Staying Well CL

In 1992 the United States will spend an estimated $817 billion on healthcare, yet we rank 16th among nations in life expectancy and 24th in infant mortality. Less than three cents of every health-care dollar is spent on prevention and education, and experts reckon that between 60% and 75% of deaths in America are caused by lifestyle choices--e.g., alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and poor nutrition. As an internist with 25 years of experience, Simon (coauthor of The Athlete Within ) has seen firsthand the effects of behavior on health. Dr. Simon's advice is not new, but his chatty manner recalls the traditional family doctor. His book is organized in three parts: health and prevention (including the tenets ``don't use tobacco or drugs'' and ``exercise regularly''), preventable illnesses and a comprehensive program for health enhancement (covering nutrition, exercise and stress management). Simon explains in detail how a healthy body works and how diseases interfere with normal body mechanics. There are also chapters on accidents, occupational disorders and substance abuse. The author points out the he isn't the first proponent of preventive medicine--evidently, the Greeks were. But we can still learn much from the idea that ``to be healthy, enlist the goddess of prevention instead of the goddess of cure.'' The author is on the staff of Massachusetts General Hospital and teaches at Harvard Medical School. (Aug.)