AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION FAMILY MEDICAL GUIDE: 4th Edition

Medical "bibles" go out of date quickly. Diseases don't change, but our understanding of them does. So a new volume of a standard guide for the nonphysician is certainly welcome. What's perhaps most gratifying about this updated reference is that, based on new understanding of how much regular people can do to keep body and mind whole, it advises readers to take an active approach. For those already suffering a particular medical condition—and the book covers a great deal of territory, from blood to heart to brain diseases—this volume will serve as a source of real understanding. Armed with the basics, patients may be less embarrassed to ask more of their physicians or surgeons. The authors acknowledge the benefits of yoga and meditation (which they call the relaxation response) and offer a rundown of homeopathic medicine. Other new additions include expanded coverage of genetic testing, learning disabilities, ADD and stem cell transplants. The authors discuss sexually transmitted diseases, sexual orientation, contraception and abortion with forthrightness. Self-help charts that will supposedly lead readers from symptom to diagnosis are a kind of maze game and will keep hypochondriacs busy for hours. This is a well-organized volume, considering the amount of information it covers. By educating patients, the book may be as much a help to physicians as it is to their charges. Photos, illus. (Sept.)