenty-five years. His brother Irl, also a diabetic, is one of the country’s leading diabetologists. Most poignantly, he knows firsthand the toll diabetes can take on parents: his three-year-old son was diagnosed with the disease while Hirsch was writing this book.Hirsch draws on all this expertise to craft an incisive, surprising portrayal of the fascinating science behind the disease and the skyrocketing impact of diabetes on our economy and society. Most striking is his candid, authoritative writing about the psychological and emotional hurdles that diabetics confront every day. Anyone who lives with diabetes—or loves a diabetic—will find here an empowering voice of empathy.
The House of God
Samuel Shem - 1978
Six eager interns—they saw themselves as modern saviors-to-be. They came from the top of their medical school class to the bottom of the hospital staff to serve a year in the time-honored tradition, racing to answer the flash of on-duty call lights and nubile nurses. But only the Fat Man—the Clam, all-knowing resident—could sustain them in their struggle to survive, to stay sane, to love and even to be doctors when their harrowing year was done.
The South Asian Health Solution
Ronesh Sinha - 2014
South Asians, who are predominantly Indians and Pakistanis, make up one-third of the world's population and have the highest prevalence of heart disease and diabetes. Dr. Ronesh Sinha, an internal medicine specialist in Silicon Valley, CA, recipient of the 2013 Silicon Valley Business Journal Health Care hero award, and TEDx speaker, specializes in helping patients of South Asian heritage moderate heart disease risk factors and obesity trends with a comprehensive lifestyle modification approach that has delivered exceptional results.Dr. Sinha's The South Asian Health Solution is the first book to provide an ancestral health-based wellness plan culturally tailored for South Asians. In particular, South Asians living outside of India in countries such as the United States, England, and Canada, show an even greater disease risk due to their immersion into western dietary and lifestyle habits.The book covers some of the following topics: South Asian-specific risk factors and how to accurately interpret cholesterol and body composition readings; Key lifestyle changes for weight loss and disease prevention; Three common cultural myths that lead to unhealthy habits; How to effectively manage sleep, stress and fatigue; And specific tips for women, children, and seniors.The South Asian Health Solution explains complex medical circumstances and terminology in an easy to understand voice, allowing the reader to grasp the how's and why's of dietary and lifestyle modification to prevent disease. The book dispenses practical dietary and medical advice, based on proven techniques used in the author's South Asian consult practice and company wellness programs, that recognizes and respects unique South Asian cultural challenges and barriers that can often hinder progress. Each chapter features a detailed case study of one of Dr. Sinha's actual patients (names changed), lending authenticity and real-life application to the material covered, and ends with a checklist for patients, healthcare providers, and even companies looking to keep their South Asian employees healthy.
On Immunity: An Inoculation
Eula Biss - 2014
She finds that you cannot immunize your child, or yourself, from the world.In this bold, fascinating book, Biss investigates the metaphors and myths surrounding our conception of immunity and its implications for the individual and the social body. As she hears more and more fears about vaccines, Biss researches what they mean for her own child, her immediate community, America, and the world, both historically and in the present moment. She extends a conversation with other mothers to meditations on Voltaire's Candide, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Susan Sontag's AIDS and Its Metaphors, and beyond.On Immunity is a moving account of how we are all interconnected-our bodies and our fates.
Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care Is Better Than Yours
Phillip Longman - 2007
This encouraging change not only has benefited veterans but also provides a blueprint for salvaging America's own deeply troubled healthcare system. "Best Care Anywhere" shows how a government bureaucracy, working with little notice, is setting the standard for best practices and cost reduction while the private sector is lagging in both areas. Author Phillip Longman challenges conventional wisdom by explaining exactly how market forces work to lower quality and raise prices in the healthcare sector, and how U.S. medical practices have a weak basis in science. The book, expanded from a widely praised article in the "Washington Monthly," mixes hard facts with author Philip Longmans' compelling human story of the loss of his wife to cancer. Part manifesto, part moving memoir, "Best Care Anywhere" offers new hope for addressing a major problem of contemporary society that affects all of us.
Cause of Death
Cyril Wecht - 1993
These and other sensational cases featured in this provacative book make for true-crime and medical detection at its most authentic and compelling--a must read for anyone interested in the truth behind the headlines.
