Editors’ Book Selections; Reviews

“The symptoms of thyroid diseases are so wide-ranging—affecting your mood, energy, body temperature, weight, heart, and more—that it may be difficult to get the correct diagnosis right away,” according to the authors of a recent Special Health Report on . . . → Read More: Weight Gain, Depression & Other Often-Mistaken Symptoms Could Signify Thyroid Disease, Harvard Reports

What are “Core Exercises?” If you answered, “Abs,” you are only partially right. “Core muscles go far beyond the readily recognized ‘six-pack’ abs that swimsuit models sport,” the authors of a Harvard Medical School Special Health Report on “Core . . . → Read More: Core Exercises Key to Good Health, Balance & Proficiency in Sports & All Activities, Harvard Reports

In his new book, “Stick With Exercise For A Lifetime; How to Enjoy Every Minute of It,” former Occidental College swimming and water polo coach and wellness consultant Robert Hopper, PhD provides a concise guide to developing an exercise . . . → Read More: Enjoyment is the Key to Sticking with Exercise for a Lifetime, New Book Advises

According to a special health report issued by Harvard Health Publications of Harvard Medical School, “Sarcopenia—the gradual decrease in muscle tissue—starts at around age 30, [and] the average 30-year-old can expect to lose about 25% of muscle mass and . . . → Read More: Harvard Health Publishes Report on Strength and Power Training: A guide for adults of all ages

A new Health Alert published by Johns Hopkins Medicine features 8 key strategies that the Johns Hopkins experts say can help preserve your memory and brain health. The Health Alert, entitled “How to Protect Your Memory and Brain Health,” . . . → Read More: Johns Hopkins Health Alert Features 8 Key Strategies to Protect Your Memory

Harvard Health Publications has published a new Special Health Report entitled, “The Joint Pain Relief Workout: Healing exercises for your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.” The Report provides exercises designed by doctors at Harvard Medical School, along with Master . . . → Read More: Harvard Health Publishes New Joint Pain Relief Workout

The Harvard Medical School Special Health Report, A Guide to Women’s Health: Fifty and Forward, presents a basic overview of the changes in major health risks that women face as they age, and focuses particularly on lifestyle changes that . . . → Read More: Harvard Guide to Women’s Health Fifty and Forward Focuses on Prevention

“On average, men are less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than women,” but “more than half of premature deaths among men are preventable,” according to a book, Blueprint for Men’s Health: A Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle, . . . → Read More: Men’s Health Week and Men’s Health Month Focus on Prevention & Wellness

Corresponding with Healthy Vision Month, a national campaign focusing on vision health, Johns Hopkins Medicine has recently issued a 2012 updated version of the “Johns Hopkins Vision White Paper.” The Johns Hopkins 2012 Vision White Paper, written by doctors . . . → Read More: Johns Hopkins Issues 2012 Vision White Paper, Focusing on How to Halt or Reverse Vision Loss

Johns Hopkins Medicine has issued a new research White Paper, The 2012 Johns Hopkins Digestive Disorders White Paper, written by H. Franklin Herlong, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Director, Clinical Hepatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. . . . → Read More: New Digestive Disorders White Paper Issued by Johns Hopkins

The World Health Organization (WHO) on April 11 issued a substantial new report showing that, with populations aging, cases of dementia are expected to more than triple worldwide by 2050. The report calls upon nations to address this pandemic-size . . . → Read More: The WHO Issues Wake-up Call: Dementia Cases Will Triple by 2050, More Family Caregiver Support Needed

Harvard Health Publications has issued a revised and updated version of its Special Health Report on “Low Back Pain: Healing Your Aching Back,” written by experts at Harvard Medical School. According to Harvard Health Publications, “Back pain is one . . . → Read More: Harvard Issues Updated Report on Low Back Pain: Healing Your Aching Back

Johns Hopkins has released the updated 2012 Edition of the Johns Hopkins Memory White Paper. According to a recent Johns Hopkins Health Alert, the Johns Hopkins Memory White Paper compiles in simple language for consumers some of the best . . . → Read More: Johns Hopkins Releases 2012 Memory White Paper

Harvard Medical School has published a Special Health Report on Exercise – a Program You Can Live With, which provides a comprehensive guide to the enormous health benefits of exercise, how to get started and design an appropriate exercise . . . → Read More: Harvard Guide to Exercise – A Program You Can Live With

Professor Lawrence Lessig of Harvard Law School has written a seminal new book entitled, Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress–and a Plan to Stop It, recently published by Hachette Book Group. In it he argues that the root of . . . → Read More: Is Money in Politics Harmful to Health & the Real Enemy of Meaningful Health Care Reform?

Johns Hopkins has released its 2011 Arthritis Whitepaper, with in-depth consumer information on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of various different conditions that fall under the heading of “arthritis.” The paper features several diet, exercise and other wellness strategies, . . . → Read More: 2011 Johns Hopkins Arthritis Whitepaper Released

To Love What Is: A Marriage Transformed, by Alix Kates Shulman, is a beautiful, poignant love story spanning several decades. This memoir will touch your heart, and will touch home for you if you are or have been . . . → Read More: To Love What Is: A Marriage Transformed

The Long Hello – The Other Side of Alzheimer’s, by Cathie Borrie, is a sensitive and poetic memoir by a loving daughter told in the setting of her passage with her Mother through the journey of her Mother’s Alzheimer’s. . . . → Read More: The Long Hello – The Other Side of Alzheimer’s

The Mayo Clinic Diet is a lifestyle that helps you maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime. It’s a sensible, habit–based approach to food that involves breaking unhealthy habits and adopting healthy new ones. Watch Dr. Donald Hensrud, The . . . → Read More: A Healthy Diet That Doesn’t Count Calories

Virginia Morris, author of “How to Care for Aging Parents” appeared on Diane Sawyer’s special series, “Families on the Brink: What to do About Mom & Dad,” on ABC World News. Her book is considered by many to be . . . → Read More: “How To Care For Aging Parents” Book

The American Medical Association Guide to Home Caregiving provides information on how to: Arrange a room to adapt to a loved one’s needs Give medications, monitor symptoms, deal with incontinence, provide emotional support, and relieve boredom Choose a home . . . → Read More: A Helpful Guide Book to Home Caregiving by the American Medical Association

By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and LeAnn Thieman L.P.N., with a Foreward by Rosalynn Carter. We recommend this book for needed, soothing inspiration for the caregiver. Uplifting stories to nourish your soul. This is an important part of . . . → Read More: Chicken Soup For The Caregiver’s Soul

We recommend highly this classic book on caregiving for those with Alzheimer’s: The 36-hour Day, by Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins, completely revised and updated 2008 publication. This is the place to start if your loved one . . . → Read More: The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease

A doctor gives sage advice on how to maneuver through a hospital and health care system that is not very geriatric friendly. Some tips: Assume that medical records will get lost somewhere between your doctor’s office, a specialist’s office . . . → Read More: Treat Me, Not My Age: A Doctor’s Guide to Getting the Best Care as You or a Loved One Gets Older

Mayo Clinic Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease, The Essential Resource for Treatment, Coping and Caregiving (Hardcover), by the Mayo Clinic. A classic source on Alzheimer’s Disease, what is it, causes, symptoms and diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and information for caregivers of . . . → Read More: Mayo Clinic Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease