Medical Diseases

When Tom DeBaggio turned 57 in 1999, he thought he was embarking on the golden years of retirement -- time to spend with his family, his friends, and the herb garden he spent decades cultivating. One winter day, he told his doctor during a routine exam that he had been stumbling into forgetfulness. After it subsequent battery of tests, DeBaggio joined the legion of 12 million others afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.

In this book, Prusiner tells the remarkable story of his discovery of prions - infectious proteins that replicate and cause disease but surprisingly contain no genetic material - and reveals how superb and meticulous science is actually practiced with talented teams of researchers who persevere. He recounts the frustrations and rewards of years of research and offers fascinating portraits of his peers as they raced to discover the causes of fatal brain diseases.

On Call: Emergency Room Stories, Volume 4 takes readers further into the intense and unpredictable world of the ER, where every moment counts. This volume showcases a new series of medical emergencies, from the urgent effort to revive a drowning victim to the complex treatment of a severe case of food poisoning. Each story is narrated from the perspective of the emergency room doctors and staff, providing an inside look at the high-stakes decisions, rapid problem-solving, and unwavering commitment required in this demanding field. With detailed medical diagnoses, thorough treatment plans, ...

Cardiac Failure Explained is a comprehensive, user-friendly guide on understanding and managing heart failure. Written by a cardiologist who has been treating patients with heart failure for decades, this book provides detailed explanations of the diagnosis, heart anatomy, tests performed, and medications used to treat cardiac failure in an easy-to-understand format. This book takes you through a step-by-step process of how to manage your condition from medication management to lifestyle changes that can prevent symptoms from getting worse.

In 1918, a world war raged, and a lethal strain of influenza circled the globe. In the midst of all this death, a bizarre disease appeared in Europe. Eventually known as encephalitis lethargica, or sleeping sickness, it spread worldwide, leaving millions dead or locked in institutions. Then, in 1927, it disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived. Asleep, set in 1920s and '30s New York, follows a group of neurologists through hospitals and asylums as they try to solve this epidemic and treat its victims - who learned the worst fate was not dying of it, but surviving it.

Crash: Stories From the Emergency Room is a gripping anthology series that takes readers inside the hectic world of emergency room medicine through the eyes of different doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and paramedics. Each book contains a collection of stories told from their unique perspectives as they cope with the controlled chaos and high stakes of trying to save lives. The stories range from high-adrenaline rescues following accidents and disasters to quieter but equally emotional moments dealing with terminal illness and end-of-life care. While some recount dramatic cases that pushed...

What if the worst thing that’s ever happened to you was actually the greatest blessing you’ve ever received? When Logan Sneed was diagnosed with stage-4 brain cancer, he used a diagnosis that’s usually a death sentence as a springboard for the life of his dreams. No obstacle - not even cancer - would stop him from creating the life he wanted. In Thank You, Cancer, Logan shares every thrilling victory and gutting setback from his remarkable journey to help you see the truth: You can overcome the obstacles you’re facing and become the best version of yourself.

In 1992, Marilyn French was told she had one year to live. A smoker of 48 years she was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, a cancer which is almost always fatal. Five years on, having battled with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a heart attack and her back breaking, she is very much alive. And - astonishingly - her body shows no sign of cancer.

A Book of Divine Hope, Love, and Health Modern science has given us many valuable insights into disease. But it has also failed to solve even more chronic illnesses that have plagued man since the beginning of time. The Philosophy of Health and Peace advocates a radically different outlook to shed new light on what ails us—from autism to Alzheimer’s. The ninth book from acclaimed scholar and poet Ronnie Lee, this unique work blends philosophy, biology, mathematics, physics and other disciplines in a totally new way. In it, Lee details breakthrough equations to show how complex systems ...

Suffering from chronic pain or illness is debilitating on its own, let alone when the treatments given are ineffective or even harmful. Patients are often given opioids to manage their symptoms, but is this the best option available? According to the American Psychiatric Association, about 2 million people in the US alone have a substance-use disorder linked to prescription opioids. What if there was a better way to treat your symptoms? Enter marijuana - what used to be taboo has now become commonplace.