Pills, Thrills and Methadone Spills: The Adventures of a Community Pharmacist
Mr. Dispenser - 2013
People need cheering up. I have the answer. ‘Pills, Thrills and Methadone Spills: Adventures of a Community Pharmacist’ is a collection of the best blogs, tweets and anecdotes about the wonderful world of pharmacy.“If the shutter is three quarters down, then we are shut and not just vertically challenged”...“Gave me huge insight into the ‘real’ world of community pharmacy – I didn’t realise just how much pharmacists deal with on a day to day basis, so for me this was very informative, but in a reallyclever, and massively funny way!” Lucy Pitt, Marketing Manager, The Pharmacy Show“As well as being brilliantly funny, this book is a refreshingly honest view of the world of pharmacy. From student pharmacists to the fully-qualified, every chapter provides a story that the reader can relate to and enjoy.” Georgia Salter, Pharmacy Student“A well observed reflection of life in pharmacy with very funny reflections” Catherine Duggan, Royal Pharmaceutical Society"It is always fun to be reminded that pharmacists' perils and fun at the workplace are similar irrespective of which country we practise in!" Selina Hui-Hoong Wee , Pharmacist, Malaysia“A great entertaining and amusing read" Mike Holden, Chief Executive, National Pharmacy AsociationThanks to Laura Martins for her initial book cover design!
The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution
Richard K. Bernstein - 2005
An engineer by training, Bernstein pioneered blood glucose self-monitoring and the tight control of blood sugar that is now accepted as the standard treatment of diabetes.
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
David Sheff - 2007
Before Nic became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets. David Sheff traces the first warning signs: the denial, the three a.m. phone calls—is it Nic? the police? the hospital? His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every treatment that might save his son. And he refused to give up on Nic.
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.
Ask Me Why I Hurt: The Kids Nobody Wants and the Doctor Who Heals Them
Randy Christensen - 2011
Randy Christensen. Trained as a pediatrician, he works not in a typical hospital setting but, rather, in a 38-foot Winnebago that has been refitted as a doctor’s office on wheels. His patients are the city’s homeless adolescents and children. In the shadow of one affluent American city, Dr. Christensen has dedicated his life to caring for society's throwaway kids—the often-abused, unloved children who live on the streets without access to proper health care, all the while fending off constant threats from thugs, gangs, pimps, and other predators. With the Winnebago as his moveable medical center, Christensen and his team travel around the outskirts of Phoenix, attending to the children and teens who need him most. With tenderness and humor, Dr. Christensen chronicles everything from the struggles of the van’s early beginnings, to the support system it became for the kids, and the ultimate recognition it has achieved over the years. Along with his immense professional challenges, he also describes the trials and joys he faces while raising a growing family with his wife Amy. By turns poignant, heartbreaking, and charming, Dr. Christensen's story is a gripping and rich memoir of his work and family, one of those rare books that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care
John J. Nance - 2008
He, alone, masters in one mind the fields of aviation, health care safety, medical malpractice law, organizational sociology, media communication, and, as if that were not enough, the art of fine writing. Only he could have made sophisticated, scientifically disciplined instruction about the nature and roots of safety into a page-turner. Medical care has a ton yet to learn from the decades of progress that have brought aviation to unprecedented levels of safety, and, in instructing us all about those lessons, John Nance is not just a bridge-builder - he is the bridge. This book should be required reading for anyone willing to face the facts about what it will take for health care to be as safe as it truly can be." Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP President and CEO Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
Hot Cripple: An Incurable Smart-ass Takes on the Health Care System and Lives to Tell the Tal e
Hogan Gorman - 2012
And she got one-coming at her at forty miles per hour. Hit by a car and suffering debilitating injuries, and with no health insurance, the fashionista attempts to bounce back into her (thrift store-purchased) Jimmy Choos even as she deals with short-term memory loss, stalker ambulance drivers, trying to stay vegan on food stamps, crazy judges, hot doctors, and unsympathetic government workers.Inspired by her acclaimed one-woman show, this is a bitingly funny and keenly observed account of the cracks in our medical and social welfare system and how one woman's resilience combined with a generous dollop of humor helped her fight her way to recovery.
What Seems To Be The Problem
Mark Watson - 2019
A fascinating and funny trip through humanity’s often misguided attempts to make us better.