cover image The Best Treatment

The Best Treatment

Isadore Rosenfeld. Simon & Schuster, $21.5 (332pp) ISBN 978-0-671-69339-8

In what could have been just another look at medicine, but most certainly isn't, Rosenfeld ( Symptoms) outlines what he considers the best treatments and remedies for a variety of conditions, ranging from chlamydia infections and asthma to psoriasis and migraines. Item: he cites more effective ways to prevent and treat osteoporosis in menopausal women than ingesting calcium supplements. The doctor, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, also notes that aspirin may not always be the safest--nor the smartest--way to reduce a fever. Rosenfeld acknowledges that his preferences are not necessarily ``better'' than another doctor's; however, readers will surely benefit from broadened knowledge of possible treatment options. The style is breezy and accessible, especially well suited to those who need immediate advice. Final chapters recommend brand-name supplies to keep on hand, urge the importance of exercise and delineate the differences among painkillers. Ad/promo; QPB and BOMC HomeStyle alternates, Prevention Book Club main; author tour; (Nov.)