Leaving a life marked by crippling setbacks and his father's doubt, in 1967 a 20-something doctor from India arrived in America with only five dollars and the desire to claim his American dream. Faced with an entirely new culture, racism, and the lasting effects of disabling childhood injuries, through hard work and perseverance he overcame all odds. Now having performed over 15,000 open-heart surgeries, more than nearly every surgeon in history, Dr. Singh reflects on his most memorable patients and his incredible personal life.

When Laura Jensen Walker was diagnosed with breast cancer on her first wedding anniversary, she found humor to be healing in the midst of terrifying circumstances. In this energetic and hope-filled book, she draws on her faith and her sense of humor to encourage others going through the same thing. From discovering that "bald is beautiful" to navigating the world of saline breast implants, Walker recounts the highs and lows of coping with cancer.

Ever since the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, scientists have dreamed of preventing catastrophic outbreaks of infectious disease. Yet despite a century of medical progress, viral and bacterial disasters continue to take us by surprise, inciting panic and dominating news cycles. From the Spanish flu to the 1924 outbreak of pneumonic plague in Los Angeles to the 1930 "parrot fever" pandemic, through the more recent SARS, Ebola, and Zika epidemics, the last one hundred years have been marked by a succession of unanticipated pandemic alarms.

Restaurateur, magazine publisher, celebrity chef, and nationally known lifestyle maven, B. Smith is struggling at 66 with a tag she never expected to add to that string: Alzheimer's patient. She's not alone. Every 67 seconds someone newly develops it, and millions of lives are affected by its aftershocks.

-Extraordinary encounters. Unexpected humor. Endless challenges. Life-threatening diseases. Unthinkable trauma.- From peculiar conditions and mysterious ailments to remarkable recoveries and perplexing medical mysteries, Stat: Crazy Medical Stories, draws from real-life accounts. Each chapter unveils crazy medical cases as narrated by the healthcare professionals themselves. The stories take you on a captivating journey across various disciplines, including general medicine, surgery, psychiatry, and more. Prepare for a rollercoaster of emotions; you’ll laugh, cry, and be shocked as you ...

-Extraordinary encounters. Unexpected humor. Endless challenges. Life-threatening diseases. Unthinkable trauma.- From peculiar conditions and mysterious ailments to remarkable recoveries and perplexing medical mysteries, Stat: Crazy Medical Stories, draws from real-life accounts. Each chapter unveils crazy medical cases as narrated by the healthcare professionals themselves. The stories take you on a captivating journey across various disciplines, including general medicine, surgery, psychiatry, and more. Prepare for a rollercoaster of emotions; you’ll laugh, cry, and be shocked as you ...

When American saxophonist and social activist Fred Ho was diagnosed with stage 3b colo-rectal cancer in 2006 he underwent immediate surgery to remove the tumor and began preparing for chemotherapy. Within days his friends mobilized to arrange grocery deliveries, transport, companionship, and housekeeping duties - they called themselves “Warriors for Fred”. Fred chose to write his astonishing cancer memoir as a diary, acknowledging that all the greatest warriors wrote daily diaries.

Robert McCrum was 42 when he suffered a massive stroke which left one side of his body paralysed, his speech drastically impaired and his sense of himself radically altered. My Year Off traces McCrum's gruelling recovery as he regains sensation and begins to come to terms, with the help of his family, with what can and cannot be recovered after a grave injury. It is a moving remonstrance against human frailty and a vital and insightful exploration of hope, despair, determination and, ultimately, love.

In this highly personal account, Dr Gibbs documents the effect his diagnosis has had on his life and explains his advocacy for improving early recognition of Alzheimer’s. Weaving clinical knowledge from decades caring for dementia patients with his personal experience of the disease, this is an optimistic tale of one man’s journey with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

The modern American public has been caught in the middle of a battle over the sun. The smiling yellow orb that we knew and loved as children had become vilified as a cancer causing, wrinkle inducing, fiend in the public imagination. The story behind this transformation-the paradigm shift in public opinion is as interesting as any that can be told. By trying to save our skins, we may have lost our health by depleting our bodies of vitamin D-creating a man-made epidemic of a myriad number of diseases? Is there a way to fix this? Could something as simple as sitting out in the sun for a few ...